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When pride takes precedence over currency, when the quantity of a bank statement nulls over spending quality time with your family, or when swallowing your own emotions today to be in your loved one’s company tomorrow is what you have to be doing, at what cost does it take risk it all for the sake of happiness?

Written and directed by Marie Barlizo, STROKE invites us to sit down and witness an untold story of what many overseas Filipinos experienced for generations – leaving their home land working elsewhere to financially support their families and loved ones they have left behind.

But with success comes a nasty twist, as those who eye for the coveted prize of prosperity find themselves trapped in a vortex of unnecessary greed, establishing up irrational goals, pushing for bigger profit, and crawing towards a higher social status to top it all off. After all, happiness does come with a hefty price tag and a baggage that’s heavier than a 50-pound in-flight carry on.

The cast of characters represented by these actors are dedicated. They are enigmatic, full of life, and passionate in putting up with every line, right down to the very last millisecond: from the ever-so-humorous pudgy flamboyant middle-aged auntie, the aristocratic over-achiever surgeon and his Westmount-bound Anglophone secretary, and the hardworking twenty-something female doctor donned in Irish-green-hued scrubs, screaming and scrambling at her incompetent boss.

But that’s just scratching the surface. More cobwebs, dark secrets, revelations and surprises begin to unravel, altogether carrying a certain vibe that resembles a modern slice-of-life Filipino television drama (aka the teleserye) coming to life, while freshly seasoned with the most distinct Montrealais flavor that can only be savored here. Any more detail would be just spoiling it. Seriously.

Being the first production in a long time to be anchored by a Filipino playwright at the Montreal Fringe Festival, this play successfully showcases what goes beyond the smiles of the overseas Filipino. Each act orchestrated is done with finesse and elegance, and pounces on our deepest emotions. To put this on the record (and also an editorial disclaimer too), I am partly of Filipino heritage. Living in the Philippines overseas as a child for half of my life exposed me to learning the stories of how so many friends, colleagues, and family have been in similar situations as seen in this play.

Perhaps that is why this play got my attention, and in turn it resonated with me deeply in a way that seeing this collective narrative experience come to life at this festival means a lot to me. As a rookie storyteller, seeing this on stage really makes me proud.

Altogether, STROKE is a powerful story about how humans struggle to build a prosperous life out of very volatile circumstances, even if it risks giving up all of their own personal desires on the line. This play also leaves a powerful message – begging us to reflect how capitalism can sometimes divide human beings apart, and blur the lines between pride and humility.

I mean in the grand scheme of things, can money really buy us happiness?

STROKE continues to play at the Espace Freestanding Room, located at 4324 Saint-Laurent, Suite 300, at the following dates and times:

• June 18th (Thursday) at 8:00 pm
• June 19th (Friday) at 8:00 pm
• June 20th (Saturday) at 8:00 pm
• June 21st (Sunday) at 2:00 pm

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Saturn De Los Angeles is part of CJLO’s Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2015 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival. Saturn also hosts Shibuya Crossing every Wednesday afternoon from 2 – 4pm, and is a member of the CJLO News Team.

Follow Saturn on Twitter and Instagram @satyyy.

Do you find tentacles arousing? Does the thought of paper puppets doing the nasty excite you? If so, then Oni’s the show for you!

Oni is a wildly erotic Japanese shadow puppet show made by the Mochinosha Puppet Company. Daniel Wishes and Seri Yanai jointly transform Studio CirQus into the Japanese countryside by using only handmade puppets, colored paper and a projector! The pair work directly in front of the projector, allowing the audience to see them hard at work as they create an unforgettable experience.

This sexy shadow show is all about the tale of Issun-boshi, a three-centimeter-tall samurai whose greatest talent is his amazing storytelling ability. Seri narrates Issun-boshi’s adventures in Japanese, while Daniel provides his own sassy English translation of what’s happening.

Seri and Daniel have amazing on-stage chemistry and were very entertaining storytellers: the former seemed very innocent and coy during the performance, while the latter schmoozed the audience with awkward yet smooth compliments.

What I loved most about Oni was how much fun this dynamic duo were having during the performance. They worked together to tell a very funny, yet kinky story; and yet they were very self-aware throughout the show.

Watching them interact with each other was almost more entertaining than the story itself! Daniel would sometimes put himself in front of the projector and use different parts of his body to interact with the shadow puppets. At one point, Daniel placed his arm in front of the projector so that Seri could pretend it was a mountain for her puppet to climb.

