“Everybody wants to – when they get to a certain age – go back and do the things they didn’t have time to do, you know?” begins Antoine Bélanger.  Nearby, his father Guy Bélanger nods and smiles in agreement.  “Youth”, he adds, ““is energy and beauty…and it’s a dream for him.”  They speak of course of Faust, the man who sells his soul for a second chance in Charles Gounod’s classic opera, which brings l’Opéra de Montréal’s 2011/12 season to a close this week.

“He asks the Devil to let him return to his youth so he can feel the love of a woman,” the younger Bélanger continues, retelling the story of the lead character’s descent into tragedy.  “This guy was a ‘brain’ and spent all his life as a scientist in his laboratory, and suddenly he figures out that he didn’t live and didn’t feel anything.  ‘God let me go! God didn’t do anything to help me!’  That was a funny thing to say at the time.”

Though it isn’t clear which period in time he’s referring to – 1859, when Gounod’s completed opera was first performed, or 1808, when Goethe’s Faust: The First Part of the Tragedy was published in Germany – his meaning is clear.  The question of whether or not virtue is its own reward remains a controversial one.  Should we aspire towards knowledge and enlightenment at the expense of a personal life?  Does the pursuit of pleasure corrupt us, or is love our only salvation?  These are the issues at play in Faust, a work that has been continually reinterpreted over the years.

Legendary filmmaker F.W. Murnau’s take on the timeless tale resulted in a stunning silent film back in 1926, though Bélanger was first exposed to the story through the opera.  “I was like, ten years old and I saw it because I went to see my father in Quebec City.”  Guy Bélanger, a conductor and singer, founded the Société lyrique d’Aubigny in 1968 and also performed the title role of Faust.  This time around, he shares the part with his son, who couldn’t be more pleased.

“My mother spoke about it, twelve years ago, back when I started singing.  ‘Ahh, if you are of the same voice, one day your father will be able to do the older part and you’ll do the younger one!’  I was like, ‘ come on Mom, I’m just starting.  Let me do my thing for a couple of years!’”  Now, with performances in La Traviata and La Bohème under his belt, Antoine is stepping into the spotlight as the younger version of the old scientist, transformed by the scheming and sinister Méphistophélès (played by Russia’s Alexander Vinogradov).

Seeking to play up the timelessness of the story, Stage Director Alain Gauthier has chosen a series of 28-foot bookshelves for his somewhat abstract set.  This “wall of knowledge that fills up Salle Wilfred-Pelletier” will rotate and move within the space to suggest everything from Faust’s laboratory to the garden in which innocent Marguerite (American Soprano Mary Dunleavy) sings the charming “Ah!  Je ris de me voir si belle en ce miroir”. Gauthier is also making full use of the talents of his leads by having the elder Faust remain present throughout the entire course of the show, instead of just the opening scene.  As Antoine explains, it was a case of “why don’t we use old one to deal with the devil, because he did the deal with him.”  Audiences will therefore be watching both father and son on-stage for the duration, as Young Faust woos his lover Marguerite and Old Faust deals with Mephisto.  “As he sings certain phrases with the Devil,” he says with a nod to his father, “those phrases will be in my mind so I’ll have to feel those emotions and questions.  We will have to be very present and focused.”

During rehearsal, it’s obvious they’re both already on the same page.  As the chorus tries to find their way around the ever-changing set (“This’ll be an Olympic sport – Synchronized Columns!” they laugh), a conversation begins between the two Bélangers and Vinogradov.  The question is whether or not Mephisto should take the Old Faust’s cane away, as a symbol of his restored vitality.  The Bélangers remind him that Old Faust still requires his cane, since Young Faust is a separate entity, the total personification of youth.  The debate continues for a few moments more and then, for the first time in the history of Faust, the Devil relents.  Who can blame him?  The poor guy’s outnumbered.

Maybe this won’t be such a tragedy after all.

FAUST plays until May 26^th.  For ticket information visit www.operademontreal.com.

Last year, I asked The Lion King to tell the rest of its Broadway friends to swing by Montreal for a visit. Looks like they listened, as the NETworks production of Beauty and the Beast has waltzed into town, bringing with it much of the magic and romance of the Academy Award-winning Disney classic…if little of the subtlety.

This tale as old as time first made the transition from animated film to Broadway musical back in 1994 under the direction of Rob Roth. The show ran for thirteen years, won a Tony for Best Costume Design and helped launch the career of Susan Egan, who played Belle.  In this touring production, Indiana native Emily Behny is likely to find similar success with her effortless portrayal of the book-loving girl in blue. From the moment she begins wandering around her poor provincial town in the opening number “Belle,” it’s obvious she’s a perfect fit for the part, with a clear voice and genuine delivery that never lets things get too sweet or sappy.

Regrettably, a few moments later the dopey Lefou (Jimmy Larkin) appears and begins what feels like an endless series of pratfalls. These slapstick shenanigans – complete with Looney Tunes sound effects – are sprinkled liberally throughout the show, apparently intended to give the wee ones a giggle. On opening night, however, none of tykes in attendance offered so much as a chuckle.  It’s a bit of a mystery as to why Roth, who returned to direct this production, felt such blatant goofiness would be necessary given the charming and witty book by Linda Woolverton.  As Cogsworth (James May) would say, “if it’s not Baroque, don’t fix it!”

Of course, the decision to play up Lefou’s cartoonish antics doesn’t really affect the narrative nearly as much as the portrayal of the Beast, who for the better part of Act One behaves more like the grumpy loner on the playground than a genuine threat to Belle or her father Maurice (William A. Martin). The character’s gradual transition from monster to man is the framework of the entire piece and a big reason for the story’s lasting appeal.  Here, he’s practically apologetic from the get-go. Take away the prerecorded growl being played over the sound system, and you really wouldn’t have anything to fear from him. Carter Lynch, filling in for Dane Agostinis as the Beast, does pull things off from a vocal standpoint, however, and the same can be said of the rest of the talented cast.

Logan Denninghoff gives a master-class in eyebrow arching and muscle flexing, embodying every inch of Gaston’s egomaniacal charm. Julia Louise Hosack is as warm a Mrs. Potts as one could hope for, and Michael Haller as the suave Lumiere manages win over the largely French-speaking crowd in spite of iz cheezay frewnch ak-scent. Of the supporting players, Jen Bechter stands apart as Madame de la Grande Bouche, aka the operatic wardrobe from the movie in a successfully expanded role. Her sense of comedic timing combined with a Kathy Najimi-like appeal saw her earning more than her fair share of the laughs, though there’s a strong chemistry between all the actors. Life on the road has obviously made them into a close-knit group, as evidenced by this frankly adorable Christmas Vacation-themed music video they put together:

When all that energy is released in the toe-tapping number “Be Our Guest”, the show truly comes roaring to life. Of course, this being a touring production, the sets are considerably scaled back compared to the opulence once seen on Broadway. Here, the Beast’s lair amounts to a series of interlocking staircases with an unfortunate tendency to wobble at the slightest touch.  Similarly, Belle’s hometown is reduced to a couple of wooden façades, but tying it all together are colorful backdrops and effective lighting that create the feeling of a painted storybook illustration come to life. Along with some nice special effects (especially during the climactic transformation scene), beautiful costumes and a ten-piece orchestra playing Alan Menken’s beloved score, this production hardly feels skimpy. In fact, in spite of those two aforementioned directorial choices, it’s a beauty.

Beauty and the Beast plays this weekend at Salle Wilfred-Pelletier.  For ticket information, visit http://www.evenko.ca/fr/show/evenement/beauty-and-the-beast-5964.

For a festival that’s been around for three decades, it’s alarming how little street cred FIFA seems to have.  You just don’t hear people in coffee shops discussing their anticipation over it the way they do when Fantasia rolls around in the fall.  Perhaps to combat this, the International Festival of Films on Art has pulled together an awesome 30^th edition filled to bursting with pictures that document the laborious process of art-making through the magic of movie-making.

This year’s opening film is a perfect example.  The Mill and the Cross dramatizes the creation of Pieter Bruegel’s 1564 painting The Way to Calvary by combining live action footage with digital backgrounds of the artwork in a breathtaking new way.  Hugely atmospheric and almost dialogue-free, the picture follows a dozen of the 500 characters seen in the painting, as their simple lives are affected by the cruelties of the Spanish mercenaries who ran amuck in Flanders at the time.  Rutger Hauer stars as Bruegel, while Michael York plays Nicholas Jonghelinck, a “banker of repute and collector of paintings” and Charlotte Rampling portrays the Virgin Mary.  Tremendous in its detail, this entrancing film from Polish director Lech Majewski really is not to be missed, and screens tonight at the Museum of Fine Arts at 8pm.

One of the big names in the world of photography gets his due in Bert Stern: Original Madman, screening Friday night at 6pm.  It’s always interesting to see a shutterbug forced to step out from behind the lens of his camera, but this particular specimen is especially fascinating.  Though Stern protests having his personal history put on display, the man tells a heck of a story, whether describing how his eye-catching ads popularized Schmirnoff Vodka for North Americans, or how his famed “Last Sitting” with Marilyn Monroe nearly turned into a roll in the hay.  Fittingly directed and shot by one of his muses, Shannah Laumeister, Madman also paints a vivid picture of how Stern’s obsession with women fueled both his successes and personal demons.  Featuring interviews with colleagues, his estranged daughter and a set of twins who remain enamored with him, the picture offers a glimpse at what it feels like to look back at a lifetime of highs knowing there are none left in store.

