Starmania is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

cyberpunk Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction in a dystopian futuristic setting that tends to focus on a "combination of lowlife and high tech", featuring futuristic technological and scientific achievements, such as artificial intelligence and cyber ...

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

written in 1976 with music by

Michel Berger Michel Berger (born Michel Jean Hamburger; 28 November 1947 – 2 August 1992) was a French singer and songwriter. He was a leading figure of France's pop music scene for two decades as a singer; as a songwriter, he was active for such artists ...

and book and lyrics by

Luc Plamondon Luc Plamondon, OC, CQ (b. March 2, 1942 in Saint-Raymond, Quebec), is a French-Canadian lyricist and music executive. He is best known for his work on the musicals ''Starmania'' and ''Notre-Dame de Paris''. He is the brother of Louis Plamondo ...

. It debuted in 1978 with a studio recording of the songs, before premiering on stage in 1979. Several of its songs have passed into mainstream

Francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...

pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * Pop (Gas al ...

, and helped original cast members

Daniel Balavoine Daniel Xavier-Marie Balavoine (; 5 February 1952 – 14 January 1986) was a French singer and songwriter. He was hugely popular in the French-speaking world in the early 1980s; he inspired many singers of his generation such as Jean-Jacques Gol ...

and

Diane Dufresne Diane Dufresne, (born 30 September 1944) is a French Canadian singer and painter, and is known for singing a large repertoire of popular Quebec songs. Dufresne was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She lived in Paris from 1965 to 1967 where s ...

to rise in popularity in France; it is now considered one of the most famous rock operas in French history. An

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

version with lyrics by

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ' ...

, titled ''Tycoon'', premiered with the release of a studio recording in 1992, which starred

Kim Carnes Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a sess ...

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

Nina Hagen Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rose to prominence during the Punk subculture, punk and New wave music, new wave movements in the late 1970s a ...

Peter Kingsbery Peter Kingsbery is an American singer-songwriter who co-founded the band Cock Robin in the 1980s. He grew up in Austin (Texas) where he studied classical music. He moved to Nashville (Tennessee) where he began his career as a musician (he acco ...

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Willy DeVille Willy DeVille (born William Paul Borsey Jr.; August 25, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five-year career, first with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1986) and later on his own, DeVille created orig ...

, Kevin Robinson and Tom Jones. A comeback tour, directed by

Thomas Jolly Tom Jolly is a board game inventor. Career Tom Jolly's games include ''Wiz-War'', '' Drakon'', '' Cavetroll'', ''Light Speed'', ''Camelot'', ''Cargo'', and he co-designed '' DiskWars'' and ''Vortex/Maelstrom''. Additional games he has designed in ...

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and Victor Le Masne (

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), was announced in 2020 and set to premiere in France on November 11, 2021. It was postponed to November 8, 2022, because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Genesis

In 1978, its first recording was released (in

), sub-titled ''Starmania, ou la passion de Johnny Rockfort selon les évangiles télévisés'' ("Starmania, or the Passion of Johnny Rockfort According to the Televised Gospels") with the leading roles filled by

Claude Dubois Claude André Dubois (born 24 April 1947) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Dubois was an early star of the Francophone musical '' Starmania''. He was a vocalist in the Canadian famine relief song "Tears Are Not Enough" and was nominated Most P ...

Nanette Workman Nanette Joan Workman (born 20 November 1945, Brooklyn, New York, United States) is a singer-songwriter, actress and author, who has been based in Quebec, Canada, during much of her career. She holds dual citizenship of both the United States and ...

France Gall Isabelle Geneviève Marie Anne Gall (9 October 1947 – 7 January 2018), known professionally as France Gall, was a French ''yé-yé'' singer. In 1965, aged 17, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for Luxembourg. Between 1973 and 1992, s ...

Eric Esteve The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse languag ...

and

Fabienne Thibeault Fabienne Thibeault (born 16 June 1952 in Montreal, Quebec) is a French Canadian singer. She is particularly known for her role in Starmania. Thibeault has released numerous albums over her career. She has been the recipient of two Félix Awa ...