As Seri’s paper figurine walked on top of Daniel, Seri gleefully exclaimed, “What a hairy mountain!”

This play is full of wonder and possibility. Seri’s paper puppets are very simple, but have small, carefully-added details that are very appealing to the eyes. Despite not having an elaborate set or huge budget, Seri and Daniel were able to create a deep and fully-fleshed out universe. Oni’s simplicity was elegant, and demonstrated that you don’t need to be over-the-top to achieve theatrical excellence. And of course, it was so much fun to watch!

So much love was put into Oni that it is almost impossible for me to criticize it.

This was just so enjoyable to watch. All of the characters were silly and whimsical and easy to like! Seri and Daniel never took themselves too seriously, and even though the show wasn’t profoundly cerebral, it was very clever and purely delightful. I especially enjoyed Seri’s hardcore recorder solo of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”.

Seri Yanai and Daniel Wishes will leave you gasping and begging for more post-Oni, and post-Fringe! They have a brand new show called Debris at the Ottawa Fringe Festival.

To keep up with the Mochinosha Puppet Company‘s latest projects, like them on Facebook.

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Patricia Petit Liang is part of CJLO’s Official Fringe Team covering the sights and sounds from the 2015 St-Ambroise Montreal Fringe Festival.

She also hosts Fatal Attraction every Sunday morning from 11am – 12pm, only on 1690AM in Montreal and online at CJLO.com. Follow her show Tumblr, at @fatalattraction1690am

CJLO, in collaboration with Evenko, wants to send you to Ile Soniq! Tune in to the following list of select shows this week for the chance to win a set of double passes! Ile Soniq is happening August 14 & 15th at Parc Jean Drapeau and features a killer line-up, including Azealia Banks, Earl Sweatshirt, Die Antwoord, Deadmau5, Flosstradamus, Black Tiger Sex Machine, Kiesza, Trippy Turtle, Will Sparks, & More! See full line-up here.

Text CJLO your name and "Ile Soniq" (514) 848 7471 between the following show block time slots for a chance to win a double weekend pass! Texts must be received during the show block and we will giveaway one pair of passes per block! Get on this- Ile Soniq will maximize your Summer 2015!

Giveaway 1: The Starting Rotation (Thurs June 18: 11am to 1pm)

Giveaway 2: Something For the Radio / Phantastiq Cypha / Autobeat (Thurs June 18: 3pm-4pm and 10pm-12am running into Fri June 19: 12am to 2am)

Giveaway 3: The Machine Stops (Fri June 19: 9am-10am)

Giveaway 4: Aloof Future / In The Club (Sunday June 21: 2pm-3pm & 3pm-4pm)

Giveaway 5: Waves of Honey / Mammoth Grooves (Sunday June 21: 10pm - 11pm & Monday June 22: 3pm - 4pm)

City councillors are pushing for a stronger stance on Quebec's proposed anti-tobacco legislation.

According to the Montreal Gazette, eight councillors, including NDG-Cote-des-Neiges' Marvin Rotrand and Lachine's Claude Dauphin, are asking not only to increase cigarette prices- but also to ban them in playgrounds, beaches, and athletic fields.

Quebec's proposed legislation would ban smoking and vaping in various places such as inside vehicles with minors under 16 years old, in between apartment buildings, and outside terraces of bars and restaurants.

Anti-smoking lobbyist Dr. Geneviève Bois says these new ideas can help eventually discourage Quebeckers from buying tobacco, while adding an extra stream of revenue to the provincial government with the increase.

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A new law has been proposed to increase the severity of the penalties for drunk drivers who take or injure lives on the roads.

According to the Toronto Sun, Justice Minister Peter Mackay presented the proposed bill, called the dangerous and impaired driving act, on Tuesday.

A mandatory minimum 6 year sentence has been proposed in the new bill for cases involving death, instead of the current 1 000 dollar fine, and the maximum penalties for driving while impaired will be doubled.

Impaired driving is reportedly the number one cause of criminal death in Canada.

The legalization procedures won't begin until the elections this fall.

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Republican businessman and television personality Donald Trump announced his candidacy for the American presidential election Tuesday morning.

According to the Washington Post, Trump made his declaration in a disorganized 1700 word speech which he delivered to a few hundred tourists who he had given free merchandise to.

Trump is in ninth place in the Washington Post’s polls, and it is becoming more and more likely that he will participate in the first presidential debate taking place in Cleveland August 6th.