Loui Mauffette: Ô Loup! and The Eternal Cry of Childhood

Loui Mauffette is an artist unlike any other on the Quebec cultural landscape. Blossoming as a multidisciplinary artist in recent years—after decades of distinguishing himself as one of the best press agents in the Quebec cultural milieu‚—, he has invented his own stage genre: “stoned-out poetry.” With Ô Loup! et autres palpitations poétiques, he delves into his childhood and delivers a more intimate—almost solo—performance. Almost, because Loui Mauffette never does anything alone...

Crédit : Francis Ducharme

Gravitating around him are lifelong colleagues—Patricia Nolin, Gilles Renaud, Maxime Denommé, Catherine De Léan, Guido Del Fabro—and the kindly ghosts of a poet father and an enchanted childhood. Ô Loup! is a different, more intimate work, but one in which audiences will sense the same unifying energy as in the shows Poésie, sandwiches et autres soirs qui penchent and Chansons pour filles et garçons perdus.

A Child's Call to the Wolf

“Ô Loup! is a child’s cry that has never stopped resonating,” says Loui Mauffette in his characteristically intense way. “It’s the five-year-old kid who cries wolf, just for fun, to attract attention. But today, that cry is mine too.”

The show, driven by writing that can be dreamlike at times and raw at others, navigates between fragments of childhood, fables, and poetry. A mosaic of raw emotions and shared memories. For the first time, Loui has largely included his own writing. “I’ve been writing for a short time, and it’s a personal revolution. My texts are like floats. They protect me, but they also force me to lay myself bare.”

Between his own words and those of poets Aimé Césaire or Robin Aubert, Loui Mauffette has constructed a poetic score that is both vibrant and fragile, in which each fragment is a spark.

Childhood and Death: Reflecting on Each Other

Two recurring themes inhabit Loui Mauffette’s universe: childhood and death. “For me, these two moments in life are inextricably linked, like two ends of the same breath,” he explains. Childhood, with its wonder and vulnerability, finds an unsettling echo in the finitude of life.

“I often feel like the child I was is watching the man I have become, and vice versa. In Ô Loup! I try to create a dialogue between these two voices,” he continues. This dialogue is expressed on stage through stories imbued with tenderness and shamelessness, in which the loss of loved ones is expressed alongside luminous memories of Loui’s family home in L’Anse de Vaudreuil, a magical world that cradled his childhood.

Loui Mauffette is not afraid to tackle difficult subjects with surprising light-heartedness. “Death is a constant presence in my life, but I refuse to see it only as a tragedy. I want to find poetry in it, a light. Perhaps that is my father’s legacy.”

The Legacy of Guy Mauffette

The ghost of his father, Guy Mauffette, hovers over Ô Loup! like a gentle and inspiring presence. “It was at his funeral, while reading one of his poems, that I understood that I too had to become a wordsmith,” recalls Loui.

As a tribute to the man who hosted the iconic Cabaret du soir qui penche, Loui incorporates old vinyl records in his performances. Between two readings, the audience hears songs by Guy Béart or Monique Leyrac, building a bridge between generations. “These songs are the voices of my childhood, the voices that cradled me.”

A Poetic Celebration

“It’s neither a cabaret nor a classical recital,” explains Loui Mauffette. “Ô Loup! is an intimate and unpredictable celebration, a poetic stand-up set in which emotion bursts forth like fireworks.”

On stage, the family table takes shape. Laughter intermingles with poignant silences; humor rubs shoulders with melancholy. Gilles Renaud and Patricia Nolin, friends and mentors, portray tutelary figures, while composer and violinist Guido Del Fabro envelops the whole in a captivating soundscape. Maxime Denommée and Catherine De Léan, slightly younger actors, embody the vibrant dialogue between generations, while pianist Martin Lizotte adds a subtle musical touch.

The Universality of Intimacy

In December of 2023, Loui Mauffette also offered an audio extension of his world with two podcast episodes entitled Le sens de Loui, broadcast on Radio-Canada Ohdio. In these episodes, the artist takes listeners on a musical journey to the heart of his impressionist universe, made up of eclectic musical selections and captivating anecdotes. With his warm voice and romantic impulses, he offers a moment of celebration conducive to get-togethers, recalling the very essence of Ô Loup!

What is most striking is Mauffette’s ability to make the singular universal. Audience members, captivated by the sincerity of the narrative, find within themselves the echoes of their own stories. When they leave the venue, they take with them the cry of childhood.