Coming in 2026: North America’s greatest love story will capture the hearts of the French-speaking world!
GESTEV RELASES DETAILS OF ITS BIGGEST-EVER ORIGINAL PRODUCTION
Starring Maude Cyr-Deschênes, Olivier Dion, Matthieu Lévesque,
Laurent Lucas and Nathalie Simard
IN MONTRÉAL, QUÉBEC CITY AND MONCTON BEGINNING IN FEBRUARY 2026
Tickets go on sale Friday, March 14, 10 a.m., at evangelinemusical.ca
Montréal, Tuesday, March 11, 2025 | GESTEV is proud to announce the details of the biggest musical production in the company’s history: Evangéline | The Musical. This large-scale musical theatre extravaganza stars Maude Cyr-Deschênes as Evangéline, Olivier Dion as Gabriel, Matthieu Lévesque as Baptiste, Nathalie Simard making a triumphant return to the stage after 20 years as Sister Marguerite, and Laurent Lucas as Father Félix, along with fifteen other performers. This moving classic story, inspired by true historical events and centred on the epic love story of Evangéline and Gabriel, has never before been presented in such a monumental production. Evangéline will open in February 2026 for theatrical runs at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in Montréal’s Place des Arts, Québec City’s Grand Théâtre, and the Centre Avenir in Moncton.
Tickets for all performances go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 14, at evangelinemusical.ca and gestev.com.
“We’re delighted to present Evangéline as a musical,” said Martin Tremblay, President of Gestev. “Today is a big day for Gestev as we unveil the cast and crew and 22 original songs of our first-ever original production. We are confident that the musical will strike a chord with audiences lucky enough to catch the show in 2026!”
With a strikingly cinematic, poetic and contemporary aesthetic, the musical comes alive with epic scenes, spectacular sets, and stage design reminiscent of the best adventure films. Yet Evangéline remains, at heart, a celebration of an undying love stronger than war and betrayal. The production also celebrates Acadian identity through the destiny of two young idealists whose abiding love transcends their forced separation, against the backdrop of the Great Upheaval, in which the Acadians were expelled from their homeland in 1755.
At the helm is director and creative director Jean-Jacques Pillet (Cirque du Soleil, Paris Opera Ballet, La Scala of Milan, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens). The libretto and dialogue are by Caroline Cloutier (Notre-Dame-de-Paris, Dracula). The lyrics for the 22 original songs were penned by Frédérick Baron (Roch Voisine, Ginette Reno, Céline Dion, Garou), while the music was composed by Steve Marin (Isabelle Boulay, Charlotte Cardin, Marc Dupré, 2Frères) and produced and arranged by renowned French pianist and musical director Yvan Cassar (Johnny Hallyday, Mylène Farmer).
“With intensity and grandeur, this epic production tells the love story of two revolutionaries, Evangéline and Gabriel, whose Acadian hearts beat strong,” says director Jean-Jacques Pillet. “To this day, heartrending memories of those times still linger, while the ties that bind the French and Mi'Kmaq nations live on. The story of Evangéline and Gabriel takes us on an epic quest of hope and courage. To respect the spirit of the story, we went with an authentic cast. I chose Acadian actors, Maude Cyr-Deschênes and Raphaël Butler, to play Evangéline and the revolutionary Beausoleil in order to underscore the desire of Acadians to preserve their rich culture. Hanoah is played by the Indigenous actor Océane Kitura Bohémier-Tootoo. We also worked with experts to ensure historical and cultural accuracy, including Acadian historian, author, and consultant André-Carl Vachon and Mi'kmaq culture consultant Quentin Condo. Their expertise helps anchor this work in a faithful and respectful representation of Acadian and Mi'kmaq life.”
The celebrated love story of Evangéline Bellefontaine and Gabriel Lajeunesse was invented by the American poet Henry W. Longfellow in his 1837 poem, Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie and has become a foundational myth. The star-crossed Acadian lovers have come to symbolize the resilience, courage, and magnanimity of an entire people. The musical is loosely based on Longfellow’s poem.