By comparison, These Amazing Shadows feels rather pedestrian.  The hour-long film focuses on the National Film Registry, which was established in 1988 to counteract the antics of Ted Turner, who had bought the MGM Film Library and begun adding color to black and white pictures as he saw fit.  Equal parts preservation effort and “cumulative honor” as Howard Maltin puts it (you knew he’d be in there somewhere), the list of 550 inductees features some noteworthy inclusions, like an early sound test film with a duck quacking on cue, the Zapruder film of the JFK assassination, and Topaz, an amateur film about the lives of Japanese Americans forced to live in the Topaz War Relocation Center during World War II.  The works of female directors Lois Weber and Dorothy Azner are also discussed, but this doc largely skims the surface and can be skipped if a scheduling conflict comes up Saturday at 1pm.

After all, FIFA offers audiences 232 films from 27 countries exploring disciplines as varied as Design, Dance, Opera, Poetry and even Comic Books.  There’s a lot to choose from, so take a look at the extensive program at www.artfifa.com and prepare for an interesting eleven days, with more coverage to follow here on Rover.

As the AmérAsia Film Festival enters into its final weekend of screenings, a special panel tonight will bring the discussion back to the painstaking process called “animation” and the artists who remain captivated by its endless possibilities.  Among those attending will be local filmmaker/visionary Jonathan Ng, who offers ROVER a glimpse of what the evening has in store.

For those who aren’t familiar with your work, how did you end up becoming a Montreal-based artist?

I became a Montreal-based filmmaker and animator because I had the unique opportunity to direct and animate my first professional film Asthma Tech at the National Film Board in 2004.  Although there is an NFB location in Toronto, there wasn’t any animation being produced there.  The powerhouse of NFB animation is really the studio in Montreal, where many Oscar-nominated and Oscar-winning animation filmmakers continue to produce their films.  It was essentially a requirement for me to relocate to Montreal to produce the film in a creative and inspiring environment with the benefit of all of the filmmaking experience and technical expertise of the Film Board.  After that, I just stayed.

Who will be joining you for tonight’s Artist Talk on Animation?

Alison Reiko Loader, an NFB animation filmmaker and installation artist, Masoud Raouf, another NFB animation and documentary filmmaker, and Joon Yang Kim, an animation art historian and scholar who has flown all the way from Korea to moderate the panel.

What is the focus of the event?

I believe we will speak a bit about our artistic aims and the inspiration for some of our latest works.  We will each show examples of our films.  The talk will also touch on our cultural backgrounds and how they relate to our filmmaking process within the Canadian filmmaking landscape.

Regarding cultural backgrounds, on the opening night of the festival, you spoke about your experiences with Casting Agencies suggesting white actors doing accents over actual Asian voice-over actors.  Why do you think there is still some hesitancy within the industry to represent all ethnicities equally?

My short answer for this one would be, if you don’t see the adequate representation of yourself and your community, whatever it may be, then it really becomes up to you to push to get into the roles where creative input is highest – ie: writer, director, producer roles – and make sure your work is so strong that it can’t be denied.  Only then will you have the power to start influencing these types of industry trends.

It seems as though, with the popularity of Anime and Miyazaki films, audiences around the world have come to familiarize themselves with Asian culture through animation, to a certain degree.  Would you say animation has helped break down barriers in a way that traditional live-action film never could?

I would say that animation, more than any other art form, has the potential to tell much more personal and self-reflective stories, simply by the laborious nature of the creative process and the thoughtfulness required to produce it.  We are seeing now that animation can even be a way to tell politically daring stories from closed societies.  For sample, such films as Persepolis relating to Iran and Piercing 1, a non-approved feature animation from China.

This spring your latest short film, Requiem for Romance, will hit theatres.  Tell us a bit about the techniques you used to bring those awesome watercolor backgrounds to life, and where you drew your inspiration.

My recent film was inspired by the three signature genres of Chinese cinema: the kung fu film, the tragic love story and the water ink animated film.  I blended all three of these genres to tell a personal story of heartbreak while expressing the differing attitudes towards art within contemporary Chinese society.  The technique I used for the backgrounds was a sort of time-lapse imagery from live ink and water paintings that I painted indirectly, that is to say that I didn’t directly paint with a brush so as not to get my hands in the image.  I had to use fairly creative and experimental methods to get the ink and water to move around and manifest itself into the environmental images I wanted.  The characters were animated by hand using a Cintiq and various softwares and everything was composited together in the final stages.

To participate in the discussion, get to Hotel Zero 1 today at 4pm.  Admittance is free.  For a closer look at Ng’s awesome animations, visit his appropriately-named homepage www.jonjonphenomenon.com .  The AmérAsia festival wraps up this weekend with a screening of Hirokazu Koreeda’s family drama I Wish, a seminar focused on networking and securing financing for film projects, and a grand ol’ dance party, featuring DJ Mister Vee.  Full details available at www.amerasiafestival.com/2012 .

Who knew the first two weekends in March could make for such a wild ride?  For the third year running, the AmérAsia Film Festival is continuing its mission of taking audiences on a journey through the world of Asian cinema, and this year’s program offers several memorable trips sure to stay with you long after the credits roll.

The adventure got underway on Thursday with a screening of Xiaogang Feng’s 2010 hit Aftershock, a drama focused on the 1976 Tangshan earthquake that left some 240, 000 dead.  The story begins on the day of the disaster, as a young couple attempt to get their twins, Fang Da and Fang Deng, out of their collapsing apartment building at the time of the quake.  The father perishes in his attempt, leaving it up to his trembling wife to choose between her son and daughter when rescue workers finally arrive and inform her that they cannot save both.  It’s a heart-breaking scenario sadly undercut by the fact that moments earlier, a flurry of noticeably-CGI dragonflies filled the screen to hint at the trouble ahead, followed soon after by a construction crane worthy of Michael Bay swinging wildly out-of-control.  The movie has several instances where it leans more towards the overdramatic, especially given some of the somber, soap-opera like developments that unfold during the film’s thirty-year narrative.  Among them: in-laws who pressure the mother to give them her child and start her life fresh, a resentful foster parent who falls ill, a lover who leans on his girlfriend to have an abortion, and a child who relocates to Canada to be with a significantly older partner.  Every new scene seems to offer some twist in the lives of the characters, and at a certain point it becomes wearisome.  If the purpose of Aftershock was to pay tribute to the complicated lives of the survivors of the earthquake, it would have been wise to trim some of the irrelevant plot-points and include some hopeful moments, if only for the sake of variety.  As it is, the solid performances and strong premise are weakened by a heavy-handed desire to wring tears out of the audience every fifteen minutes.

Still, there’s something to be said for using a straightforward narrative structure.  The Day He Arrives, written and directed by Hong Sang-soo and previously screened at Cannes in 2011, is a black-and-white head-trip best suited to cerebral cinephiles who like to be challenged by their films.  This tale of a depressed director visiting a friend in Seoul loops back on itself like a möbius strip, as the characters meet up in a bar called “Novel”, where drunken conversations are repeated word-for-word more often than is normal.  The viewer is left to wonder whether the scenes are merely ideas being rewritten in the lead character’s imagination, or perhaps alcohol and loneliness-induced hallucinations.  It really is hard to know what to feel while watching the lead throw himself pitifully at an ex-girlfriend only to depart with a cheery smile and wave, as though he hadn’t just been sobbing on her floor less than thirty seconds earlier.  With its barely-there soundtrack and unfulfilling conclusion, this one’s a head-scratcher to be sure.

At the other end of the spectrum is Yona Yona Penguin, an equally unusual entry in the festival’s Animation Spotlight.  The story follows Coco, a girl who runs around dressed in a penguin costume, convinced she’s able to fly because her dead father told her so.  After piecing together a tiny toy goblin that whisks her off to a penguin-themed toy store, she learns that she is the “flightless bird” prophesized to save the goblin village from the evil Bukka Boo, Emperor of the Dark Realm.  To call the narrative unpredictable would be an understatement, yet the movie establishes a pleasant rhythm from the get-go, making it easy to sit back and enjoy the ride.  The overall visual treatment might remind some of a cut scene from a video game, but thankfully the character animation is far stronger.  As Coco bounces along merrily like the happiest of little girls, you’re bound to notice a grin spread wide across your face and remain there for the duration of the running time.  Ideal for the under ten set but enjoyable for all, make a point of checking this charming fantasy out.

The Day He Arrives screens tonight at the ONF at 8pm, and Yona Yona Penguin rescreens next Saturday at Cinema Du Parc.  For more information on the films and calendar of events, visit www.amerasiafestival.com/2012 .

Last fall, two twenty-something New Yorkers waiting by a stage door for a glimpse of Bernadette Peters struck up a conversation about the current crop of shows on Broadway.  “Phantom’s definitely going to be closed within five years, no question,” one remarked to the other, who nodded emphatically in return, “oh for sure – it’s been around forever!”  If you listened closely, you could almost hear a certain Opera Ghost laughing from the shadows, “ignorant fools…!”

For today at 2pm, the curtain – and a certain chandelier – will rise in the Majestic theatre for the 10,000^th performance of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera.  And while some may regard the historic achievement as something of a surprise, Kris Koop knows better.  Having been with the Broadway cast of Phantom since 2000, this upbeat actress (and unofficial Phantom Historian) has seen first-hand how passion and precision have made the show a record-breaker on the Great White Way.

