As I took my seat among a sea of Doc Martens and flamboyantly vintage clothing, I began to feel underdressed for this performance where everything from the audience to the antique couch was stylish, carefully chosen, and, above all, queer. Tuesday Night Café (TNC) Theatre’s contemporary, lesbian rendition of Oscar[Read More…]
Theatre
“The Road to Hell” is paved with quirky duos
Before I saw “The Road to Hell,” nobody would tell me anything about it. The play is modern and relatively unknown, so a cursory Google Search reveals very little. I learned that it consists of two one-act plays, with two actors in each act. A new, mysterious play with a[Read More…]
‘English’ asks provocative questions about the meaning of language
“HELLO. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR?” The militant aggression of Elham’s (Ghazal Azarbad) tone sends laughter rippling through the audience. She wants to go to Australia for medical research with a renowned professor studying gastrointestinal diseases. She has a fantastic MCAT score. She wants to help people. She’s failed the[Read More…]
Lights, Camera, Fokus!
It was a 1920s-movie-premiere-meets-after-class-hangout. The vibe and fashion of the crowd at Cinema du Parc on March 23 seemed the perfect mix of what the night’s event represented: A showcase for some of Montreal’s up-and-coming film directors and a celebration of the friendships that made the films possible. Consisting of[Read More…]
TNC Theatre’s ‘The Suicide’ goes out with a bang
Content Warning: Depictions and mentions of suicide It’s 1928 in Soviet Russia. Semyon Semyonovitch Podsekalnikov is poor, unemployed, and about to commit suicide. As he puts the gun to his head, the audience erupts with laughter. Tuesday Night Café Theatre’s production of Nikolai Erdman’s Russian Farce: The Suicide, directed by[Read More…]
‘What Rough Beast’ explores the power and pitfalls of political discourse
Universities often reflect our broader society in terms of both shared values and differences, creating a privileged microcosm of the world. By setting her newest play, What Rough Beast, on a college campus, playwright Alice Abracen condenses complex political dynamics into a conversation between seven characters. Her script examines the[Read More…]
‘OPTIMISTA: Amour/Love’ shares the power of love through art
Love is in the air and on people’s minds throughout February, making it the perfect theme for the non-profit arts organization Yellow Pad Sessions’ (YPS) OPTIMISTA event on Feb. 11. OPTIMISTA: Amour/Love was the third iteration in a unique series of multimedia art events that feature keynote speakers, films, and[Read More…]
‘Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers, and Little Brothers’ powerfully tackles anti-Black racism
Content Warning: Discussion of anti-Black racism, police brutality, and murder While Our Fathers, Sons, Lovers and Little Brothers arrived in Montreal at the end of Black History Month, this solo theatrical work serves as a striking affirmation that Black lives matter year round. Created and performed by Makambe K. Simamba,[Read More…]
‘The Sorcerer’ bewitches audiences
Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera, The Sorcerer, debuted in 1877 with a bizarre cast of priests, lovers, and sorcerers. This Victorian-era opera about marriage and love potions was not exactly what one would expect from the occasionally club and drug-obsessed—dare I say depraved—city of Montreal. Suffice it to say, when[Read More…]
‘La Flambeau’: The torchbearer of Montréal’s Black art scene
Content Warning: Mentions of sexual assault Are you looking for a way to celebrate Black History Month? Do you enjoy opera? How about living something that feels like a fever dream? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, look no further than Montreal’s very own production of La[Read More…]
