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4 Girls 4 Ever
4 Girls 4 Ever, written by Ned Cox and Alexandria Haber, directed by Jen Quinn
If you've ever wondered what it would be like to see a mashup of The Breakfast Club and Mamma Mia! then you're in luck, 4 Girls 4 Ever is exactly just that. The show features four tipsy women: Claire Brière—the "basket case", Debbie Moffett—the intelligent one as well as the comedic relief, Iris "Irish" McMurphy—the one with the crass, tough exterior, and Missy Owens—the "Annie" type from Community. The four Breakfast Club-like characters accidentally lock themselves in a classroom, resulting in an inevitable heart-to-heart between the four after a series of failed break-outs. The women also happen to have a personal theme song/jingle that they sing to celebrate their friendship, as well as a comical personalized dance that goes with it (Mamma Mia! anyone?).
4 Girls 4 Ever has its relatable moments, with anecdotes that hit close to home for some. These familiar scenarios humanize the characters in a way that allows you to immerse yourself into the play and empathize with the different challenges they faced.
The show was also not performed on a stage; in fact, there was no stage to be seen in the venue! This black box theatre setting and the set design (or lack thereof) encouraged the audience to experience the play as it was being experienced by the characters (the show takes place in an old, empty classroom with barely any furniture and we were right there in that classroom, locked in there with them).
If you're into a more intimate setting, a barrel of laughs, and The Breakfast Club, be sure to check out 4 Girls 4 Ever! You better act fast though, as some shows have already sold out!
For more information, check out the Montreal Fringe Festival website and enjoy the show at Espace Freestanding Room (4324 Saint-Laurent, #300) until June 20th.
--Marina Nguyen hosts FunkShui every Sunday at 2 PM EST on CJLO.
The Quitter
The Quitter, written by Al Lafrance, directed by Sophie Croteau
In The Quitter, Al Lafrance, a local all-star Fringer and storyteller, invites you to learn a lesson about mini-golf, doughnuts, and quitting. If none of these things interest you, you're missing out.
Lafrance takes the audience through a perfectly paced, well written compact version of his life story. The fantastic lighting choices made by the shows director, Sophie Croteau, add an incredible amount of intimacy that meshes perfectly with Lafrance's compelling storytelling. Clearly Lafrance and Croteau spent a substantial amount of time rehearsing, and it totally pays off. We've all had to make the tough decision whether or not to quit on something or someone, and Lafrance makes a great case regarding how important saying "yes" to "no" can be.
After the show, he mentioned he will be touring with The Quitter across Canada to Fringe festivals as far as Vancouver, B.C. You can guarantee that by the end of his tour, he'll have a real masterpiece on his hands. I highly recommend you check this show out before the end of it's run here in Montreal.
The Quitter runs until Saturday, June 21 at Montreal Improv Theatre (3697 Saint-Laurent). Visit the Montreal Fringe Festival website for details and ticket info!
--Jacob Greco hosts Don't Mess This Up, Jacob every Thursday at 1:30-2:00PM on CJLO.
For the Love of Pie
For the Love of Pie, written and directed by Melissa Paulson
For the Love of Pie is a one-woman show written, directed, and performed by Melissa Paulson. It tells the story of Georgia Peach, the ambitious pie chef who hopes to increase her fame by impressing her new producers on the season finale of the LoveNetworkFoodShow. Georgia's biggest fan is her little son Sylvester, a darling character that reminds us all about the wonderful freedom and innocence that many children have in their manners.
Paulson's performance has immense energy, with crisp and clean transitions between the two characters. Georgia, especially, has an over-the-top enthusiasm and vulnerability that are equally endearing and hilarious. The story is charming and funny, with plenty of heart-warming moments. Stick around after the performance, if you're lucky you might even receive a slice of pie!
For the Love of Pie runs until June 22 at Espace 4001 (4001 Berri). Visit the Montreal Fringe Festival website for details and show times.
Last Metro: The Musical
Last Metro: The Musical, written by Kelly Walker, Holly Brace-Lavoie and Lori Walker; directed by Kelly Walker
I'm a nomad at heart. I confess that I live and breathe the fast-paced urban journey from suburb to city, from Point A to Point B, all on a daily basis. That's why it shouldn't be a surprise that Last Metro: The Musical stood out as one of my first picks to watch at this year's Fringe Fest.