“They’re not afraid to invest money in making the show look gorgeous,” Koop begins, as stagehands painstakingly Windex crystals on the ornate chandelier, hoping to ensure optimal sparkle for the evening’s performance.  “A lot of the crew guys have been with the production from the very beginning,” she notes.  “There’s actually two families with two generations working here now and I’m sure that before the show is done, the next generation will be on-contract as well.”

Other upkeep rituals include repainting the glossy stage every three months and, when necessary, investing forty-five thousand dollars into replacing a costume…some of which, Koop admits, look rather strange up-close.  “This,” she says, tugging at Christine’s “All I Ask Of You” ensemble, “is a dress that, to me, looks like Florida threw up on it.”  It’s a fair assessment, given the garment is a gaudy combination of shiny pink and purple patches surrounded by lace.  “It’s hideous, but when you see it on-stage, it glows silver and is absolutely gorgeous.”

In her nine years with the production (a two-year break was required to recover from a neck injury), Koop has worn several gowns, first as an understudy in the lead role of Christine, then as the mysterious Mme Giry and diva Carlotta Giudicelli.  “I’m the first person in the show’s history to cover those three tracks, and I’ve performed them all within the same two-week period.  They were having some fun with me,” she says with a laugh, adding that it’s rare for any actor to be able to age into various roles in the same Broadway show.

She’s not alone in that distinction, however.  Hugh Panaro, who currently stars as the Phantom, began as Christine’s young suitor Raoul in 1992 before being invited back to portray the lead in 1999.  A series of photo murals beneath the stage pays homage to the various cast-members who, like Panaro, departed the show at some point in the past twenty-four years.  “We say it’s the Hotel California here: you can’t ever really get away,” Koop jokes as she begins her transformation into Mme Firmin with a few dabs of foundation.  Among the faces adorning the walls are those of the original Phantom and Christine, Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, along with Patti Cohenour, who understudied for Brightman and starred in the Canadian Touring Company.  Wally Carroll, who minds the stage door entrance to the Majestic, remembers them all well.  Apparently, Crawford and Brightman kept more to themselves, while Cohenour was quite personable.  Most fondly remembered is George Lee Andrews, who spent twenty-three years with the show alternating between the roles of Opera Managers Monsieur André and Monsieur Firmin…until producers opted not to renew his contract last fall, to the surprise of many.  A Guinness World Record holder for his 9,382 performances in Phantom, Andrews made the impressive murals as a parting gift to the Company.

It seems a safe bet he, along with other Phantom alumni, will turn up at some point during today’s performance and post-show reception at Sardi’s (a 500 dollar ticket with proceeds going to The Actors Fund).  Though an appearance from Webber or Crawford might not be in the cards, legendary director Hal Prince could unexpectedly stop by, as he is wont to do.  “He comes through the front of house more often than not under the pretext that he’s going to just use the restroom,” Koop smiles, flashing back to a particularly memorable visit.  “I’m not sure if [this is] fit for publication,” she cautions, “but I was on in the role of Carlotta and I had all of her make-up on and the wig and everything, but I was just wearing the lingerie, and I heard a knock on my dressing room door.  I went and opened it and it was Hal Prince himself, and he just stood there for a minute and he clasped his hands and then took my face in his hands and gave me a little kiss and he stepped back and went ‘Thank you!’”

Koop, for her part, is grateful the director has allowed the production to evolve over time.  “He’s very much about what is real and coming from you, and that’s why I think the show is also a living and breathing organism.  It’s not Hugh Panaro shoved into someone else’s shoes and trying to recreate his performance.  He’s doing his own Phantom and everyone on the show really gets the chance to invest their own spirit into it.”

It’s worth noting that Phantom, like any other Broadway production, has experienced its share of challenges over the years.  Especially troubling were the days immediately following September 11^th 2001, when fear reigned in the Big Apple.  “It’s wasn’t just us, but we were performing for audiences of 300 instead of 1,600,” Koop remembers.  “It was a dark time for everyone, and we’re so grateful that the Mayor at the time realized that what happened was a terrible, terrible event but you can’t just lay down and die because of it.”  A massive advertising campaign was launched to boost tourism, tickets were heavily discounted and gradually audiences returned.  Then, in 2004, the Joel Schumacher-directed feature film adaptation of Phantom hit screens, prompting many to wonder if the movie might eclipse the popularity the theatrical production.  Instead, Gerard Butler’s hoarse performance as the Angel of Music seemed to have the opposite effect, renewing interest in the professionally trained vocalists singing the Music of the Night eight times a week.  Even “phan” uproar surrounding Webber’s recent sequel musical, Love Never Dies (which reunites the Phantom and Christine in Coney Island) hasn’t seemed to tarnish the original’s appeal.

And so, the legend of the Opera Ghost endures.  The cast has welcomed Andrews’ son-in-law Aaron Galligan-Stierle into the fold as their new André.  Koop is planning a third edition of her popular cast cookbook, The Phantom Cooks, to raise more money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.  Having learned her lesson from sorting through co-workers hand-written recipes, however, she vows “this time, I’ll have people email them to me.”  Outside, the marquee of the Majestic Theatre proudly displays an updated version of the mask logo, welcoming audiences to experience the gothic love story first-hand, which they continue to do without any signs of stopping.  “We really do sell in the top five of all Broadway shows,” Koop notes.  “Even when there’s new hits, like The Book of Mormon, we’re always right in there.”

Perhaps this is because Phantom can still cast its spell over even the most indifferent of audience members.  Audible “ooohs” and “ahhhhs” continue to be heard as the dazzling Masquerade is glimpsed following Intermission, to say nothing of the awed hush that falls over the crowd when Christine descends into the misty, candlelit lair.  Webber’s sweeping score, however entrenched it may now be in our collective consciousness, still conjures up goose bumps and teary eyes in equal measure.  Yet what holds it all together, unquestionably, is the sense of family uniting those who have worked behind-the-scenes to keep Phantom at the top of its game all these years.  In so doing, they’ve provided a certain lonely, scarred composer with a place to finally fit in, and more than earned their right to celebrate.

For more information on The Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre, visit http://www.thephantomoftheopera.com/new-york .

There was once a time when oil companies, politicians and car manufacturers wanted any notion of a mainstream electric vehicle dead and buried.  Director Chris Paine chronicled it in his popular 2006 documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? and is now determined to declare the tides have turned with the release of his latest, Revenge of the Electric Car.

The thing is…they haven’t.  At least not totally.  As the film explains, in recent years GM and the like have finally come around to the idea that electric cars are the future, and are even competing with one another to get an attractive model out to customers.  Yet it’s obvious that electric cars haven’t become the norm on highways around the world, so declaring that they’ve had their “revenge” seems a bit premature.  “Return of the Electric Car” would have made for a more fitting title, though it’s clear why Paine opted for something flashy and bold.  Like the Big Wigs and designers he interviews, the director is merely capitalizing on an old idea and throwing confetti around to distract for its shortcomings.

The biggest problem with Revenge is that it doesn’t really have a compelling, completed story to tell.  Paine begins by stating that one of the biggest opponents to the electric car movement – GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz – simply reversed his position, but fails to capture him in an interview explaining what prompted this dramatic change-of-heart.  Given that Lutz has offered such previous quotes as “global warming is a crock of sh*t”, this is especially disappointing.

From there, three other participants in the race are introduced: Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk, Renault/Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn and LA car converter Greg “Gadget” Abbott, who seems to have been included purely to fill the role of Ordinary Joe, as he’s decidedly not in competition with the others.  Though narrator Tim Robbins never shares how Abbott can afford this expensive hobby given that he lives out of a trailer, a quick Google search reveals he’s the holder of ten Guinness World Records for his work as a craftsman, has appeared on several Discovery Channel programs and is prepping a series of his own, called Gadget’s Electric Garage…some of which probably should have been mentioned.

As the film bounces between these four players and the various setbacks they encounter, it also loses track of its timeline.  For several minutes, Paine focuses in on Musk’s inability to deliver a batch of long-promised electric cars to his loyal Tesla customers, only to then treat the subplot as an afterthought by jumping forward to an unspecified point when it’s all been resolved off-camera.  Only auto enthusiasts who have closely followed these events in the media truly stand any chance of making it through the movie without scratching their heads at least once.

In search of some narrative drama, Paine makes the jarring decision to focus his cameras on Musk’s private life halfway through the film, with a special emphasis on his divorce from the mother of his five children and engagement to British actress Talulah Riley (who – spoiler alert! – filed divorce papers earlier this month).  Though there’s nothing relevant to the electric car there, the sight of twenty-something Talulah carrying one of Musk’s sons and joking about their ten-day courtship is certain to distract audiences for the remainder of the film.

An attempt is made to bring the narrative full-circle by having Danny DeVito bemoan the loss of his first electric car in the opening scenes and then happily set foot in his new Chevy Volt before the closing credits.  Still, with an epilogue that promises a million plug-in cars come 2015, one can’t help but feel that Paine should have held off on this sequel until 2020, by which time the big picture would have emerged.  With no clear winner and a race still in progress, Revenge is a meandering road-trip only the most auto-obsessed will enjoy.

Revenge of the Electric Car recently screened at Cinema du Parc, and can be purchased by visiting revengeoftheelectriccar.com.

