Theatre d'été's 'Mon Jour de chance' gambles with fate and fortune in Quebec production
A character who lost a dice roll for love decades ago gets another chance to reroll his life in this Quebecois adaptation of a 2024 Parisian comedy now touring the province.
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The question at the heart of 'Mon Jour de chance' is deceptively simple: How much of our lives is luck, and how much could we change with a second roll of the dice?
Sébastien believes life divides neatly into the lucky and the unlucky. He lost a dice roll against his friends decades ago—the loser got Valérie, the winner got Caroline, who came with inherited wealth and a country estate. Decades later, Sébastien's career is stalling and his marriage is hollow. When he rolls the dice again during a weekend reunion, he magically inhabits an alternate life where he won. But happiness, he discovers, is more complicated than he bargained for.
The play, adapted to Quebec by François Chénier and Michel Charrette (who also directs), embraces summer theatre conventions wholly and unapologetically. Actors oversell their characters with fixed smiles and sidelong glances. Décor is frozen in time. A classic bedroom farce scene lands with practiced absurdity. Coloured lighting effects during the dice magic moments are kitsch in the best way—earnest rather than apologetic.
What keeps 'Mon Jour de chance' from feeling like a relic is the production's commitment to the bit. The cast plays every ridiculous moment straight, and there's real craft in that restraint. As Sébastien bounces between lives—working harder to escape his latest version—the repetition threatens to outstay its welcome, and at times it does. A Quebec entertainment magazine's cover image of Éric Bruneau anchors the piece back to present day, a small gesture that reminds us we're watching theatre made for right now, not nostalgia.
The production leaves LaSalle this Saturday after its premiere this week, but returns for two shows in August before touring to theatres in Gatineau, Saint-Hyacinthe, and Saint-Jérôme. If you've been meaning to catch a summer outdoor-style production in an intimate venue—or if you're drawn to shows unafraid to lean into their own artifice—this is your moment.
