Features

Australian comedy group and YouTube sensations Aunty Donna took Montreal by storm with their outstanding 3 man variety show at The Mainline Theatre. People from all across Canada came to Montreal to watch Mark Samual Bonanno, Broden Kelly and Zachary Ruane perform their incredible first show in the city. Aunty Donna’s super smooth moves captivated their audiences and it’s no surprise that they made the cover of this week’s Montreal Gazette!

Tranna Wintour and Thomas Leblanc take you on a musical nostalgia trip in Crazy Sexy 90s! Running from July 20th to July 22nd at The Wiggle Room, Crazy Sexy 90s is a queer celebration of the decade’s most beloved female pop stars! Montreal’s favorite 90s purists Wintour and Leblanc pay homage to Janet Jackson, Madonna, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Lil Kim, Gwen Stefani, The Spice Girls and everyone in between in this unforgettable evening.

Montreal’s Fringe Fest can be hectic at times; there’s always so much to see, and every year, I find myself saying things like “I wish I had enough time to see this,” or “I wish I had reserved tickets. I didn’t know it would sell out.” But this year, I tried to see as many shows as possible during the final week of the festival. On the recommendation of Artistic Director Amy Blackmore, I made it my goal to see at least three productions in one day. Of course, it’s hard to remember so many details when you’re running from show-to-show (and the beers at the Fringe Park probably don’t help), so here’s some short-but-sweet reviews of the shows I managed to squeeze into.

Berlin Waltz is a riveting dance across the city which faced so much controversy and hardship during the Cold War. It is a brilliant, fun story of Devon More’s bike ride along what used to be the Berlin Wall, as she discovered the history of why the wall was put up, what East and West Berlin were like for the 28 years that the city was divided, and why and how the wall fell. Her adventure came to life through her storytelling and her music in this captivating one-woman show.

Chinese Opera is an art form which I know very little about. However, like I always say about classical music, you don’t need to know a lot about something to appreciate and enjoy it. Trust me when I say that there is a lot to appreciate and enjoy about the fantastic, funny, incredibly impressive performance put on by Jing Ju Canada.

Lately, I’ve been waking up to feelings of helplessness and nihilism as my clock radio reminds me that I’m living in the age of Trump. I try to calm myself down by turning to the comedic monologues of late night talk shows, but the jokes have become repetitive. It makes me yearn for something with more substance, with more of a human touch. I need something that can stand the test of time, not just dabble in week-to-week politics.

What an experience.

I’ve been to many shows over the years, where walking into the performance space feels like you’re stepping into another world, but not like this. This was more of an experience than a piece of theatre.