With the holiday season finally in full swing, many Montrealers are driving down to the Big Apple for a little slice of yuletide escapism.  If taking in a musical is at the top of your itinerary, Rover’s got you covered with this look at one of Broadway’s best…the beloved Avenue Q.

Just as Sesame Street taught us about the ABCs of childhood using puppetry and animation, Avenue Q speaks to the trials of adulthood with a similar sense of fun.  Actually, make that a no-holds-barred approach to fun.  These puppets (and the multitalented actor/puppeteers who share the stage with them) will have you doubled-over with laughter as they deal with everything from one-night stands and coming out to homelessness and internet porn in a production that feels like a love letter to anyone who’s ever struggled to find their purpose.

It doesn’t hurt that most of the faces in this low-income neighborhood look awfully familiar.  There’s Rod and Nicky (Adam Kantor and Rob Morrison), two roommates who manage to push each other’s buttons, but are different enough from Bert and Ernie to avoid litigation from the Jim Henson Company.  There’s Trekkie Monster (also Morrison), a big softie who is stays up all night obsessing about one thing, and it sure ain’t cookies.  Then there’s building superintendent Gary Coleman, who does seem like an odd inclusion, but in the hands of the right performer (in this case Haneefah Wood) works as a sort of celebrity guest in the proceedings.  At the centre of it all is recent college graduate Princeton (also Kantor), whose move into the apartment complex brings about a series of misadventures involving the kind-hearted Kate Monster (Veronica Kuehn), Lucy the Slut and a duo of fantastically naughty Bad Idea Bears.

Those two nearly steal the show with their enthusiastic suggestions to oh, spend all the rent money on beer, but there’s something undeniably winning about Christmas Eve (Hazel Anne Raymundo), a Japanese therapist with a thick accent and unemployed fiancée (Nicholas Kohn).  The truth of the matter is Avenue Q is a team effort, requiring each of the actors to handle a puppet at one point or another, and that playful cooperation just underscores the message that in spite of life’s hardships, we’re all in it together.

Unsurprisingly, Q began as an idea for a television series before turning into a musical.  The original production proved so popular it transferred to Broadway in 2003 and beat out juggernaut Wicked at the 2004 Tony Awards, winning Best Book, Best Score and Best Musical.  The show has since returned to its off-Broadway roots and now plays at the New World Stages complex on West 50^th street, where they happen to offer some delicious themed drinks at the bar.  The “Bad Idea” and “Rob-mopolitan” are highly recommended.

Though it’s disappointing that these frank, fuzzy friends don’t appear on a weekly television program to remind us that “everyone’s a little bit racist sometimes”, the show is unlikely to disappear.  Since opening almost ten years ago, there have been numerous productions around the world, with another UK tour set to commence in February.  The off-Broadway cast has made its presence known on YouTube with a rousing video called “We will Rock Q”, in response to Sesame’s Street’s similar take on the Queen anthem.  They have also participated in the double cd Carols for a Cure 2011, benefiting Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.  In short, Avenue Q has become a permanent part of the fabric of Broadway and missing it will only leave you singing, “it sucks to be me.”

For more information on the show visit www.avenueq.com . Carols For a Cure 2011 can be purchased at http://broadwaycares.stores.yahoo.net/caforcu20vo11.html .

It’s amazing to think that Kevin Clash has been able to walk down the street anonymously, considering he’s been entertaining children worldwide for the past 27 years. “I’m a black man, I’m six feet tall (and) they would never think that I perform this little red monster,” he remarks in Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey, now playing at Cinema du Parc.

The documentary, which has won several awards on the festival circuit over the past few months, tells the inspiring story of how Clash’s childhood passion for puppetry drove him to become a member of Jim Henson’s team, and eventually, a fixture on Sesame Street, thanks to the support of his family.  As his parents recall, young Clash took scissors to his father’s coat one day hoping to mimic the puppet creations he’d seen on television.  The final product turned out so well that they simply reminded him to ask permission next time.  From there, he filled shelves with his fuzzy creations and entertained neighborhood children with shows in the backyard.  When he caught an interview with Muppet designer Kermit Love and realized there were more tricks to the trade to learn, his mother made some calls to arrange for an introduction between the two.  It worked, and during a High School trip to the Big Apple, he met the man who would become his mentor.  Given all this, it’s no wonder that Clash credits his folks with inspiring Elmo’s loving personality.

One of the more interesting tidbits shared in the film is the revelation that Elmo existed before Clash came into the picture.  In fact, Sesame Street’s famously falsetto-voiced furball originally sounded more like a gruff caveman, until the puppeteers grew so disenchanted with him that they threw him in Clash’s lap and gave him free rein to reinvent the character.  Elmo, the outcast.  Who’d have guessed?

These days, of course, Elmo is so popular he appears on talk shows, travels the world, has his own DVDs and remains a massive presence in toy stores.  Narrator Whoopi Goldberg still remembers the “Tickle Me Elmo” fad of 1996, and the beating she endured at the hands of another woman, desperate to get her hands on one of the dolls.  Even famed TV producer Aaron Spelling apparently found himself unable to find some.

Though Elmo remains in high demand, Clash insists on continuing to voice and perform the character, a decision that ultimately leaves him with less time to spend with his own daughter.  Director Constance Marks includes some footage of Clash throwing her an elaborate Sweet Sixteen party, but otherwise steers clear of the puppeteer’s personal life.  Considerably more time is spent exploring his relationship with Jim Henson, who remained something of a hero in Clash’s eyes right up to his untimely death in 1990.  Taking a note from those who passed down their knowledge to him over the years, Clash makes a point of sharing his own secrets with a young boy who hopes, as he once did, to become a skilled puppeteer in one of the film’s best sequences.  Turns out, the key to a great-looking character is a tight seam.

Though one wishes a bit more had been said about how the character’s appeal translates to international audiences, Being Elmo enchants, bringing some long-overdue attention to the man behind Elmo’s infectious laugh, as well as the subtle art of puppetry.  Here’s hoping more people stop Kevin in the streets from now on to express their admiration and filmmakers spotlight more puppeteers in the future.  If the awe on children’s faces when Elmo appears before them is any indication, they bring something undeniably tangible and personal to the art of storytelling.

Visit www.cinemaduparc.com for further details.

Montreal may be a city overflowing with options when it comes to art and entertainment, but sometimes you just have to see what else is out there. To that end, this intrepid Rover reporter traveled to neighbouring Toronto to take in the sights, beginning with Chess: The Musical, fresh from a ten-month run in the UK.

Don’t let the title fool you – this revival of the 1986 show isn’t really centered around a 1,000-year-old board game. Instead, it focuses on the Cold War tensions that existed between the US and the Soviet Union back in the late-’70s, as seen through the eyes of two competitors in the world chess championship.

Those hoping for a stirring historical drama along the lines of lyricist Tim Rice’s Evita, however, will be sorely disappointed. Despite all the available players, Chess lacks a single compelling characterization to draw you in. Rice himself noted that the opening night audience seemed unresponsive and detached throughout the show. Apparently, UK crowds reacted similarly. Is it because the characters sing of “dangerous and difficult times” without themselves ever being involved in anything more complicated than a press conference or breakup? Or were Brits simply having as much trouble trying to decipher the lyrics as the rest of us? Here’s hoping some technical adjustments are made throughout the run, as the vocals and instrumentals often drowned each other out.

Rice went on to compare Chess to an opera, saying the arias will capture the audience’s attention even if the plot is lost in translation. Thank goodness, then, for the strong leads and those catchy tunes composed by ABBA’s Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. Shona White’s Florence gets the lion’s share of the drama, as the woman who falls for both players only to realize Nobody’s on Nobody’s Side. James Fox plays her cocky American boyfriend, Freddie Trumper, and sings the hell out of Pity the Child when she leaves him for Tam Mutu’s sophisticated Russian, Anatoly Sergievsky.

According to Rice, Mutu was not part of the recent UK company, though you’d never know it. His chemistry with the rest of the cast is so strong that you’d assume they’d been playing together for months. Plus, his stirring delivery of the show’s famed Anthem will bring you back for the second act, when Anatoly’s wife Svetlana (Rebecca Lock) appears to add another wrinkle to the soap opera dynamic. It’s unlikely you’ll care how it all works out, but you might walk home with a new favourite ABBA song bouncing around in your head.

If the plot and characters don’t quite deliver, the incredible chorus of 25 definitely exceeds expectations. These quadruple-threats sing, dance, act and play instruments throughout the entire show, while dressed as S&M chess pieces no less. Your heart is sure to go out to these talented folks, stuck on the sidelines and clad in leather-and-lace, especially during the second act opener, One Night in Bangkok, when they’re forced to strip to their skivvies for a bump’n’grind number worthy of Britney Spears.

Give them a strong round of applause if you make the trip to check out Chess, which runs at Toronto’s Princess of Wales Theatre until October 30.

Chess UK tour photo by Keith Pattison

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee delivers exactly what it promises – an hour and 45 minute-long competition between a group of oddball kids who count the dictionary as their closest friend. Whether or not you consider that a fun evening of entertainment wholly depends on how much you love musical theatre and enjoy supporting local talent. Or desire to improve your vocabulary.

Thanks to last year’s rousing production of Reefer Madness, Processed Theatre developed a reputation for pairing up and coming Montreal performers with fun material. The good news here is that the cast is still uniformly strong across the board, with voices to match their enthusiasm for the material. The bad news is the material itself, which offers little more than surface-level insights into the characters and seems insistent on replicating the mood of an actual Bee, right down to the unending quiz format. In spite of this, Putnam somehow snagged a Tony back in 2005 for “Best Book,” of all things. Can you spell “irony”?

