Content Warning: Depictions and mentions of suicide It’s 1928 in Soviet Russia. Semyon Semyonovitch Podsekalnikov is poor, unemployed, and about to commit suicide. As he puts the gun to his head, the audience erupts with laughter. Tuesday Night Café Theatre’s production of Nikolai Erdman’s Russian Farce: The Suicide, directed by[Read More…]
Arts & Entertainment
Keep up to date on local art, new albums, and everything entertainment-related.
‘What Rough Beast’ explores the power and pitfalls of political discourse
Universities often reflect our broader society in terms of both shared values and differences, creating a privileged microcosm of the world. By setting her newest play, What Rough Beast, on a college campus, playwright Alice Abracen condenses complex political dynamics into a conversation between seven characters. Her script examines the[Read More…]
‘You’ delivers trashy thrills upon British relocation
“Hello, you” begins the internal monologues of You protagonist Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley), accompanying the moment the stalker-murderer fixates on yet another love interest. On its fourth outing, the show inverts this setup: Having fled the U.S. following season three’s calamitous climax—in which he murdered his wife Love (Victoria Pedretti)[Read More…]
‘The Happiness Theorem’ is a refreshing portrayal of early pandemic life
After debuting at the San Diego Movie awards, The Happiness Theorem opened in theatres across Canada on Feb. 3. This charming independent Italian production tells an uplifting story of perseverance and community in times of crisis. As one of many in a wave of early-COVID period pieces, the film balances[Read More…]
‘OPTIMISTA: Amour/Love’ shares the power of love through art
Love is in the air and on people’s minds throughout February, making it the perfect theme for the non-profit arts organization Yellow Pad Sessions’ (YPS) OPTIMISTA event on Feb. 11. OPTIMISTA: Amour/Love was the third iteration in a unique series of multimedia art events that feature keynote speakers, films, and[Read More…]
Montreal gives us chills—in more ways than one
Content warning: Descriptions of graphic violence The idea of ghosts has been haunting humankind since ancient times. It comes from the theory that the human body and spirit are separate entities, and the spirit continues to linger on Earth after a person dies. Haunted buildings and attractions advertising their spooky[Read More…]
Creed III: This is only Round One
I never really understood why directors were called storytellers until I watched the first Creed film. Somewhere between the gut-wrenching words of Meek Mill, Adonis’s (Michael B. Jordan) fingers tangled in Bianca’s (Tessa Thompson) braids, and the sweat, blood, and tears hitting the floor, I was completely transported. Watching the[Read More…]
Jena Malone does not owe us the name of her assaulter
This past week, The Hunger Games actress Jena Malone posted a photo on Instagram taken after wrapping up the last entry of the franchise, Mockingjay: Part Two. The photo, in which Malone is standing in a field in the French countryside, was captioned with a statement detailing her sexual assault[Read More…]
Don’t buy into the myth of selling out
The accusation of “selling out” cuts deep within independent music. “Indie” fans often pride themselves on the genre’s self-positioning against the mainstream music industry’s commercialism. Selling out is hence defined by an artist’s relationship to the profit motive. Artists perceived to court sales by pursuing a more popular sound, heavily[Read More…]
‘Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers, and Little Brothers’ powerfully tackles anti-Black racism
Content Warning: Discussion of anti-Black racism, police brutality, and murder While Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers arrived in Montreal at the end of Black History Month, this solo theatrical work serves as a striking affirmation that Black lives matter year round. Created and performed by Makambe K. Simamba,[Read More…]
