Jean Leloup stays mysterious as Cirque du Soleil tribute opens this week in Trois-Rivières

Jean Leloup, Montreal's enigmatic musician and songwriter, is staying evasive about whether he'll attend the Cirque du Soleil premiere honouring his music this week — even though he admits the prospect intrigues him.

The show, Paradis perdus, opens Wednesday evening at Trois-Rivières' Cogeco Amphitheatre, a production that blends The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz, and Wicked into what director Marie-Ève Milot has described as a world of outsiders. Leloup told La Presse he hasn't yet decided if he'll be there.

"It's stressful," he said. "But it makes me happy. I heard the director's interview talking about a world of marginals, and I thought that was good. So yes, I'm curious to see what comes of it — but like a kid looking through his hands so he doesn't have to watch."

Leloup, now 65, has largely withdrawn from public life since 2016, when he performed his last shows after releasing Paradis City. In the years since, he's studied classical guitar, learned bass, and written illustrated stories — projects he'd long wanted to pursue but never had time for while touring and writing music.

"I wanted to study music more," he said. "I never did that before; I had to make a living, do shows. Finally I took the time. I worked on classical guitar, learned bass, and started writing stories with drawings — lots of little projects I'd had for a long time but never found time for."

He's kept massive archives of music and handwritten material, though he concedes the work of mastering new instruments proved harder than expected. "It's difficult to learn these instruments well. It takes years. I've evolved, but it's tough."

Leloup has seen Cirque du Soleil perform before, but crowds make him uncomfortable. "Big crowds are not for me," he said. If he doesn't attend the premiere, he plans to catch another performance later.

He has no prior knowledge of the show beyond Marie-Ève Milot's creative direction — no scripts, no music samples, nothing. It's a completely blind premiere for the man the production honours.