The first problem is that it takes a while to actually get to hear the actors sing full-out, as there are surprisingly few big numbers to showcase their talents. In fact, it isn’t until the twenty minute mark when they leap up to declare that “life is pandemonium!” that Putnam finally comes to life (albeit temporarily). Prior to that, it’s all quiet introductions, as the audience meets the kid who uses his foot to spell, the other kid who wears a cape, the girl with the absentee parents, and the bizarrely cheery woman hosting the show for the 9th year. They all have the potential to become interesting characters, but like a nervous ten year old in front of a mike, the show can’t seem to recall what to do with them.

To compensate, three audience members are brought up on-stage to spell alongside the other competitors for the whole of the first act. At one performance, CTV News anchor Todd van der Heyden gamely volunteered and received gentle ribbing as he was introduced as the participant whose “brother cuts his hair” and who “someday aspires to be a journalist.” Audience participation can be a fun idea, but in this case, it only further stalls the meandering narrative.

By the time the second act rolls around and contestants finally start doing more than repeating “definition please?”, the show still doesn’t pay off the characters that piqued our curiosity in the first place. Consider hostess/realtor Rona Lisa Perretti (Lindsay Milner): why does she seem to get a kick out of seeing the kids fail? And what about Mitch Mahoney (Mike Melino), who arrived late to the Bee and is only there as part of his court-appointed community service: what was his crime and why is he so unexpectedly compassionate towards the contestants? More amazingly, why is Melino relegated to the sidelines of the show when he’s one of the best voices in the cast?

Thank goodness for Shannon Hamilton’s Olive Ostrovsky, who ultimately brings it all home with a sincerity that underscores the sadness behind her character’s perky smile. When she daydreams about the family she doesn’t really have, you’ll be stunned to find yourself not only caring, but likely crying too. If the rest of the show had half as much soul as that number – which coincidentally brings together the three strongest singers in the group, Putnam would leave more of an impression.

Which isn’t to say it’s no fun at all. There are a few decent laughs sprinkled throughout, and a terrific send-off song that’s repeated every time a contestant is disqualified and escorted away that only gets better the more times you hear it. When it’s all over, you may even be surprised to find you’ve grown attached to some of the l’il buggers. Stockholm syndrome perhaps?

Whatever the case, it’s an interesting move on the part of the Company, who are certain to continue their efforts to bolster the local Musical Theatre scene. Those who check Putnam out are guaranteed to at least learn what “chimerical” means. If you’re really lucky, it may even be Mitsumi Takahashi up there spelling it.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is at Mainline Theatre, 3997 St-Laurent Blvd., through Sept. 24.

As the sun slowly rises on-stage to the sound of Buyi Zama’s Rafiki belting out “Circle of Life”, it’s impossible not to get a warm, tingly feeling – the kind that blends waves of nostalgia with the thrill of knowing you’re in for an unforgettable evening of entertainment. The Lion King delivers just that.

Of course, this won’t come as news to the rest of the theatre-going world, who’ve been singing the show’s praises for well over a decade already. Julie Taymor’s ground-breaking production first opened in 1997, winning a couple of Tony Awards, including one for Best Musical, and has since been staged in London, France, South Africa and even Toronto.

Why, then, has it taken this long for a touring company to pay Montreal a visit? The Phantom of the Opera debuted in London in 1986, and a mere five years later, this reviewer was awed by Jeff Hyslop, Patti Cohenour and the rest of the Canadian touring company at Place des Arts while the Toronto production ran strong at the Pantages theatre. Whatever the reason for King’s delayed arrival, the locals are clearly happy this caravan of colourful creatures finally made it.

Expect to clap your hands raw a couple of times throughout the course of the show, especially during the stunning opening number featuring a parade of animals emerging from all corners of the theatre (arrive early or risk missing it!). The aforementioned Zama heads up a cast of wildly talented singers and dancers who, through the magic of Taymor’s inventive direction and brilliant costumes, bring the familiar Disney tale to glorious life and more than earn their standing ovations. Puppets – both of the hand-held and shadow varieties – are used to wonderful effect while Donald Holder’s lighting design evokes the beauty of the vast African savanna. Throw in those great Elton John/Tim Rice songs and vocal arrangements by Lebo M and there really is far too much to take in. Here’s hoping the touring company comes back for a second run.

Just as Simba is followed by the ghosts of his past, these performers are saddled with having to compete with the audience’s memories of the voices from the beloved animated film. No easy task, especially for Dionne Randolph as Mufasa, but he manages to step out of the shadow of James Earl Jones with a stirring delivery of “They Live In You”, a shared moment between father and son. J Anthony Crane as the scheming Scar sticks a little too close to the Jeremy Irons-take on the villain, right down to speak-singing his way through musical numbers. If he never quite outshines his hand-drawn counterpart, Zama – who has travelled the world mastering her role as an all-knowing baboon – more than compensates with an inviting presence and moving intensity that is truly worth the price of admission alone.

Though the cast is strong across the board, there is an odd disconnect between the actors sharing the lead role of Simba. Simply put, Jelani Remi’s adult Simba really doesn’t seem like the vocal extension of his younger self, portrayed by the energetic Niles Fitch, leaving the audience to adjust to what feels like a new protagonist after intermission.

Truth be told, Act Two struggles overall to maintain the emotional highs of the first half. It isn’t until Nala’s big number “Shadowland” that the plot seems to get back on track. This momentum carries through until the action-packed climax, but the final reprise of “Circle of Life” seems to fizzle, lacking the stirring power of the film’s finale. Here’s hoping they play it up a bit more in future performances.

Among the new elements added to help stretch the movie’s tight narrative are Scar’s quick attempt to seduce Nala (Sydnee Winters) and an accident with Timon (Nick Cordileone) that triggers Simba’s guilt. The latter works well, but the former feels a little undercooked. The Hyenas get a short but memorable rock number called “Chow Down” in Act One that gives Monica L. Patton’s Shenzi and Omari Tau’s Banzai some well-deserved spotlight. And just to play to our Montreal sensibilities, the performers even sprinkle some French is throughout the show. Less appreciated are the neon-green subtitles scrolling on either side of the stage, often out-of-synch with the performers. It’s a safe bet that the Francophones in the crowd are familiar enough with Le Roi Lion to just sit back and enjoy the performance.

In spite of any minor qualms, there can be no denying that this is a hugely satisfying, must-see production, especially for those that never caught it in Toronto or on Broadway. The themes of familial pride and personal regret still resonate, the old jokes from the movie still get laughs and the “goosebump factor” is present in full-force. Yet, for all its big budget frills, Lion King is at its most mesmerizing when it just sits back and gives the audience a moment to appreciate the view. Nice as it is to see some well-animated animals cross a movie screen, watching a cheetah stalking two giraffes right before your eyes is magic.

Cast of Lion King, bienvenu! The city of Cirque welcomes you and asks that you stay a while! (Please invite the rest of your Broadway brethren to stop by.)

Lion King runs at Place des Arts until September 4th. For tickets, visit Evenko.ca.

Kevin Smith has a lot to answer for.  If it wasn’t bad enough that he backed out of his planned Fantasia appearance last month, he’s also claiming the time has nearly come to retire from filmmaking altogether.  Tonight, at a screening of his controversial (and penultimate?) oeuvre Red State, Silent Bob’s fans will be expecting to hear some answers.

Knowing Smith, they’ll probably have been worth the wait.  The laid-back and fun-loving director of Clerks and Mallrats always has something interesting to say, not only through his films but also via SModcast, a weekly podcast co-hosted by his producing partner Scott Moiser.  With State, however, he’s intentionally stepped away from the “Kevin Smith movie” mold to make a horror tale that takes aim at religious fanatics.  Reactions have been mixed.

The plot follows three teenage boys (Michael Angarano, Nicholas Braun and Kyle Gallner) who go online looking for a hot date.  If that sounds like familiar Kevin Smith fare, rest assured it doesn’t stay that way for long.  After driving out to meet their dream girl, the trio end up imprisoned and at the mercy of crazed Pastor Abin Cooper (Michael Parks).  Much like Fred Phelps and his infamous Westboro Baptist Church, Cooper’s got a lot of hate towards gays and sinners in general, so he and his congregants (played by Melissa Leo and Kerry Bishé) intend to make things right by sacrificing the boys.  A ‘sexy party ‘it ain’t.

From there, ATF agent Joseph Keenan (John Goodman) attempts to come to the rescue and take down the Church, only to have a few more twists and some dangerous gunfire play out.  In spite of all the religious content, it’s actually the movie’s shifts in tone that seem to have rustled the most feathers.  Critics have called Red State everything from  “scattered and unfocused” and “a failure on almost every level” to “an upswing moment for Kevin Smith” and “a dirty little adrenaline rush”.  The mixed reviews began at the Sundance Film Festival, where State premiered.  Last month, Fantasia programmers choose the controversial film to open this year’s 15^th edition of the festival.  The screening sold out, but Smith was unable to attend, sending a self-deprecating video apology in his place.

He brings it back tonight as part of his own release plan for the picture, having chosen to take an indie approach and distribute it through his production company.  He’s already been through the US and is now working his way through Canada on the Red Province tour, eager to interact with his fans and hear what they have to say.

