It was a 1920s-movie-premiere-meets-after-class-hangout. The vibe and fashion of the crowd at Cinema du Parc on March 23 seemed the perfect mix of what the night’s event represented: A showcase for some of Montreal’s up-and-coming film directors and a celebration of the friendships that made the films possible. Consisting of[Read More…]
Theatre
TNC Theatre’s ‘The Suicide’ goes out with a bang
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…]
‘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…]
‘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…]
‘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…]
‘The Sorcerer’ bewitches audiences
Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera, The Sorcerer, debuted in 1877 with a bizarre cast of priests, lovers, and sorcerers. This Victorian-era opera about marriage and love potions was not exactly what one would expect from the occasionally club and drug-obsessed—dare I say depraved—city of Montreal. Suffice it to say, when[Read More…]
‘La Flambeau’: The torchbearer of Montréal’s Black art scene
Content Warning: Mentions of sexual assault Are you looking for a way to celebrate Black History Month? Do you enjoy opera? How about living something that feels like a fever dream? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, look no further than Montreal’s very own production of La[Read More…]
‘Hair’ transports McGill to a night of drug-fuelled, nonsensical fun
Hair is a famously controversial musical. Delving into the hippie counterculture movement of the 1960s, the show covers antiwar tensions in the U.S., draft dodging, the sexual revolution, and pretty much every drug in the book. Now, this raunchy production has been brought to life in Moyse Hall by a[Read More…]
‘Ithacan Idol Presents: The Odyssey’ vibrantly reimagines the classic tale
On Feb. 2, audiences at Théâtre Sainte-Catherine attended the opening night of Ithacan Idol Presents: The Odyssey, this year’s rendition of the McGill Classics Play. Since 2011, the McGill Classics Play program has showcased annual student-led English performances of ancient Greek and Latin texts, in addition to offering public lectures[Read More…]
TNC’s ‘Girl in the Goldfish Bowl’ is hilariously eccentric
What’s the common denominator between the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and a mother seeking to abandon her family? The death of a goldfish. At least, this is what the precocious Iris tries to convince us of in Tuesday Night Café’s (TNC) production of Girl in the Goldfish Bowl. With[Read More…]
