Montreal comedian Rachid Badouri set to conquer English-speaking audiences with debut solo show

Francophone comedian Rachid Badouri, a Laval-born Moroccan-Quebecer, is taking a new step in his career.

For 17 years, he has performed primarily in French, but that is about to change.

Badouri has sold more than a million tickets worldwide with his first three shows and has a social media following of over four million people, solidifying his status as a prominent figure in francophone comedy.

On Thursday, he launches his very first solo English-language show, In English, taking the stage at L’Olympia in his hometown of Montreal and providing fans with a whole new experience.

“It’s my first time performing in such a huge venue, in English,” said Badouri.

“This is very exciting. This is my first time ever headlining an entire hour in front of a huge audience.”

He says this show is a dream come true, especially performing in front of his hometown crowd.

“People know I’ve been waiting for that moment for such a long time. So I think it’s gonna be a special night. I’ll have other shows, but that night’s gonna be special because it’s the first. So I think people are gonna feel the same energy, and we’re just gonna have a great party.”

He explains that before becoming a French stand-up comedian, he knew he wanted to perform in English, but he always dreamed of making it to America as an artist, possibly as an actor. Once he got his big break in the French comedy scene, the desire to pursue his dream in English stayed with him, and he knew he would never rest until he made that dream come true.

Badouri adds that in 2015, he was selected to perform at as part of what was then called the Ethnic Show, under Just for Laughs, and it was a success. But at the time, he already had a tour planned in Europe and North Africa to perform in French, so he put the English comedy opportunity aside as more of a hobby.

However in 2022, Ronny Chieng, whom he met in 2015 at the Ethnic Show and who had since become a huge star in America, called him to invite him to be part of a gala he was hosting at the JFL Festival in Montreal. He felt honoured and worked hard to prepare for the opportunity.

“I told my wife… I don’t care about a standing ovation. But if I just have a little success right there, I’m not treating this as a hobby anymore, I’m gonna pursue this. And I got a standing ovation. So I said that’s it. I said I’m still gonna pursue my French career, but I’m gonna take this seriously,” he said.

The show will feature new material for English speakers, along with some of Badouri’s popular French comedy hits, reworked for an English audience.

“For this first show, I really don’t want to throw some stuff in the garbage if it works, so I did test them in so many different venues,” said Badouri.

“I kept the ones that were working. Some of them were just not — it just don’t work on the English audience, and I kept what was working, the strong ones.”

He explains that this show is very special to him because, unlike previous shows in his career, he had the time to write and translate at least half an hour of jokes into English. The subjects and topics he covers in the show are important to him, as he talks not only about his success but also about his pain and his lowest points.

“You’ll know me better and you’ll know stories that you probably think are made up, but it’s true. Everything I say is true.

“Obviously with jokes, you know, there’s a lot of comic relief. You’re not coming to see a Ted conversation where I just talk about drama. So for me it was an important, it’s some important topics and I’m proud to also be able to present this in English,” he added.

Badouri is also bringing a unique perspective to the show.

“I always love talking about cultural diversity. This is always something that’s so natural for me to talk about. That’s why I always do a round table to see who’s in the crowd. You know, who are there, the Italians, then the Portuguese, and the Latinos, and the Asians, and South Asians, whoever’s there, the Greek,” he said.

“Honestly, it’s just it’s important because it gives you so much material. And people get to know you better. Honestly, it’s, to me, I’m always proud to talk about where I come from, whether I talk about my French name, a background, or my Moroccan background.”

The show was a challenge for Badouri because English isn’t his native tongue.

“I need to learn by heart everything I say on stage, or else I just look for my words, and I don’t want to give that,” he said.

He explains that he’s strict with himself because, while the audience is patient knowing English isn’t his native tongue, he gets impatient and feels the need for everything to be perfect, which is why he insists on memorizing his material.

Badouri explained that another challenge he faced when performing in English was adjusting to the different expectations of the audience. He noticed that while English-speaking audiences prefer longer setups for jokes, they actually respond better when the punchline comes faster. He says that initially, he felt the body language from the audience signaling him to get to the punchline more quickly, unless he was telling a longer story, in which case the audience was more patient and followed his rhythm. He said had to adjust his pacing accordingly.

Badouri is prepared to step onto the stage and express his gratitude to all his fans.

“This was a dream come true. So when I knew this was gonna be a dream come true, I started putting all the efforts into it. But why I’m overwhelmed is because I’m shocked and surprised by how soon this thing happened, and that’s all because of your support, your love, and your trust. I just want to say thank you.”

He will also take the stage on April 12 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.