It’s pretty likely many will want to know why Hit Somebody – a film based on the hockey song by Warren Zevon – is set to be the last film he’ll ever direct.  To ask him yourself, get to Concordia’s Hall Building tonight by 7:30 for Red State: An Evening with Kevin Smith.  Tickets available through Ticketmaster.

A plate of smoked meat, two pieces of rye bread and a slice of pickle.  For over eighty years, Schwartz’s Deli has made it look so easy, but as Schwartz’s The Musical attests, it takes a delicate balance of ingredients to make a real crowd-pleaser.  The show, finishing up a second successful run at Centaur Theatre tonight, blends a number of musical styles into a charming retelling of the beloved eatery’s unusual history, with original compositions by Montreal’s own George Bowser and Rick Blue.  According to the cast, though, some interesting elements had to be cut from the menu in order to get the recipe just right.

“Well, there was one song…a cabaret-type, Kurt Weill kind-of ‘Love Ain’t Nothing But Trouble’ [number],” Blue shares with something of a sigh.  Conceived as part of the romantic plot between shopkeeper Ben (Vito DeFilippo) and enterprising Torontonian Amber (Stephanie Martin), the tune was ultimately seen as fat and was trimmed, however reluctantly.  “Roy [Surette – Director] really liked it and it was pretty good, but it just didn’t work.  It’s like they’re all your children and you want them all to do well, but some of them aren’t going to make it.”

None of which worried Bill Brownstein, whose book Schwartz’s Hebrew Delicatessen: The Story became the blueprint for the production.  As the Gazette contributor put it on opening night back in May, “I know what they’re capable of,” adding “people have this pre-conceived notion of Bowser & Blue.  This is totally A-typical of anything they’ve done before.  This is them working within the context of this place and the people who eat there, rather than their usual shtick.”

The finished product is a show that still twinkles with the duo’s trademark satirical style, though at one point some wilder ideas were apparently getting tossed around.  “We had joked about a rap number,” laughs Chris Barillaro, who performs throughout the show and also handled the vocal arrangements.  “During the first workshop there was maybe an extra two songs…just like any musical, stuff is thrown out and changed.”

To celebrate the show’s second run, all the final numbers were recorded for the Schwartz’s cast album, or as Roy Surette puts it, their “labor of love”.  “The cast members and some of the company members, we all kind of pitched in to make it a reality because there’s certainly no expectation that it’s going to be a big money maker but it’s really nice to have it in our hands.  We’re really proud of it.”

Blue is equally pleased with how it’s all turned out.  “It seems as though this thing has been guided.”  Surette agrees:  “We’ve had a really good run with it.  We were sold out for the first run, six weeks, which is really fantastic.  The summer run has been a little bit more erratic but then there’s so much going on here in the summer.”  As for whether or not this is really the end, he simply offers, “I think we’re going to put it to bed right now, but we’re not burning the set.”

And so, the eleven-person ensemble will take to the Centaur stage with their infectious enthusiasm one last time.  The album is available for purchase at the box office, so fans can continue to enjoy the show’s toe-tapping odes to waiters, schmutz and everything else uniquely Schwartz’s.  Rap number or not, it’s hard to imagine a more satisfying curtain call.

Catch the final performance of Schwartz’s The Musical at Centaur Theatre tonight at 8pm. For tickets, visit the Centaur’s website: http://www.centaurtheatre.com/42_schwartz.html

There’s only week left to go before the 15^th edition of Fantasia wraps up, but take heart moviegoers: it’s been an interesting ride so far, hasn’t it? Indeed, this year’s festival has brought its fair share of both pleasure and pain to audiences, but you really can’t expect anything less than the freaky and fantastical from Fantasia.

One of the most satisfying entries in this year’s line-up was André Øvredal’s The Troll Hunter. Picture The Blair Witch Project, if they’d actually delivered and showed the titular witch in all her glory. Then sprinkle in a welcome dose of humour and some completely believable CGI effects, and what you get is the ultimate crowd-pleasing adventure flick for all those who were once awed by Jurassic Park.

The story follows a group of student filmmakers who try to get the scoop on a man believed to be an illegal poacher in the wilds of Norway. There’s a slow-and-steady approach to the first act of the movie, masterfully building suspense towards the big reveal that – surprise! – crazy old Hans is actually after trolls, and not for the reasons you’d expect. Impossibly, even after the film reveals its main attractions, it doesn’t lose steam, cleverly finding new ways to present them.

Fantasia audiences soaked it all up, jerking at the sudden surprises and laughing at the film’s ludicrous-yet-well-executed mockumentary framework. It’s no wonder this picture was an official selection at Sundance. Definitely see it in a theatre setting if the opportunity presents itself again. The sound mixing alone will leave you with goose bumps.

On the more underwhelming side of things was SINT (a.k.a. “SAINT”), a Christmastime horror story that really doesn’t bring as much to the table as one would hope. St. Niklas, much like our own Santa Claus, is typically viewed as a harmless yuletide fixture in Holland. That is, unless Dec. 5 happens to bring with it a full moon, in which case the crazed killer of children rises from the grave along with a horde of helpers to torment and destroy. Thanks to the usual horror film clichés (annoying teen protagonists, random sex and a rough-around-the-edges detective that no one believes), this potentially awesome premise feels familiar all too fast. The cast isn’t convincing enough to engage the viewer and the tone isn’t over-the-top enough to be either hilarious or immersive. Bizarrely, it all ends with a really drawn-out close-up of the charred Saint Nick staring off into space, only to jerk forward towards the camera as if to startle. Instead, the audience laughed at the lame attempt and filed out of the theatre with little to say.

Exley probably would have met with a similar response, had the director and cast not been present at its screening earlier this week. This latest film from Larry Kent starts off well enough, with a believable performance from Shane Twerdun as the titular hero, who hears of his mother’s impending death and feels compelled to travel across-country to reach her. Being a penniless artist, this means going door-to-door asking friends and former lovers for financial aid. Unfortunately, most everyone he knows is bonkers, including the girl who begins the movie by rescuing him from an ally and sleeping over, only to turn into a shrieking harpy when he gets the call informing him of his mother’s condition.

Kent strives for a certain amount of realism throughout, and he revealed in the Q&A that followed the screening that yes, all of the dialogue within the scenes was improvised. Impressive as that is, it yielded some bizarre results. One can’t really find a logical explanation for why said one-night-stand insists on talking to herself through character Exley’s entire phone conversation and then freaks out so badly he has to force her force her out of the apartment naked. Is she on drugs? Do they have a complex personal history? It’s never explained because the purpose of the movie is to move the hero from one bizarre encounter to another. And there are plenty of those, from an improvised wedding to an encounter with the mob.

To his credit, Kent consistently throws his audience for a loop by turning every scene on its ear. The best example of this happens shortly after Exley leaves his lady to visit an older gentleman he’s apparently known for years. At first, the man seems like a letch, more interested in Exley’s body than his personal problems. But after the deed is done and Exley asks for payment, the old man is genuinely offended by the implication that their relationship is merely a business transaction. The audience’s intense dislike of this man and pity for Exley is completely reversed within a matter of seconds. The scenes that follow have a similar effect, making for a funny, off-kilter viewing experience.

Sadly, the overall story doesn’t really add up. Kent compared the premise to The Odyssey, but then added that he saw the final scene as a romantic one. If taken alone, one would be tempted to agree, but as part of a whole… well, it doesn’t make a whole lotta sense. As an independent filmmaker and professor in his 70s, you have to respect his work. As an audience member, you’ll eventually give up trying to make sense of the insanity, and might just want your money back.

Finally, it wouldn’t be Fantasia without DJ Xl5’s Rockin’ Zappin’ Party, which combines the thrills of a big-screen YouTube clip fest with energetic short films from filmmakers with a passion for pulp, animation and even puppetry.

To say the Hall Theatre roared with laughter throughout the two-hour presentation on July 26 would be putting it mildly, but what else would you expect of an evening that began with clips from Animotion’s Obsession music video, The B-52’s Rock Lobster and Journey’s Separate Ways? You really can’t go wrong when you start a screening with campy classics like those, can you? There were trailers for films that don’t exist, like the action-packed “Infernal Nuns” and creepy “Killer Closets from Outer Space,” as well as more clips of Simon’s Cat, an animated series by the UK’s Simon Tofield. If you’ve heard people mewing in the darkness before a Fantasia screening, these cute shorts are the reason why. This time around, the kitty got into trouble playing with a cardboard box and, of course, trying to enjoy a Christmas tree.

As it sometimes goes, the longest of the shorts proved the least successful, with Sam Carter’s Shadow Puppets in particular overstaying its welcome. Playing with themes of racism and terrorism, the live-action film focuses on a suburban man suspicious of his new neighbours, a group of colourful Sesame Street-style puppets. Are their happy faces and googly eyes hiding some sinister intentions? After ten minutes of flat dialogue, will you even care? Had it had been trimmed down in length, the answer might have been yes.

Fantasia is a grab-bag – sometimes you get the chocolate bar, other times, you get the eraser. All you know for sure is that you’ll definitely be exposed to something you wouldn’t have come across any place else, and that you’re among friends.

For more details on this week’s screenings, visit www.fantasiafestival.com or swing by the box office at Concordia’s Hall Building (1455 de Maisonneuve W.). Fantasia ends August 7

You have to love that a festival as big as Just For Laughs will still make a point of showcasing up-and-coming Canadian talent. There may have been only one recipient of the Irwin Barker Homegrown Comic award on Friday night, July 29, but each of the nine performers who took to the stage brought something memorable, and Rover’s here to give you a complete recap.

