Starmania's success owes much to the enterprising spirit of the late French singer, songwriter and composer Michel Berger. Berger came up with the idea for Starmania in 1975 and became convinced that a musical (a genre which had proved mega-successful in the UK and the USA) could also take off in France. However, others were not so sure. Berger's first solo attempts to get his musical off the ground failed completely, but the young singer/songwriter believed in his project and refused to give up. A few years later, Berger gave things another try, teaming up with the Canadian songwriter Luc Plamondon (who, at that time, was renowned as the official songwriter of the French Canadian star Diane Dufresne).

Berger and Plamondon soon set to work together, creating a highly original rock opera set in the futuristic city of Monopolis. This strange, threatening city was peopled with a range of weird and wonderful characters, such as the streetwise hoodlum Johnny Rockfort, the robotic waitress Marie-Jeanne and her bizarre boyfriend Ziggy. A shady politician called Zero Janvier also prowled the city streets in the company of the famous porno star Stella Spotlight.

But the success of Starmania did not lie in the excellent characterisation and the bizarre setting of the story alone, Starmania was also about high-quality songwriting. Indeed, several songs from Berger and Plamondon's rock opera would go on to become phenomenal hits in the French charts. And even today teenage audiences still know all the words to "le Monde est stone" ("Je cherche le soleil/Au milieu de la nuit" - "I'm seeking the sun/In the middle of the night") and the famous "Blues du business man" ("Au moins es-tu heureux?/J' suis pas heureux mais j'en ai l'air/J'ai perdu le sens de l'humour/Depuis qu'j'ai le sens des affaires" - Are you happy?/I'm not happy, but I look it/You see, I swapped my sense of humour/For business flair). Even though Plamondon's lyrics are far from being optimistic, they still appeared to strike a chord with teenage audiences who even twenty years ago were facing an uncertain future. And Starmania's songs remain as relevant as ever in these pre-Millennium times!

The Makings of a Rock Opera

Before Starmania was presented to the public as a stage show, Berger and Plamondon's rock opera was released as an album in October 1978. And the pair gathered together a truly impressive line-up for their cast - the original version of Starmania featured Daniel Balavoine, Diane Dufresne, Fabienne Thibeault and Berger's wife, France Gall. The Starmania album proved to be an instant hit, rocketing to the top of the charts in France and going gold (twice!) within a few months of its release. The album proved equally successful in Quebec, shooting straight to the n°1 spot in the charts - and staying there for an entire 20 weeks! A few months later, the same cast would reassemble in Paris to perform the première of Starmania at the Palais des Congrès (in April 1979). The show, directed by Tom O'Horgan, brought the house down and over the next three weeks thousands of music fans flocked to the Palais des Congrès to see 'France's first rock opera'.

The following year Starmania went on to enjoy the same phenomenal success in Quebec. The French Canadian version of Starmania, directed by Olivier Reichenbach, featured a slight alteration in the original line-up, introducing Louise Forestier in one of the lead roles. Over the next few years many different versions of Starmania would go on to tour the world, attracting an instant cult following wherever they were performed. Indeed, the French rock opera proved so successful that in 1988 Berger and Plamondon decided to stage a new version of Starmania, updating the lyrics, modernising the décor and casting the famous Belgian singer Maurane in the role of Marie-Jeanne. (Needless to say, this new version became another major hit, and eventually led to a new studio album, a live album and a video!)

International versions of Starmania proved equally popular. The German Starmania went on to cause a huge stir in 1991. And the renowned British songwriter Tim Rice went on to pen an English version of Starmania entitled "Tycoon". This version has been performed worldwide by a host of famous stars including Cyndi Lauper, Tom Jones and Céline Dion.

Starmania in Facts and Figures

Fifteen years after it originally premièred at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, Berger and Plamondon's rock opera was still going strong. In 1994 Starmania triumphed at the "Victoires de la Musique Awards", winning the award for Best Live Show of the Year. Two years later, Starmania triumphed at the "Victoires de la Musique Awards" once again, winning an award for the biggest audience of the year. By 1998 Starmania had become an official phenomenon - 3.5 million albums had been sold in France and more than 2.5 million music fans had gone to a live performance of the show!

And now these figures look set to storm into the record books again very shortly - for, in celebration of Starmania's 20th anniversary, the latest version of the famous French rock opera will be hitting the stage at the Casino de Paris for another extensive run. The 1993 version of the show, directed by Lewis Furey and featuring an all-star line-up of artists (mostly) from Quebec, opens at the Casino de Paris on Thursday 29 October. The Starmania re-run will then set off on an extensive international tour in 1999, playing to audiences in Madrid, London, Budapest and Prague before flying out to Tokyo. What's more, a film version of Starmania is rumoured to be in the offing - so, watch out, Johnny Rockfort and Stella Spotlight could be coming soon to a screen near you!

Valérie Passelègue
(Translation J.S.)