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God is a Scottish Drag Queen II, written and directed by Mike Delamont

Not your typical theology

If there's anything theology majors will agree on during the course of their studies and lives, it's probably that God is in fact not a Scottish drag queen. As it turns out though, it would appear that they're quite wrong. God is a Scottish Drag Queen II by Mike Delamont puts that fact on the table, by having his amazing rendition of God come out on stage in full drag. Mind you (and he insists), it is incredibly manly to wear '80s floral pattern with shoulder pads. 

Part standup, part improv, and all laughter, Delamont puts on an hour of one of the most spectacular comedy dealing with topics likes Mormons, circumcision, scientology and Noah's Ark in angle you probably don't expect from the Lord himself. Delamont is aware of the audience, and this breaking of the fourth wall and into improv territory easily showcases just how funny he really is. Although the stage presentation is initially bare, the use of a projector, sound and music help create a show that's almost interactive, and accentuate the already-stellar level of comedy that Mike's show puts forth. His Scottish accent is the proverbial cherry on the sundae, making this one of the funniest acts available at Fringe Festival this year.

If there's one thing I've learned from God is a Scottish Drag Queen II, it's that God hates hipsters, and quite frankly, he has every right to.

You can catch Delamont's masterpiece at Le Cabaret du Mile End (5240 du Parc) this weekend, and by God you should. Check out all the information at the Montreal Fringe Festival website, and be sure to follow Mike on Twitter at @MikeDelamont!

--Jocelyn Beaudet hosts The Dead of Night the Loneliest Hours, Fridays at 11:59 PM on CJLO.

Housebum: A Superhero On Trial! written by Jean-François Michaud and François Morin, and directed by MaskVsTitle

If Superman once described the hero of a generation now-passed, then Housebum represents the superhero of the 21st century – sort of. Some would argue that he isn't really a superhero; harassing jaywalkers, and beating small-time villains over the head with a chair before rolling them onto a ditch isn't exactly the most super of deeds. But in a city practically run an evil corporation (by the name of Platypus Corp.) and their fetus-murdering cereal, this is exactly the kind of man that can make a difference – or at least before the sun sets, 'cause then it just gets plain dangerous. When the city's supervillains unite to sue our dumper-diving hero for damages caused by concussions, the story takes an interesting turn.

Housebum: A Superhero On Trial! is a charming play put together by Jean-François Michaud and François Morin, and while half of the cast speaks without an accent, you can feel the "Franglophone" coming out of each line of dialogue. This is a good thing, because Housebum has the charm of a B-Movie about superheroes. The props are entirely made out of cut out boxes, painted over by a black Sharpie, and put together with tape. The costumes are silly, the characters on stage are fun, and the presentation fluctuates between the center stage and a television to the right. For the most part, the play is funny throughout. Like a "good" B-Movie, it's chock-full of cheese, delivered with just the right contrast, making it go from a simply passable play to a fairly entertaining show. Although the page describes the show as going on for a full hour, the presentation time is roughly 45 minutes. The actors are on-point with their dialogue, and their interaction with pre-recorded footage played on the television is definitely on-key.

If anything, Housebum plays its cards right and presents us with a row of punchlines that will appeal to comic book geeks who have a love for a bit of cheese, with all the grace and tact of Montreal city with it.

You can check out the show this weekend at Montreal Improv Theatre (3697 Saint-Laurent). All the details are available at the Montreal Fringe Festival website, and you can check out what people are saying using #Housebum and following @MaskVsTitle on Twitter.

--Jocelyn Beaudet hosts The Dead of Night the Loneliest Hours, Fridays at 11:59 PM on CJLO.

High Tea, written by James Brown & Jamesy Evans, directed by David MacMurray Smith

James & Jamesy, the critically acclaimed comedy duo from England, have brought their show entitled High Tea to the Montreal Fringe Festival. They model themselves after Monty Python and Mr. Bean type characters, and incorporate a lot of physical humour and totally bizarre sketches that seem to be going nowhere, but end up turning into an epic journey. 

The premise is that James and Jamesy meet up once a week for a tea party. The show starts off with a strong dose of physical theatre where we see Jamesy moving about the stage with a teapot showing off his wonderfully bendy body. His friend James arrives, and we are treated to a (supposedly) comical situation full of miscommunication. There were some people laughing in the audience, but the show takes too much time to really get going.

Luckily High Tea redeems itself in the 35 minutes with a delightful breaking of the fourth wall when the audience actually becomes a part of the show. Everyone gets caught up in a magnificent adventure created by Jamesy's imagination. That being said, the quality of this show on any given night will be affected by the audience's willingness to play along. 

You can check out High Tea until Sunday, June 22 at Cabaret du Mile End (5240 du Parc). All the details are available at the Montreal Fringe Festival website.

The long list of nominees for the 2014 Polaris Music Prize was announced today in Calgary. The event was hosted by Polaris founder and executive director Steve Jordan, and included musical guest Basia Bulat, who performed songs from her nominated album, Tall Tall Shadow.

Check out the CJLO Top 100 to see where many of these albums hit our charts in 2013!

Without further ado... Here are the 40 long-list nominated albums, in alphabetical order by artist:

Arcade Fire – Reflektor
AroarA – In The Pines
Austra – Olympia
Philippe B – Ornithologie, la nuit
BADBADNOTGOOD – III
Basia Bulat – Tall Tall Shadow
Chromeo – White Women
Cousins – The Halls Of Wickwire
Cowboy Junkies  / Various Artists – The Kennedy Suite
The Darcys – Warring
Dead Obies – Montréal $ud
Mac DeMarco – Salad Days
DIANA – Perpetual Surrender
Drake – Nothing Was The Same
Freedom Writers – NOW
Fresh Snow – I
Frog Eyes – Carey's Cold Spring
Gorguts – Colored Sands
Tim Hecker – Virgins
Jimmy Hunt – Maladie d'amour
Jessy Lanza – Pull My Hair Back
Kalle Mattson – Someday, The Moon Will Be Gold
Moonface – Julia With Blue Jeans On
Mounties – Thrash Rock Legacy
Odonis Odonis – Hard Boiled Soft Boiled
Owen Pallett – In Conflict
Pink Mountaintops – Get Back
PUP – PUP
The Sadies – Internal Sounds
Shad – Flying Colours
Shooting Guns – Brotherhood Of The Ram
Solids – Blame Confusion
Rae Spoon – My Prairie Home
The Strumbellas – We Still Move On Dance Floors
Tanya Tagaq – Animism
Thus Owls – Turning Rocks
Timber Timbre – Hot Dreams
Chad VanGaalen – Shrink Dust
Bry Webb – Free Will
YAMANTAKA // SONIC TITAN – UZU