Nile Seguin, a former This Hour Has 22 Minutes writer, began by explaining how his larger-than-life hair left strangers assuming he knew a lot about the music scene, and went on to share a story about how he and a friend caught themselves inadvertently staring at children swimming. In other words, the jokes felt familiar and the reception was lukewarm. Seguin is pleasant enough to listen to, but could use some more memorable bits, like his admission of his mother “being more afraid of Asians than the casting department at Saturday Night Live.”

Sunee Dhaliwal has a great name and a sense of humour to back it up. An unmarried twenty-something (who by East Indian standards might as well be forty-eight, he jokes), Sunee can never seem to get a break. Not only is he unable to pursue a rap career with a name like “Sunee D,” if he tries to bring a girl home, the long commute all but ensures she’ll sober up. At which point, she’ll just assume he’s her taxi driver. Add to that the fact that his father believes he needs to provide him with material so he can be as successful as Russell Peters, and you’ve got a comedian with more than enough punch-lines to keep you grinning.  It was a strong set, to be sure.

Kathleen McGee’s bio makes it pretty clear that she’s proud to have “offended at least one uptight bitch in every city, town, village and hamlet that she has visited,” but you still might feel a little unprepared when she takes the mike.  Like the loud girl at the end of the bar, she’s quick to call the alcoholics featured on A&E’s rehab series Intervention “lightweights,” and then goes for the shock value by saying she “finger bangs” herself when all else fails. There’s nothing wrong with a coarse female comic, so long as she can get the audience to laugh along with her. McGee didn’t succeed there, almost coming off as defeated or indifferent. It’s too bad the only female comic at the event, and a self-described “woman of chunk,” couldn’t throw down a little more enthusiastically against the boys.

Massimo followed with a set about the power of a good smile and the importance of being sensitive towards God and his busy schedule (“He’s a single Dad!”). Though he had a good command of the crowd, the mood shifted a little when he went on about how he believes So You Think You Can Dance Canada judge Jean-Marc Généreux must be in the closet. In spite of some intolerant undertones, the bit was saved by an almost spot-on impression… in which the judge’s critique described his hidden desire for a male dancer. Still, it seemed a bit in poor taste, especially considering this weekend’s highly-publicized Divers/Cité celebrations.

Darrin Rose, looking remarkably like SNL’s Jason Sudeikis, focused his time on sharing stories about growing up in an almost exclusively male environment.  Apparently, arming oneself with knowledge from encyclopedias won’t deter a brother from stuffing you into the dryer – who knew? Rose is quick to admit he’s earned his share of abuse, and in so doing had the audience feeling relaxed. The set may have lacked momentum, but he was pleasant enough and worth checking out again in the future.

Dave Merheje then promptly shook the crowd out their comfort zone. Armed with a rapid-fire rant style, Merheje paced himself brilliantly and had everyone doubled-over with laughter by the end of his all-too-short performance. His set touched on racism towards non-white political candidates (“What do you think a brown Mayor is going to do – force feed you curry!?”), Toronto hate, Canada’s status as the “gay best friend to all the other countries” and then wrapped up with an admission of how he “masturbates like [he’s] missed the bus – angry as shit!” He was super-charged and we were grateful. The night had taken off.

Mark DeBonis followed by sauntering on stage and using his gift of “looking high all the time” to bring the vibe all the way back down, regrettably. His set wasn’t bad so much as random. He ended by suggesting some inventions he thought could be useful (with snow-blower shoes and a Bluetooth glove earning the most chuckles) and he had a rather unique stage presence. But the audience was craving something a little stronger.

Matt Carter didn’t bring much by way of that. Competition host Mark Little (himself a winner of the Homegrown Comic award in 2009) aptly likened him to a “handsome Colonel Sanders” …and that’s about as funny as things got. Carter devoted most of his set to complaining about how he accidentally purchased an $80 travel mug at Starbucks. The bit had potential but little by way of a payoff. His best line, regarding women who carry their infants in chest harnesses:  “If you would die for your baby, why the fuck are you wearing him like a bullet-proof vest?”

Steve Scholtz (pictured above) ended the evening and earned this reviewer’s respect for his frank-yet-friendly observations… namely that the night had already been won. “We’re all pretty sure Dave won this thing, but come on,” he deadpanned to great effect, and then proceeded to praise nerds for inventing the dildo (“If it had been a jock, it would shut off during the Super Bowl!”) and gays for adopting babies (“They’re solving a problem they don’t even contribute to!”)  Then there was this charming one-liner encouraging women to pursue the computer programmers of the world: “Nerds are easy to overpower – we’re like leprechauns: if you catch us we have to have sex with you!” He kept things lively and upbeat and frankly seemed a likely candidate for the runner-up prize.

The judges believed otherwise, awarding the Irwin Barker prize to a humbled-yet-deserving Dave Merheje (earning him additional appearances and exposure during Just For Laughs), and second place to mild Mark DeBonis. Mark Little, it must be said, handled hosting duties with style. The evening may have started out a little slow, but Little’s comfort level grew exponentially. When the time came to tabulate the votes, he improvised a great set about the dangers of soda vending machines versus the more traditionally vilified sharks. You may not have been paid for your time, Mark, but it’s likely you’ve earned yourself a few more fans for your efforts.

The organizers of the 15^th edition of the Fantasia Film Festival want you to “be crazy, crazy explorers.”  Frankly, I’d take them up on it.  Fantasia crowds are famous for embracing all kinds of films, whether slasher, historical drama, screwball comedy or just plain absurd, and this festival has made a name for itself by offering up some of the best on all fronts.  So why resist?

Running from the 14^th to August 7^th, Fantasia will turn a variety of venues into hot-spots for celebrity sightings and premieres.  Things get underway with today’s screening of Kevin Smith’s dark new offering Red State and an opening party at Club 1234, featuring music by DJs Plastik Patrik and Mr. Black.  Those with a particular love for Robin Hardy will definitely want to check out the world premiere of The Wicker Tree on July 19^th.  An adaptation of his book Cowboys For Christ and a “spiritual sequel” to the classic he’d directed some 38 years earlier, The Wicker Man, this screening will be hosted by the director himself and actor James Mapes, though that’s far from the only big name attending.

On August 4^th, Guillermo Del Toro will introduce his remake of the 1973 ABC TV movie Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark.  John Landis, meanwhile, of Blues Brothers and Animal House fame, will be on hand to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to his craft.  July 27^th will also mark the Canadian premiere of his latest oeuvre, Burke and Hare, a comedic tale about grave robbers starring a cast of crowd-pleasers like Simon Pegg, Andy Serkis, Isla Fisher and Tim Curry.

The fest will also feature a screening of Captain America…just not the one you’re thinking of.  Comic book nerds will recall an earlier 1990 film version directed by Albert Pyun and starring Matt Salinger, which saw the Avenger car-jacking his way into battle with his nemesis Red Skull.  Pyun’s director’s cut will premiere on August 6^th, restoring almost thirty additional minutes of footage to the tale, but likely keeping most of the unintentional hilarity of the original.

Those seeking to unearth hidden gems, however, will want to take note of Underwater Love, a hybrid musical, folk tale and soft-core porn from director Shinji Imaoka, centered around the turtle-people called “kappas”.  DJ XL5 also returns this year with another Zappin’ Party focused this time on all the highs and lows of Mexcican cinema, from wacky trailers and masked wrestlers to moustaches of all shapes and sizes.

And for the big finish, organizers are following-up on last year’s hugely successful screening of Metropolis with another full-orchestra, Place-des-Arts affair.  Their selection?  The beloved silent classic, The Phantom of the Opera, starring “Man of a Thousand Faces” Lon Chaney, and a swooning Mary Philbin, set to live music by Gabriel Thibaudeau.  There will also be free events at the Concordia Hall building water hole known as Reggies throughout the course of the fest, so there’s hardly an excuse to miss out.

For more information on screenings and ticket prices, visit www.fantasiafestival.com, or swing by Concordia’s Hall building.

With the Fringe fest ending today, it’s time we tally up those shows which proved themselves to be among the best of the fest… and those which were definitely in need of a revamp.  Brace yourselves for the final scores…

Robby Hoffman: Autobiography (&/&&&&)

Recently hailed by the Montreal Mirror as one of the best comedians in town, Robby Hoffman’s appeal has either been completely over-estimated or is fading fast judging by the reactions of those who have seen her stand-up show. The general consensus seems to be that she shifts gears too often, cutting short bits that have promise before they can truly lead to laughs or win the crowd.  Beyond that though, some “jokes” just annoyed while others even disturbed.  Who claims that getting raped while walking home is especially disturbing for a lesbian because it’s obviously not a sexual fantasy (the inference there being that straight women might like to get raped?).  And what’s with all the hate towards Concordians, Robby? Or the three pointless video segments where family members offer endless compliments?  Or the bit about the Discovery Health Channel’s I Didn’t Know I Was Pregnant series that seemed pinched from Kathy Griffin’s act? If she can avoid buying into her own hype while putting more thought into her material, Hoffman can still bounce back, thanks to a natural likeability glimpsed during the on-camera segments where she interviewed her friends.  Opening act Walter J. Lyng also shows promise…but for now, there’s little to recommend.

