Á la Vôtre!
Á la Vôtre! was a low-budget television sitcom that ran for three seasons, all produced and filmed in Ikory. Originally little more than a cheap rip-off of "Cheers", with the setting changed to Salut bar in Valcourt, Ikory, it evolved into a dark, absurdist comedy show.
Following the police action in Ikory, production was indefinitely suspended and is unlikely to resume. The first English-language subtitled box set is scheduled for release by Elephant Street Media.
Conception
The concept for Á la Vôtre! came about in a bar following a pro-FLQ rally that creator Nicéphore Fernand had attended, during which he had taken "certain creative stimulants". In an early television interview, Fernand said he "had always liked the idea of Cheers, a stupid American show about stupid people, always coming and going, having all these ridiculous problems of the common man. It all came together when I saw these very silly, absurd things really happening all around me."
After settling on his plot, Fernand negotiated a lease on a small, unoccupied tavern on the eastern outskirts of Valcourt, and transformed it into an imperfect copy of the famous Boston Bull & Finch: "The interiors we did from memory, or just watching reruns-- all the art and things were from these second-hand shops in Montreal or whatever. The exterior is nothing like in Cheers, so we don't film outside, except through these paned, dirty windows."
Cast & Characters
Á la Vôtre! maintained a rotating ensemble cast, some characters played by different actors on different episodes (for reasons unspecified). Secondary characters appear infrequently, usually played by the director, Nicéphore Fernand.
| Character | Actors/Actresses | Role | Other occupation(s) | Number of episodes (seasons) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Florian | Émeric Arthur (regular) Damien Edgard (S2E1-3) |
Bartender | Former relief pitcher for the Montreal Expos | 20 (1-3) |
| Déodat Modeste | Damien Edgard (regular) Émeric Arthur (S2E1) |
Assistant Bartender | Former relief pitcher for the Montreal Expos | 18 (1-3) |
| Salomon "Boisé" Blaise | Charles Mathias (regular) Sacha Rose (S1E5, S2E1) |
Assistant Bartender | Former baseball player and coach | 20 (1-3) |
| Agathe Carole | Juliette Reyer (regular) Eve Roche (S2E1-3) |
Waitress | PhD student | 20 (1-3) |
| Nina Florette | Sacha Rose (regular) Juliette Reyer (S1E5, S2E1-2) |
Waitress | Homemaker | 20 (1-3) |
| Arturo Modeste | Paschal Fernand (regular) Aline Piers (S1E5) Nicéphore Fernand (S2E1-2) |
Customer | Psychiatrist | 15 (1-3) |
| Keanu Kai Konani Kaimana | Albert Paget | Customer | Mailman / Accountant | 19 (1-3) |
| Amaury Vincent | Pascal Tremble | Customer | Actor / Politician | 13 (2-3) |
Production
Most Á la Vôtre! episodes were shot before a live studio audience, generally on Tuesday nights. Scripts for new episodes were rarely handed out until some hours before filming, and rough rewrites routinely performed during filming. Originally, only three crew members were involved in the shooting of any given episode, but, in the most recent season, up to ten people were involved. Fernand was the sole director and final arbiter of all creative choices on the show.
Theme
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Á la Vôtre! theme, played by Joks Dutate; only the first twenty-six seconds are heard during the opening credits. The song was paid for with a bottle of imported brandy, the player having (drunkenly) improvised along with an unaired test scene as it was taped.