From the category archives:

THEATRE

Sherlock Stoned

Sherlock Holmes with Jay Baruchel, Segal Centre, to May 28

by Jim Burke
15.05.2013

It would hardly have taken the world’s greatest detective to deduce that Hollywood pulling-power, in the shape of local boy Jay Baruchel, combined with the brand name recognition of Conan Doyle’s immortal creation, would make Sherlock Holmes a surefire hit. Guttingly, the death of playwright-performer Greg Kramer just before rehearsals began have made this not just a major cultural event for the city but a celebration of the life and talent of one of its most mercurial theatre artists.

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THEATRE

Happy 79th

Sherlock Holmes, with Jay Baruchel, Segal Centre to May 28

by Byron Toben
11.05.2013

NDG’s own Jay Baruchel is apparently the 79th actor to portray Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes of 221B Baker street, London. And 79 is not too many, because this premiere production of the late Greg Kramer’s play is stupendous.

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THEATRE

Sell Your Soul to See This Play

Faust, Directed by Alison Darcy, Scapegoat Carnivale, Segal Centre, to May 5th

by Anna Fuerstenberg
03.05.2013

Readers Theatre is common in the United States. It’s a style of theatre where the actors do not memorize their lines, but use various other forms of expression to convey the story. I once saw the best interpretation of The Ballad of a Sad Café in Colorado done in this style. Still, I was unprepared for the sheer delight of Scapegoat Carnivale’s production of Faust at the Segal Centre Studio.

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THEATRE

Reflecting on us While Thinking of YU

Thinking of Yu, Imago Theatre, Centaur, to May 5

by Byron Toben
30.04.2013

In 1921, Luigi Pirandello electrified the theatrical world with Six Characters in Search of an Author. In 1989, three real young Chinese protesters (two named Yu) were tortured and jailed for throwing red paint at an image of Mao in Tiananmen Square. In 2012, three fictional characters in Canada, reflecting on these events, found their author in Montreal playwright Carole Frechette.

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THEATRE

A Multimedia Gem

Gold Mountain, Théâtre aux Écuries, to April 27

by Byron Toben
23.04.2013

On the heels of Brian McKenna’s important documentary, The Secret World of Gold, about gold wheeling and dealing, comes this little gem, via Liverpool, wherein the mythical Gold Mountain has long been a dream for generations of poor Chinese labourers.

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THEATRE

À l’ombre du soleil

Le diable rouge, Théâtre Jean-Duceppe, jusqu’au 18 mai

by Mélanie Grondin
18.04.2013

Je crois pouvoir affirmer, sans trop me tromper, que presque tout le monde connaît le nom du cardinal de Richelieu, et ce, grâce au livre Les Trois Mousquetaires ou à l’une de ses nombreuses adaptations cinématographiques.

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THEATRE

Deux par deux rassemblés

Quartett, de Heiner Müller, Théâtre de La Chapelle, jusqu’au 13 avril

by Mélanie Grondin
04.04.2013

Hier, j’ai appris à quel point la mise en scène peut être importante dans la présentation d’une pièce. En effet, le texte peut être bien écrit, le jeu des acteurs peut être impressionnant et les décors peuvent être frappants, mais la pièce peut demeurer laborieuse si la mise en scène ne lui rend pas service. C’est le cas de la plus récente présentation de Quartett, de Heiner Müller, jouée au Théâtre de La Chapelle par Les songes turbulants et mise en scène par Florent Siaud.

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THEATRE

I’m Your Mannikin

Dance Me To The End On/Off Love, Granhøj Dans, Centaur Theatre, to April 14

by Jim Burke
26.03.2013

While theatre stages groan under the weight of juke-box musicals and tribute acts, Danish company Granhøj Dans offer a more challenging, and ultimately quite brilliant, take on the life and work of Montreal’s very own godfather of soulful introspection, Leonard Cohen.