’33 (a kabarett) (&/&&&&)

Take Les Miserables’ “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables,” set it in a run-down theatre and drag it out for nearly an hour, and you’ll end up with something like this particular piece of tragedy.  The problem here isn’t so much that Bremner Duthie lacks skills as a performer.  He’s clearly a capable actor and singer, but in choosing this particular piece, he stacks the odds against himself and wears out his welcome five minutes in.  Who wants to listen to one man sing song after song about how his fellow performers are gone, while continually stopping mid-sentence to take a big dramatic gulp at how sad it all is?  It also doesn’t help matters that he continually blasts his baritone at almost full strength.  In short, this “karabett” is plodding, predictable and painfully one-note.

Piss in the Pool (&&/&&&&)

Though the description for this year’s edition of the annual dance event at Bain St-Michel describes it as “fun and unpretentious,” first-timers are likely to feel a little off-put by an audience made up mostly of dancers, if Thursday’s opening night was any indication.  During several of the more serious numbers, there was plenty of laughter echoing throughout the venue at the oddest moments, courtesy of attention-seeking attendees.  Being delighted by the achievements of your friends is one thing, but keep it to yourself people – others might prefer to focus on the flailing.  One number in particular seemed devoid of any dance at all, as a homeless character wandered about the pool speaking to himself. Only half of the numbers managed to make good use of the space, with choreographer Annie Gagnon’s work proving the most gripping and dramatic.  Perhaps past years had more consistency to offer, and fewer audience members thinking the entire show was put on purely for them.

Frenzy Saves Your Brain (&&/&&&&)

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first – anyone who saw Uncalled For’s Hypnogogic Logic last year will feel a certain sense of déjà-vu while watching this Frenzy production.  First of all, there’s little by way of a linear storyline, as a group of doctors seemingly create a hive mind within the audience and then allow random thoughts to play out onstage.  Where the guys of Uncalled For had clever dialogue and perfect timing, however, these gents have clowning and mime.  A James Bond-styled aerial battle complete with parachute and sky-diving proved a real crowd-pleaser, as did a DJ’s verbal recap of the mix he didn’t manage to send his producer.  But it was one especially eerie moment where a curious janitor brought two balloon-headed mannequins to life that the real potential shone through.  These guys should definitely try their hand at creating more surreal and dramatic scenarios to complement their comedy.  Brain may rely largely on silliness, but this troupe is capable of more.

Blink Blink Blink (&&&&/&&&&)

If you’d been paying any attention at all to the word on the street, you already know that Kirsten Rasmussen’s one-woman show is a must-see.  Sure, it was a safe bet that this Montreal Improv Professor could handle an entire show on her own, but to shift effortlessly between three characters in the midst of a conversation without missing a beat?  To conjure up parallels between the life of a self-help guru and a self-doubting bunny named Benjamin?  Well, that’s about as impressive as a bunch of carrots falling from the sky.  No wonder the girl’s been asked to co-host The 13Th Hour next year, on top of her nominations for the Just For Laughs Best Comedy and Centaur Theatre Best English Production awards.  Tonight at the Frankie Awards, her efforts are sure to be rewarded.

Trial of the Century (&&&&/&&&&)

For their final bow at the Fringe this year, Uncalled For put their skills to the test with an unscripted show in which a new court case is tried before the audience, who participate as jury members and witnesses.  The trio of performers, who rotate roles as judge, prosecution and defense, expertly steer each testimony towards maximum laugh potential, with Matt Goldberg in particular stepping up his game.  The end result is exactly what you’d expect from this troupe – a light-hearted, sometimes hilarious hour that makes you eager to see their next show.  Sadly for us, it won’t be at the Fringe, so keep your eyes peeled for announcements over at www.weareuncalledfor.com.

Visit www.montrealfringe.ca for details on today’s final performances, and swing by the Frankie Awards at Cabaret du Mile End at 11 pm

At the St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival, there are shows that impress, shows that depress and shows that do a little bit of both.  Since variety truly is the name of the game, let’s take a quick look at two offerings that fall into the latter category.

Men Telling Stories

Pete Nielsen and Matt Stewart are the kind of guys you’d enjoy chatting with at a party, and their two-man show feels very much like an extended conversation over beers.  For a brisk and light-hearted 50 minutes, the duo share stories under the guise of a “man-ifesto.”  Topics include ways men deal with the pain of getting hit in the balls and how to win over teachers and avoid detention.  If the humour sounds a little Saved by the Bell, keep in mind that they’re both fresh out of high school.

Still, as newbies to the Montreal Fringe, both performers are well-rehearsed and engaging, with Stewart in particular displaying an ease with the crowd that keeps things moving even when the jokes fall short.  While there may not be anything especially noteworthy about the act, there’s something to be said for bearing witness as two fresh talents begin to find their footing.  One looks forward to seeing how they’ll sharpen their comedic timing and  mature their content in the years to come.

The Birth of Weza or Go F@#k Your Mother

Be sure to use the restroom before seeing this one, or Catherine Lemieux will have you writhing in agony as well as amusement the moment she takes the stage.  As strong as the cast in this latest Sheep In Fog production may be, it’s Lemieux – as balance-obsessed Susan – who proves the standout in a role tailored to her strengths as a comedic performer with serious  dramatic chops.  Whether tearfully explaining Susan’s inability to commit, or wearing an over-sized mask and dancing in the background as a stripper, she’s a scene-stealer and sure to impress.

The tone of the show is a little less consistent, however, shifting abruptly from an oddball comedy early on to a tense drama about finding one’s purpose in words, children and interior design.  The story of two unhappy couples whose lives eventually intersect, Weza has some engaging characters, from Lindsay Wilson’s baby-obsessed alcoholic to Owen Clark’s socially awkward janitor.  Sadly, it struggles to keep its momentum and might have you wishing they’d allowed for a few more laughs.  Still, you have to hand it to a cast who can perform so effortlessly in the cramped quarters of the Freestanding Room.

For more reviews Fringe reviews, check back with Rover in the days to come, and visit the beer tent wall at the Fringe Parc for audience recommendations.  With tickets at $12-or-less per show, you can’t really go wrong!

It’s that time of year again.  A time when strip spelling bees, drag races, improv comedy and 11-second dance parties become daily occurrences in the Plateau-Mile End.  It’s Fringe season, and if you don’t know what that means, relax: Rover’s here to tell you.

The three-week long St-Ambroise Fringe Festival brings together some 500 artists, both local and international, for a pretension-free celebration of performance overflowing with passion and a sense of fun. Tickets cost $12 dollars or less and there are tons of new companies and returning favourites to check out.

On May 30, Café Campus hosted the Fringe-for-All, a free evening of two-minute previews to whet your appetite.  If you missed it, don’t worry: the full schedule contains brief explanations for each show and links to each company’s site.

Nightly events, like Mainline Theatre’s Slowdance Night on June 3 and a Dawn of the Dead screening on June 5, lead into the opening of Fringe Parc June 9, when indie country-folk cabaret collective The Unsettlers perform and non-local companies get their chance to entice audiences during the Out-of-Towner Fringe-for-All.  From there on in, every night offers a smorgasbord of options, albeit with few guarantees. Some shows will stink, others will amaze and most are sure to prove memorable.  Your best bet is to check out the audience-posted recommendations on the Fringe Parc beer tent wall, or make a mental note of the following…

Local comedy heroes Uncalled For are wrapping up their nine-year stay at the Fringe with an interactive courtroom-themed improv show called Trial of the Century.  Make a point of buying tickets in advance, as it’s safe to assume their last performances will be sold out.  Comedienne Robby Hoffman returns as well with Autobiography, in which she’ll ponder that strange sensation of feeling out-of-touch with today’s youth while still technically being one of them.  Kirsten Rasmussen of the Montreal Improv Theatre presents Blink Blink Blink, the self-penned tale of a motivational speaker whose book “Skin the Bunny” contrasts with the alternate universe adventures of one Benjamin Bunny.  And that’s just on the comedy front.

The company of DonaldRees.com will try to turn double entendres into catchy tunes with its musical Here’s to Love, based on the massively under-appreciated Ewan McGregor/Renée Zellweger comedy Down with Love.  Musical fans are also sure to be singing along as vi.Va?Voom! presents their version of the cult classic Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Non-musical theatre also has a place at the Fringe, with Brave New Productions staging a reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s Being Earnest, now set in modern-day Louisiana.  There’s also A Different Woman: A True Story of a Texas Childhood, which takes Gertrude Beasley’s once-banned autobiography from 1925 and turns it into a one-woman show starring New Orleans native Veronica Russell.

Whatever else you make a point of seeing, remember that no Fringe season is complete without a visit to the late-night talk show known as The 13th Hour.  Perennial hosts Zack Winters, Sweet Sweet Jimmy Priest and nutty intern Rufus (aka Uncalled For’s Anders Yates, Dan Jeannotte and Matt Goldberg) have decided to make this year their last, so swing by Cabaret du Mile End from June 10-18 at 1 am for another round of beers and madcap interviews with the Fringe’s most talented companies.

The festival wraps up with the Frankie Awards on June 19, which honour the best of the fest with a variety of prizes from big-name sponsors like Cirque du Soleil and Just For Laughs, culminating in a massive party. There’s plenty of time before then to pick up a copy of the festival schedule and get a piece of the action, though, so dive right on in and see you at the beer tent.

For complete show listings and a map of the various Fringe venues, visit www.montrealfringe.ca.  Check back with Rover in the days to come for more reviews and Festival City coverage.