It starts off at Lionel-Groulx Metro Station with a scene of people running around to line up and get to their respective trains. Accompanied by a live acoustic band playing in the background, the passengers become the focal point as you hear their voices and personal stories get told through song. After all this is a musical—a musical with tunes that are totally earworm-worthy.
The characters are quite reminiscent of people you see in your average commute, from the pair of twenty-something best friends chatting up a storm, to a pair of über-religious guys in need of recruiting new converts. There's the scary and stressed out office lady running late for a meeting outside her 9-to-5 job, a pair of high school misfits who seem to cause trouble, and there's the poor dude desperate to get home, watch TV and chill out with his cat.
Now with a dash of local flavour added to the mix, put these folks all together for an extensively long and abruptly delayed train ride on the Orange Line, and you're in for a comedic delight that does a great job poking fun at the little things we take for granted when we interact with strangers. Last Metro absolutely lived up to that premise, in a very humble, light-hearted and subtly melodic manner.
Sometimes forty-five minutes may seem to be a very long subway ride, but after you see this musical, you'll definitely want to stick around for more and maybe belt out a few songs for yourself.
Last Metro: The Musical is written by Kelly Walker, Holly Brace-Lavoie and Lori Walker; and directed by Kelly Walker; it was produced by Broken Banjo. You can catch it this week at Le Cabaret du Mile End at 5240 Avenue du Parc, a twenty minute bus ride on the 80 Bus from Place-des-Arts Metro Station. Shows on Tuesday June 17th at 9:30pm, Wednesday June 18th at 11:15pm, Saturday June 21st at 6:00pm, and Sunday June 22nd at 2:15pm.
--Saturn De Los Angeles hosts Shibuya Crossing every Wednesday at 1:00PM on CJLO.
Atmosphere - Southsiders
Atmosphere's new album is the aptly named Southsiders, due to the group's roots in the south side of Minneapolis. Vocalist Slug (Sean Daley) and producer/DJ Ant (Anthony Davis) gave us a taste of what was to come with their last release, The Family Sign (Rhymesayers Entertainment 2011), as it touched upon Slug's life as a family man and his trials and tribulations that came along with being a father. Prior to its release, many of Slug's lyrics included bits of humour, but The Family Sign started a trend toward a more morose tone that continues on Southsiders.
Southsiders is a bit over the edge, from dark to borderline depressing. It seems as though Slug is working through his own issues fighting the mundaneness of a nuclear family lifestyle. He seems caught in his disdain and directs this feeling to the general world, telling his audience that hope can be strived for through writing ones feelings onto paper. The more one listens to the album, it becomes increasingly clear that in retrospect, this attempt is futile, happiness is unattainable, and death is imminent. Slug uses a series of metaphors and similes in an attempt to be profound, but it ends up just being confusing. On the other hand, he can be overtly obvious in rhetoric, with such lines as "I love you like a brother, even though I'm not your brother". He's slightly repetitive in tone and word usage, repeating several words such as dreams, stars, devil, drinking and cigarettes. The overall theme seems to be the fear of death.
The beats are some of best out of any released Atmosphere album. Many of them have a melancholy and mysterious vibe, a deep unlit subway-cart style, implementing audio clips of midtown subway trains. However, not all of the beats are like this; they are compiled of many different styles, a grimy electro beat in "Star Shaped Heart", and that typical gospel Rhymesayers steez in "Fortunate". My favourite tracks (specifically because of the instrumentals) are "My Lady Got Two Men" because of its Hawaiian-meets-gospel influence, and "Mrs. Interpret", with its French classical twist. My least favourite is called "Kanye West". The chorus "Put your hands in the air like you really do care" mocks Kanye's new song with Dev, called "In The Dark", in which the lyrics include, "Put your hands in the sky right now, now, now, now, now. Unfortunately for the rest of y'all. I'm way better than the best of all." The song gives Kanye's ego more power by mentioning him in the first place, and I think the key is to ignore such artists completely and concentrate on the prosperity and message of one's own music.