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THEATRE

Brace Yourself for 13/14

Centaur and Segal unveil their coming seasons

by Marianne Ackerman
23.03.2013

Grants are frozen, fundraising hellishly competitive, and audiences fickle. Yet Montreal’s Anglo theatre has never been so alive and well. How’s that? Judging from the 2013-14 seasons announced this week and last by the city’s two subscription houses, I’d say the answer lies in critical mass – local talent in abundance, with indie companies making a serious contribution on mainstream stages.

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THEATRE

Devenir Femme

Jocaste reine, Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, au 30 mars

by Mélanie Grondin
19.03.2013

Les personnages secondaires ont aussi une histoire, et nombre d’entre nous aimeraient la connaître. C’est sans doute cet intérêt marqué envers un personnage bien aimé, mais sans doute négligé, qui a causé la « fan fiction » et ce que les Anglo-Saxons nomment « les romans parallèles ». Évidemment, ces personnages secondaires sont souvent des femmes qui sont normalement sans voix — il suffit de penser à Bertha dans Wide Sargasso Sea, de Jean Rhys, ou à Pénélope dans The Penelopiad, de Margaret Atwood — et Jocaste reine, qui raconte le « mythe d’Œdipe » du point de vue de Jocaste, n’y fait pas exception.

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THEATRE

Not Alive But Living Well in Montreal

Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, Mainline Theatre, to March 24

by Byron Toben
16.03.2013

Ah, Jacques Brel. He of the dangling cigarette à la Bogart and Gainsbourg. His story telling chanting, ascending Bolero-like from quiet whisperings to cascading torrents of jaded commentary on personal relations, crowds and society have charmed the world. Well not all the world. Extreme right wing groups hate this Belgian born Catholic boy for his identification with the masses.

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THEATRE

Mahalia Reincarnated

The Mahalia Jackson Musical, Segal Centre, to March 24

by Byron Toben
12.03.2013

In September, I channeled Damon Runyon to comment on my review of the Segal Centre’s dynamite revival of Guys and Dolls. For their current world premiere of The Mahalia Jackson Musical, popular vocalist Ranee Lee truly channels the legendary gospel singer in an incredible performance. Ms Lee, en route to displace Marlene Dietrich as the world’s most glamorous Grandmother, balances her singing with dancing moves, reminding us that she began her career as a dancer way back when in Brooklyn.

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THEATRE

À l’autel de Melpomène

Les muses orphelines, Théâtre Jean-Duceppe, jusqu’au 30 mars

by Mélanie Grondin
11.03.2013

Il y a des « classiques » qui obtiennent leur titre à la suite de masturbations intellectuelles que seulement une poignée de gens peut comprendre, ou alors feint de comprendre. Il y en a d’autres qui le deviennent instantanément après la première représentation. Ça se voit tout de suite, ça se sent au fur et à mesure que la pièce progresse, que les mots sont dits, que l’intrigue se dévoile. Les muses orphelines de Michel Marc Bouchard est l’une de ces pièces.

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THEATRE

The Mancurian Candidates

Cornered, written by Jim Burke, Infinitheatre, Bain St Michel, to March 17

by Byron Toben
08.03.2013

No, this headline is not missing an “H” as in the famous novel/film involving brain washing, The Manchurian Candidate. Mancurians are the residents of Manchester, UK. This prize winning play, by talented Jim Burke, an émigré from Manchester, has a local slang that presents a new challenge to those of us who, having finally mastered Irish and Scottish inflections, have to master these. The colourful expressions in the play are explained in the glossary on the back of the program.

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THEATRE

Like Father Like Son

Trad, written by Mark Doherty, Centaur Theatre, to March 24

by Linda Renaud
07.03.2013

How many ways can you say “Da,” as in father? In Trad, the word literally bounces off the walls. This animated farce features four cartoon-like characters, as well as a trembling tea-cup, an artificial limb, and red apples that boomerang. While I initially thought one would hit me (or someone else in the audience), I was thoroughly amused to see the apples bounce right back where they came from. Ah, the magic of the stage.

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