FULL CAST
Maude Cyr Deschênes | Evangéline
Olivier Dion | Gabriel
Matthieu Lévesque | Baptiste
Nathalie Simard | Sister Marguerite
Laurent Lucas | Father Félix
Guillaume Rodrigue | François
Océane Kitura Bohémier-Tootoo | Hanoah
Raphaël Butler | Beausoleil
Dominique Côté | Benoît Bellefontaine
Frayne McCarthy | John Winslow
Noémie Durand | Jeanne
Éloi Archambaudoin | British officers 1 and 2 and Jeanne’s father
Dancers: Cyndie Forget-Gravel, Lauri-Ann Lauzon Richer, Yelda Del Carmen Leyva Espinosa, Merryn Kritzinger, Roxane Duchesne-Roy, Danny Amaral De Matos, Evelynn Yan, Zachary Bastille and Jake Poloz
CREDITS
Martin Tremblay | President of Gestev
Éric Lafond | Executive producer
Caroline Cloutier | Librettist and dialoguist, Frédérick Baron | Librettist and lyricist, Steve Marin | Composer, Jean-Jacques Pillet | Director and creative director, Yvan Cassar | Arranger and director of strings, Anne Vivien | Musical artistic director
Marilène Bastien | Set designer, Louis Bond | Wig and hairstyle designer, Véronique Giasson | Choreographer, Mikki Kunttu | Lighting designer, Véronique St-Germain | Make-up designer, Liz Vandal | Costume designer, Alexis Vigneault | Director of photography, video recording, Normal Studio | Video design
André-Carl Vachon | Historian / author and Acadian consultant
Quentin Condo | Mi'kmaq cultural consultant
Evangéline’s sweeping soundtrack features 22 original songs, including the first single, “Des amants légendaires,” released today and now available for radio play.
Original music is the beating heart of the musical, and today we are pleased to release a first track, “Des amants légendaires.” Impelled by the most universal and timeless emotion of all, this song resonates with the echoes of lovers separated by exile and conflict through the ages. Its message, as relevant today as it has ever been, reminds us that some stories retain their power through time and the hardships of which they tell still ring with the same intensity. “Des amants légendaires” is performed by Matthieu Lévesque, Maude Cyr-Deschênes, Olivier Dion, Océane Kitura Bohémier-Tootoo, Raphaël Butler, Nathalie Simard and Soleil Launière. Lyrics by Frédérick Baron and music by Steve Marin. Yvan Cassar served as producer, arranger, and string section director, and Anne Vivien was artistic director. This is a song that will long be sung as an ode to the undying power of love, resilience, and souls linked for eternity through the trials of history. The full soundtrack of Evangéline will be released later this year on the Musicor label.
Click HERE to listen to Des amants légendaires.
Click HERE to view the video.
(Production: Sixteen Pads | Directed by: Sixteen Pads - Patrick Antoniewicz)
EVANGÉLINE
North America's greatest love story
MONTRÉAL
Thursday, February 5, 2026 | Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier – 8 p.m. – MEDIA PREMIERE
Friday, February 6, 2026 | Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier – 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 7, 2026 | Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier – 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 8, 2026 | Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier – 3 p.m.
QUÉBEC CITY
Friday, March 13, 2026 | Grand Théâtre de Québec – 8 p.m. – MEDIA PREMIERE
Saturday, March 14, 2026 | Grand Théâtre de Québec – 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 15, 2026 | Grand Théâtre de Québec – 3 p.m.
MONCTON
Friday, July 24, 2026 | Centre Avenir – 8 p.m. – MEDIA PREMIERE
Saturday, July 25, 2026 | Centre Avenir – 8 p.m.
For full events and to purchase tickets, visit evangelinemusical.ca.
ABOUT GESTEV
Founded in 1992, Gestev is a dynamic event and concert management company specializing in happenings that make their mark locally as well as on the world stage. Gestev leads the way in the design, production and promotion of events and concerts, venue management, and experiential marketing through its Gustav agency. Gestev showcases homegrown and international talent throughout the market it serves.As a subsidiary of Quebecor Sports and Entertainment, which also includes the venues the Videotron Centre, Baie de Beauport, Théâtre Capitole, Théâtre du Casino du Lac-Leamy and Cabaret du Casino de Montréal, Gestev is able to present high-quality events enhanced by the convergence opportunities offered by the Quebecor group’s scope and the magic touch known as “The Gestev Experience.” They range from classic Gestev events such as Red Bull Crashed Ice, the Vélirium, the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and the FIS Cross-country skiing World Cups to current flagship events such as the Je Cours QC running series, the Cigale festival, Igloofest Québec, Festivent de Lévis and Festibières.
ABOUT MUSICOR
Founded in 2003, Musicor is dedicated to showcasing talent from Québec and beyond in the French-language market. The label has a long and successful track record of releasing popular acts such as Bruno Pelletier, Corneille, Guylaine Tanguay, Julien Clerc, Lara Fabian, Marc Dupré, Josiane, William Cloutier and many others. Musicor is also the official record label of Star Académie.
Source: GESTEV and Musicor Disques
Press relations Roy & Turner
Kevin Lalancette | klalancette@roy-turner.com | 438-863-9225
Radio promotion
TORPILLE | Jean-François Blanchet
jf@torpille.ca | 514-466-8671