. In 1979 the show was given its theatrical debut in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, starring Balavoine, Étienne Chicot, Dufresne, Gall, and Thibeault, followed by Canadian productions in 1980 and 1986 and French revivals in 1988 and throughout the 1990s. The 1980 Canadian production had a cast that included

France Castel France Castel, née Bégin (born August 31, 1944) in Sherbrooke, Quebec) is a Canadian singer, actress and broadcaster. Music Castel began in the music business by recording an album, ''Toi et moi amoureux'', as a duo with Jean Beaulne of Les Baron ...

Louise Forestier Louise Forestier (born Louise Belhumeur on August 10, 1942) is a Canadian singer, songwriter and actress. Biography Born in Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada, Forestier was trained in acting at the National Theatre School in Montreal, but it was as a s ...

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Céline Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( ; born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Noted for her powerful and technically skilled vocals, Dion is the best-selling Canadian recording artist, and the best-selling French-language artist of all time. Her ...

recorded several songs from the musical on her 1991 album '' Dion chante Plamondon''. In 1992, an

version of the show was created with the release of the album ''Tycoon'', with lyrics by

, and starring

Willy Deville Willy DeVille (born William Paul Borsey Jr.; August 25, 1950 – August 6, 2009) was an American singer and songwriter. During his thirty-five-year career, first with his band Mink DeVille (1974–1986) and later on his own, DeVille created orig ...

, Kevin Robinson and Tom Jones in the principal roles on the recording. The American premiere of ''Tycoon'', with English lyrics, was produced at the UTEP Dinner Theatre in

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

in 1996, with Plamondon in attendance. It was alternated on stage in Paris with the French version for a few months. In 2004, ''Starmania'' was honoured as a MasterWork by the

Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada The Audio-Visual Preservation Trust of Canada (or the AV Trust). originally the Alliance for the Preservation of Canada's Audio-Visual Heritage,Un garçon pas comme les autres" ("A Boy Like No Other") * "La chanson de Ziggy" ("Ziggy's Song") * "Monopolis" * "Travesti" ("Transvestite") * "Petite musique terrienne" ("Little Earth Song") * "Ce soir on danse à Naziland" ("Tonight We Dance at Naziland") * "Banlieue nord" ("North Suburb") * "Les adieux d'un sex symbol" ("The Farewells of a Sex Symbol") * "Les uns contre les autres" ("Against Each Others") * "Quand on n'a plus rien à perdre" ("When We Have Nothing Left to Lose)" * "Ego trip" * " Le monde est stone" ("The World is Stone") * "S.O.S. d'un terrien en détresse" ("S.O.S. of an Earthling in Distress") * "Le rêve de Stella Spotlight" ("The Dream of Stella Spotlight") * "Besoin d'amour" ("Need for Love")

English version

* "Overture" * "

The World Is Stone "Le monde est stone" (meaning "the world is stone") is a song written and produced by Michel Berger and Luc Plamondon for the 1978 Canadian-French musical '' Starmania''. It was originally performed by Fabienne Thibeault and released on the '' Sta ...

" * "A Little Damage Done" * "Only The Very Best" * "You Get What You Deserve" * "Ziggy" * "Nobody Chooses" * "Working Girl" * "Tonight We Dance - (Extravagance!)" * "Pollution's Child" * "I Would Love To Change The World (The Businessman's Blues) * "Farewell To A Sex Symbol" * "Ego Trip" * "You have to learn to live alone"

Albums (all in French unless stated)

*1978 ''Starmania'' - Original Version *1979 ''Starmania'' - The Show (double album) *1980 ''Starmania Made in Quebec'' (LP) *1986 ''L'opéra rock Starmania'' (LP) *1988 ''Starmania 88'' *1992 ''Tycoon'' - (in English), also released as ''Starmania - Version anglaise'' *1994 ''Starmania'' - Mogador 94 *1998 ''Starmania'' - 20th Anniversary (double CD)

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Starmania 1979 musicals Canadian musicals Musicals by Tim Rice Rock operas Science fiction musicals Sung-through musicals