There are businessmen, and then there are visionaries. Québec producer Patrick Levy belongs to this second category. He and his partner, Daniel Revah, dreamt of breathing new life into the Olympia Theatre and to produce shows “made in Québec”. Well, they won their bet and Patrick Levy has accepted to tell us their story.

Montreal Recommends  :  Mister Levy, word is that you are a rising star among Québec producers. Can you tell us about your first steps in show business.

P. Levy  : This is a great dream that’s becoming a reality. Several years ago, my partners, Daniel Revah and Gérad Pullicino, and I had started working on a project of giving a second life to the Olympia Theatre, one of the gems of Montréal’s cultural heritage, and to present Québec productions there. We strongly believed in our project and we worked at it tirelessly. And our efforts were well worth it. In 2010, we had 150 dates, having had only sixty some three years ago. We produced several big names, then we were won over by Félix Gray’s idea of producing a musical telling a tale from A Thousand and One Nights. We then invested 4 million dollars in the production of Sherazade, directed by Yves Desgagnés.

Montreal Recommends  :  This production was very well received in Québec, was it not?

P. Levy  : Yes it was. It was a success. Sherazade was presented in Montréal and Québec City in 2009. More than 80 000 people have seen the show and the album has sold over 30 000 copies. But more importantly, we have great plans for Sherazade. We’re thinking big and I think the adventure has just begun.

Montreal Recommends  :  Could you give us more information about those projects?

P. Levy  : Well, I am very pleased to confirm that we have exported Sherazade! Starting December 1, 2011, the show will be presented at the prestigious Folies Bergères in Paris, a 1,638-seat theatre. We’re also planning on adding new shows and a tour across all of France. We’ll also be launching the Sherazade album in Paris next March.

Montreal Recommends  :  Can we say that Sherazade is a Québec production?

P. Levy  : Absolutely! And a production of which we are particularly proud! This show was born here. Our artists are Québec talent! The role of Sherazade, for example is played by Rita Tabbakh, and Phillipe Bergella plays the sultan.

Montreal Recommends  :  Bravo! Tell us how you were able to sell Sherazade in France.

P. Levy  : I think that this success story is the result of the combination of three factors. First, the French are already aware of what we can do here in Québec. Don’t forget that thanks to the talent of the likes of Luc Plamondon and Félix Gray, Québec has been able to offer grandiose shows such as Starmania, Notre-Dame de Paris and Don Juan. Second, obviously, is the talent in our cast members, and third is pure luck! You must certainly know Angelo Gopée, the vice-president of Live Nation France. In fact, Live Nation manages the careers of stars such as Madonna, Shakira, Enrique Iglesias and Lady Gaga. Well, Mister Gopée had come to see the show twice and enjoyed it so much that he spoke about it to his bosses. Long story short, Live Nation will invest 3 million dollars in the Paris production of Sherazade. My partners (including Evenko) and myself are very happy about this association with Live Nation.

Montreal Recommends  :  Are you planning on exporting Sherazade to other countries besides France?

P. Levy :  We certainly are! Several countries have already shown an interest in the show. Among others, there’s Morocco, Russia and Dubai. What comes next will be determined by how successful we are in France. That will be our international calling card. But, one step at a time. For now, we’re putting all our efforts into seducing the French audience.

Montreal Recommends  :  Sherazade is a huge production in terms of artists, sets, etc. It must be quite a challenge to take it across the Atlantic.

P. Levy :  We’ll be moving over 30 artists, along with all the sets, which will be rather costly. It will in fact be quite a challenge but one that we’ll be able to meet. Yves Desgagnés has agreed to direct the show in France. In view of the great work that he did with us in Montréal, I’m not worried about the production in France.

Montreal Recommends  : Do you have any projects for other musicals besides Sherazade?

P. Levy :  Yes, we do. We have an agreement with Live Nation to bring in the Bollywood musical “Bharati”. It will be presented at Place des Arts in Montréal and at the Sony Centre in Toronto in 2011. It’s a breath-taking show with over one hundred artists, including dancers, singers, actors, acrobats and over 700 costumes. This show was a huge success in Europe, with over a million tickets sold. We’re sure that the North American public will love it as well.