Former Chick’n Swell Daniel Grenier presents a funky new solo show

Daniel Grenier repeats it a few times on his new show: He’s 50. But the comedian is sometimes hard to realize as he frolics like a little kid on stage with his dozens of wacky toys found at flea markets. His deliberately silly fun was evident to the audience at yesterday’s Club Soda premiere, who laughed heartily throughout the evening.

• Read more: Daniel Grenier lived on $250 a month after Chick’n Swell ended

Daniel Grenier is a funny bug and that’s what makes him so endearing. In an environment of dozens, if not hundreds, of comedians doing the classic stand-up “one microphone, one stool” count, the former Chick’n Swell has its own completely comical and original universe.

His humor is sometimes absurd, as he has done with his comedy trio for 23 years, but he is also very accessible. From the beginning, the question that everyone is on the same page, Daniel Grenier wants to explain it more simply: his joke, “It’s stupid”. He visually shows that we need to disconnect our brains to fully appreciate the show. Got the message!

At Club Soda on Wednesday evening, several of the comedian’s close friends were seen cheering him on. There were his former partners at Chick’n Swell (Francis Cloutier and Ghyslain Dufresne) and his former roommates from the National Comedy School (Martin Matte and Martin Perizzolo). Other artists such as Guillaume Pinault, Jonathan Roberge, Simon Delisle, David Beaucage and Coco Bellevue also walked the “yellow carpet”.

Legend Claude Crest

Before Daniel Grenier appeared, it was none other than Claude Crest, the old crooner character created by Maxime Gervais (Les Big-Bois), who was in charge of the first part. “I am 92 years old. I have been doing comedy for over 70 years. I know there are comedians in the room tonight. Watch and learn! He initiated.

For about fifteen minutes, Crest told events in the world of show business without tail or head. A frankly hilarious first episode set the table perfectly for Daniel Grenier’s arrival.

Without fanfare, the evening’s star comedian took the stage at Club Soda with his guitar. “Thank you very much to everyone who was here. Am I good? I’ll start quietly and at some point the chain will land. Not true, she came a long time ago. Have a nice trip! »

For more than an hour, Daniel Grenier gave us cakes, each one funnier than the next, almost always with substance. Thus he used toys, plastic animals, mini motorcycles etc.

Not for young audiences

However, this should not be mistaken. Although his comedy is mostly good-natured, Daniel Grenier punctuates his show with several “trash” gags that aren’t aimed at young audiences. Parents who wish to bring their children to visit Yellow So be warned.

During the show, some of Daniel Grenier’s jokes didn’t always work, but the comedian’s enthusiasm and good humor were so great that the audience still laughed with him.

Since most of the cakes are visual, it’s important to sit near the stage. At the back of the Club Soda site, we lost a few jokes that used very small ingredients.

Daniel Grenier doesn’t hide it. He voluntarily goes from “rooster to donkey” on his show. That is what makes it so charming. Yes, a director could certainly craft the proposition a little better, but it would lose the color (yellow) that makes Daniel Grenier a comedian.

Daniel Grenier performs May 17-18 at the Théâtre Petit Champlain in Quebec. For all dates: danielgrenier.ca.