Broue, Québécois play (1979-2008). When actors Michel Côté, Marcel Gauthier and Marc Messier joined with authors Claude Meunier, Jean-Pierre Plante, Francine Ruel and Louis Saia to write a comedy, they would write not just a script but a real piece of cult theatre that would make more than three generations of spectators laugh.
The work is structured as a series of small tragicomic playlets that take place in a tavern, where women were barred at the time. It presents various male characters, some "regulars," others just passing through and each more colourful than the last, who come to drink their beer and shoot the breeze. In order to reduce costs, the actors decided take on all the roles themselves, alternating the number of characters on stage - sometimes one, sometimes two, sometimes all three together. The snappy rhythm of the dialogue and the quick pace of the retorts require them to change costumes and build their characters in a flash. The premiere took place on 21 March 1979 in a small 100-seat hall in the Théâtre des Voyagements in Montréal. It was a hit, and throughout that year the company travelled from Sherbrooke to Montréal, concluding with the opening of the Théâtre Port-Royal (later renamed Théâtre Jean-Duceppe), by invitation of Jean DUCEPPE. The 200th performance was even celebrated at Magnan's - one of Montréal's few remaining authentic taverns. Broue tickets are tough to come by due to the fact that most performances are in extremely small venues.