Slug lost the goal of the album with his intertwined messages of hope versus fear, and his own negative view on life is clouding the intention of the album. The riddle-induced metaphors make it hard to grab onto a concept and take something out of it. Overall, the album is worth a listen due to Arts' production quality, but it is certainly not one of Atmosphere's best, lyrically speaking. Due to Atmosphere's successful musical history, perhaps the album's faults can be blamed on an attempt at concept change in the group, or maybe even rushing the release. Regardless, many clearly enjoyed the album (Southsiders made a solid debut at number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart, and topped the iTunes hip-hop chart), and it's good to know that Atmosphere has a strong following. Even in his "dark" times, his audience will be there to support him.
--DJ Misschief hosts Greedy Graffiti every Thursday at 2 PM EST on CJLO.
EMUNAH: Looking into what we feel and what we believe in
EMUNAH, written by Collective Creation, directed by Alyssa Harms-Wiebe, and produced by H-Dubbs Productions
EMUNAH is a 45-minute play that shows us what it means to be human, and how faith navigates us through that personal journey, in learning who we are and knowing what we want.
Because talking about life can always be a touchy topic.
The play immerses you into learning the personal stories and reflections of the characters you will encounter. You'll notice this immediately as they walk around back and forth thinking, preparing, at some point even panicking. Complement that with the soothing ambient music by the time you walk into the theatre and take your seat. A great way to help in set the tone of the show. Each character's daily life is presented vis-a-vis the inner spiritual struggles of each of the five characters' depicted scenes. They were that not only emotionally moving, but deeply personal. This play is captivating in its own right, and their individual monologues will tug your heartstrings by surprise.
EMUNAH tip-toes (literally, as it blends dance, song and dialogue) on a vast array of issues: from religion to coming out of the closet; from ethnicity to acceptance; from grieving over a loved one's death to the anxiety over death itself. The play touches on a lot of subjects we as individuals don't often talk about, and it encourages us to relate to how we feel about them.
For those of you who want to experience a show that's not in your typical theatrical format, and also offers something a bit deeper to ponder on, checking out EMUNAH is a highly recommended pick while the Montreal Fringe Festival is still around! You can catch it this week at the Studio Jean-Valcourt du Conservatoire (4750 Henri-Julien) until June 22. Visit the Montreal Fringe Festival website for ticket information and show times.
--Mel Palapuz hosts The Vibe Room every Tuesday at 11:00PM. Saturn De Los Angeles hosts Shibuya Crossing every Wednesday at 1:00PM, all on CJLO.
James Mullinger is Living The Dream
James Mullinger is Living The Dream, written by James Mullinger
According to James Mullinger, his one-man comedy show Living The Dream sold out every night during its tour in his home country of England last year (he currently resides in Saint John, New Brunswick). It's a complete shame that his first of six shows in the Mainline Theatre mainspace did not. However, this did not seem to phase him in the slightest. As an amateur stand-up comedian, I can only dream of being able to bring and maintain the amount of sincere, passionate, positive energy that Mullinger brought to his show on opening night.
In Living The Dream, Mullinger guides the audience through some of the best and most of the worst moments in his life to date, tying them into the theme of "living your dreams". Using embarrassing childhood photos, journal entries, and love notes, he reveals he wasn't always the charming, dapper, endearing man he is today. His honesty about himself and the foolishly hilarious things he did in his youth to get attention put the audience in a comfortable position to laugh hysterically at his well crafted self-deprecating material. The only bit I felt wasn't a big hit was his commentary on poorly written online reviews of Montreal's hot-spots for tourism; an attempt at playing to the locals that just didn't go over as well as his emotionally relatable anecdotes directly relating to the theme.
From start to finish, Mullinger's affable disposition kept the audience feeling safe and thoroughly entertained, even throughout the montage of penis drawings from his childhood. I had never before felt more welcome as an audience member at a comedy show. Seriously, if you're reading this and generally feel unwanted in your life, go see James Mullinger is Living The Dream and you'll feel like a bazillion bucks within the first 10 minutes. Bazillion isn't even a real word. That's how much I want you to support this performer.
James Mullinger is Living The Dream runs until Friday, June 20th at Mainline Theatre (3997 Saint-Laurent). Visit the Montreal Fringe Festival website for more info and grab tickets before it's too late.
--Jacob Greco hosts Don't Mess This Up, Jacob every Thursday at 1:30-2:00PM on CJLO.
Pouzza Fest 2014
--Photography by Robert Portnoff. Clifton Hanger hosts Brave New Jams, every Saturday 10-midnight on CJLO.
