Should daggers be allowed in the national assembly, Quebec’s legislative body? That’s the gross oversimplification that Quebec politicians are debating in the latest conflict between Quebec and religious minorities over the issue of religious accommodation. Earlier this week, four Sikhs carrying kirpans—small symbolic daggers carried by most Sikh men—were denied[Read More…]
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Rewriting the classics
Perhaps inspired by the trials of his conflicted protagonist, director Max Zidel ambitiously attacks Aeschylus’ three-part tragedy in The Oresteia Rewritten, now on at Players’ Theatre. The result of his efforts: a powerful and unexpectedly fast-paced reproduction full of sound and fury. From early on in the play it is[Read More…]
Before there were hipsters…
Holly Stewart Though it usually operates on a smaller scale, this week Opera McGill will debut a big-budget, big-cast version of what is arguably the world’s biggest-name opera: Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème. “It’s the world’s favourite opera, in some way,” says Patrick Hansen, the director of McGill’s Opera Studies program.[Read More…]
In Goethe-inspired opera, a fatal attraction
Opera of Montreal Shortly after the curtain rises on Opera of Montreal’s production of Werther, a young boy wheels a bicycle across the stage, laughing and carousing with his friends. The bicycle remains onstage through the first act, occasionally pedaled by the boy but mostly left in a corner, untouched[Read More…]
Sparkle and glitter for Diamond Rings
aux.tv This week, Toronto-based performer Diamond Rings will open for Scandinavian dance-pop giant Robyn as part of a multi-city North American tour that promises to be anything but boring. Diamond Rings, also known as John O’Regan, has become famous in recent months for his outlandish costumes, energetic performances, and infectious[Read More…]
The CBSC f#&s up
The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC)—a non-governmental organization committed to applying the standards of Canadian broadcasting to its members, made up of over 700 broadcasters—has recently ruled that the 1985 Dire Straits song “Money for Nothing” must be edited for radio play. The problem? The word “faggot,” which is used[Read More…]
Song and dance for the tortured soul
Alice Walker What do you do when you’re trapped in a Buenos Aires prison? You fantasize about movie stars, of course. That, at least, is how Molina—a gay window-dresser in prison for “corrupting a minor”—has gotten through his darkest hours. When Valentin, a hunky Marxist revolutionary accused of attempting to[Read More…]
Law School in Canada vs. USA
For students who have had their hearts set on going to law school since childhood, David Segal's recent New York Times article, "Is Law School a Losing Game?" offered a familiar but oft-ignored warning: Law school is difficult and expensive; proceed with caution. In his article, chronicling the overwhelming debt[Read More…]
Intel attempts to limit access to pirated flicks
It could soon become more difficult to watch the latest Hollywood flick on your personal computer using illegal technology. The war between media producers and Internet piraters has been waging for years, and is unlikely to end soon. However, recent developments in the hardware world have shown that Hollywood is[Read More…]
Staying warm when going to class
In order to stay warm in this city during the winter months, the first thing you need to do is realize you will never stay warm in Montreal. Accept that as a fact. Now let’s move on. Second, you need to ask yourself whether you want need to stay warm.[Read More…]