As I write this article, it has been a few weeks since the performances of Star Wârs d’icitte: La Guerre des Cônes ended, and I am still on a high. Sharing the stage with such a talented cast in a project this wonderfully outrageous was an unforgettable experience, and your warm reactions were magical.
Excellence in… 20,000 Words!
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are 20 photos—20,000 words—that describe this wonderful project even better than I could.
You can even have fun playing “Where’s Waldo?”, “Where’s Martin?” edition, because I appear in every one of these beautiful photos taken by photographer Audrey Brown.
For anyone who did not get to see the show, La Guerre des Cônes is a completely wild musical parody of Star Wars Episodes I, II and III, reinvented with a distinctly Quebec twist by the brilliant minds at Productions de l’Épopée. Imagine a podrace on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve and Jedi with unmistakably local accents. Better yet, imagine a remix of Spaceballs and Dans une Galaxie Près de Chez Vous, with singing, dancing and a generous dose of Quebec flavour… In short, that was it—and so much more!
More Than 200 Hours to Build This Madness
Behind all that craziness were more than 200 hours of rehearsals. Hours of singing, dancing, theatre, repetition, adjustments and collective work to arrive at what audiences eventually saw on stage.
This adventure reminded me of something fundamental: the result is generally proportional to the effort we put into it. The more seriously, patiently and wholeheartedly we work, the more the show comes to life. Every rehearsal added another layer, refined a movement, sharpened an intention or strengthened our cohesion.
And when you rehearse for that long, it is not only the show that evolves. Other skills develop almost without you noticing. You learn to sing better, dance better, occupy the space differently and, of course, deepen your stage acting. You also develop listening, rhythm, discipline and the ability to adapt to others.
The cast was exceptional throughout the entire process: generous, supportive artists, passionate about their craft and driven by a genuine desire to make audiences laugh. Even after dozens upon dozens of rehearsal hours, that passion never faded. If anything, it seemed to fuel the whole production.
A Reception That Meant a Lot
We were fortunate to receive some wonderful media coverage, and I wanted to share a few of the comments that touched us most. Seeing our madness received so warmly was the best reward we could have asked for.
Le Devoir called the show “irresistibly exhilarating,” a feeling we shared every night on stage! The blog Délires de Maris captured our intention perfectly by noting that “the humour, music and Quebec references are all there.”
Even across the language divide, the Force was with us! English-language outlet Mountain Lake PBS described the show as an “intergalactic fever dream covered in maple syrup,” adding that they laughed so hard they nearly choked. That is exactly the effect we were hoping for!
The fan site Mintinbox.net, for its part, called it a “wildly entertaining evening,” which is precisely what we hoped to offer: a moment of pure fun for Star Wars fans and newcomers alike.
This project was a true collective adventure, and I am incredibly proud to have been part of it—not only as an actor, but also by contributing to a few video edits you may have seen on social media.
A huge thank-you to everyone who came to see us, laughed with us and shared our energy. After all those hours spent building the show, feeling your reactions every night reminded us exactly why we had worked so hard.
That is why we do this work.
May the Force—and the laughter—be with you!
La Guerre des Cônes at the 2025 Fringe Festival
Cast
Anakin Skywalker: Samuel Bernard
Padmé Amidala: Éloïse Malame-Eugène
Yoda: Léonard Châteauvert
Palpatine: Joel Marchand
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Emmanuel Raymond
Jean-Michel, stormtrooper: Julie Leclerc
Gunray: Julie Leclerc
C3PO: Valérie Gagné
R2D2: Bianka Bergeron
Céline Dion: Anne Tchiniaev
Mace Windu: Anne Tchiniaev
Darth Maul: Anne Tchiniaev
Jar Jar Binks: Noah Century
Qui-Gon Jinn: Martin Blais
Chorus: Sabrika Leduc
Performances
Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 7, 2025 at 10 p.m.
Sunday, June 8, 2025 at 6:15 p.m.
Monday, June 9, 2025 at 5:15 p.m.
Saturday, June 14, 2025 at 10 p.m.
Sunday, June 15, 2025 at 12:45 p.m.
Venue
Théâtre La Comédie de Montréal
1113 De Maisonneuve Boulevard East
Montreal, Quebec H2L 1Z8
Articles About La Guerre des Cônes
Le Devoir
Description: This is where you will find one of the most memorable and enthusiastic reviews, calling the show “irresistibly exhilarating.”
Link:
https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/theatre/888196/planches
Mountain Lake PBS
Article title: Fringe and the Force: Why You Absolutely Need to See La Guerre des Cônes
Description: A very positive and humorous English-language review describing the show as an “intergalactic fever dream covered in maple syrup.”
Link:
https://mountainlake.org/fringe-and-the-force-why-you-absolutely-need-to-see-la-guerre-des-cones/
Les ArtsZé
Article title: La comédie musicale « La Guerre des Cônes » : une satire musicale inspirée de Star Wars
Description: An article by Daniel Ouimet that presents the concept of the show well, describing it as a creation for both theatre lovers and science-fiction fans.
Mintinbox.net
Article title: Star Wârs d’icitte, La Guerre des Cônes : compte-rendu et photos de MIB
Description: A friendly write-up from a Star Wars fan site, describing a “wildly entertaining evening” and featuring photos from the show.
Atuvu.ca
Description: This page brings together the show synopsis and several positive reviews from FRINGE 2025, including those from Le Devoir and Délires de Maris: “The humour, music and Quebec references are all there…”
Link:
https://atuvu.ca/billets-spectacle/star-wars-dicitte-la-guerre-des-cones