The fourth edition of the punk music extravaganza known as Pouzza Fest started on a soggy note, with the constant showers cancelling the free outdoor shows. All the rain, and the red light district mixing with the punk atmosphere reminded me of the line in Taxi Driver, "someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets."
Confined to Montreal's bastion of punk, Les Foufounes Électriques. That darn rain, nay torrential downpour, caused me to miss many great bands at Théâtre Sainte-Catherine, in particular SNFU's late night show at Katacombes, and gave me a cold.
The smoke machine was set to 11 adding to the party atmosphere at Foufounes when Two Cow Garage and the So So Glos hit the Sailor Jerry stage. The Front Bottoms (I wonder if they know the Fraggle Rock character Side Bottom) and The Hold Steady rocked the house on their way to closing out the first night of Pouzza Fest.
The rain cleared for the second night, and the festival's free-outdoor shows went ahead as scheduled, with Xavier Caféïne headlining a stellar line up. The rest of the evening was spent over at Club Soda. Returning from Pouzza fests of the past were The Flatliners back on the lineup. Morgan, The Real Deal, Morning Glory, and Mad Caddies also thrilled the packed venue.
The third and last day of Pouzza Fest I was back at Foufounes for the highly-anticipating return of another favourite from Pouzza's past, The Menzingers. Also on that evening were The Holy Mess, Drag the River, and Dillenger Four closing out the night. The festival did not end there, the Broadcats and The Lillingtons were playing well into the morning at Le Saint-Ciboire and Katacombes.
When the dust had settled and another Pouzza Fest reached its conclusion, there was nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile and save up for the fifth round in 2015.
A fan rooting for guitarist Micah Schnabel of Two Cow Garage
Rockin' the mohawk during the So So Glos set at Les Foufounes Électriques
The Front Bottoms wowed the crowd with their blow-up creatures
Guitar player for the Front Bottoms, Brian Sella
The So So Glos and some cool colours
Even Batman took some time off from fighting crime to join Montreal's own The Real Deal at Pouzza Fest (don't tell anyone but Batman's real identity is not Bruce Wayne, it's Powder Ryan Stick)
Getting some height guitar player (Ant or Davy) for the The Real Deal
Ezra Kire gets up close and personal during the Morning Glory show at Club Soda
Ezra Kire belting and representing New York City
Chris Cresswell, lead singer for the The Flatlines, made his triumphant return to Pouzza Fest
A fan gets a helping hand from Craig Finn of Hold Steady
Sascha Lazor of the Mad Caddies, who I assume is always having to carry the clubs
Abstract of Tom May, guitar player for The Menzingers
A fan gets jiggy with The Dillinger Four
I've never seen a hair bandanna before, courtesy of Keith Yosco from The Holy Mess
What's up with all the hippies at Pouzza Fest? Chad Price of Drag The River
The show is over
The Midnight Living Room Lounge Show
The Midnight Living Room Lounge Show, written and directed by Daniel Carin & Chris Sandiford
The Midnight Living Room Lounge Show is a delightful trip into the swanky shared living space of two eccentric Las Vegas crooners.
Daniel Carin and Chris Sandiford portray incredibly silly lounge-singer versions of themselves, making broad references to performers like Frank Sinatra and periodically reminding the audience that they are in fact "old-timey crooners". The show kicks off with a musical number and plenty of touching of the audience. I got a big hug, one man got his head kissed, and a woman got a sip taken from her drink (that got a solid laugh out of me, not so much the person who paid for the drink). The remainder of the show consists mostly of the duo hilariously quipping back and forth about the stereotypical crooner lifestyle, as well as checking in with their pal Piano Joe on sound and lights.
The chemistry between these two is out the wazoo, a skill I've had the great pleasure of watching them develop on a weekly basis at Café Shaika's Tuesday open mic night. If you're a fan of the swing-era, quirky conversation, and pasta, give this show a go!
The Midnight Living Room Lounge Show runs until Saturday, June 21st at Cabaret du Mile End (5240 du Parc). Visit the Montreal Fringe Festival website for details and ticket info!
--Jacob Greco hosts Don't Mess This Up, Jacob every Thursday at 1:30-2:00PM on CJLO.
Monday, June 15, 2014
Hosted by Danny Aubry
Stories by Marilla Steuter-Martin
Produced by Marilla Steuter-Martin
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