Sarah Deshaies produces the Andrew Carter Morning Show. Every Friday at 8:20am, she tells you about the big, quirky and off-the-beaten-path events happening in Montreal. Here is this week’s list, with links for more information so you can get out and enjoy the city! Submit your event to sarah.deshaies@bellmedia.ca.
Montreal is the Drug is a massive rock show devoted to the city’s post-punk new wave scene in the ‘80s. Nearly 40 musicians, including The Sam Roberts Band, Shane Murphy, The Nils, TJ Lenty, and house band Paul Cargnello and The Truth will perform songs from The Smiths, New Order, Talking Heads, Blondie and more. Friday, 7:30pm at Corona Theatre.
Singer IZA performs her poetic tribute to “feminine expression” at Salle Claude-Léveillée, Friday at 8pm.
Ensemble Caprice and Ensemble ArtChoral Maison team up to present Bach’s magnificent baroque composition Mass in B minor. Maison symphonique on Friday, 7:30 pm.
The Orchestre symphonique de Laval closes out its season with Don Quixote and Saint-Saens’s momentous Third Symphony. Maison symphonique on Saturday, 7:30 pm.
The Montreal Symphony Orchestra is also banging on the Bach, in a program pairing the German composer with works by Philip Glass. Latvian organist Iveta Apkalna will perform on the Grand Orgue Pierre-Béique. Maison symphonique on Sunday, 2:30pm.
The Lakeshore Concert Band performs its annual gala concert. Invited music director Alain Caves will oversee a program that includes Holst, Reed and Vivaldi. The 45-member wind band will be joined by trumpet soloists Ricahrd Stoelzel and Stéphane Beaulac. Saturday, 7:30pm at the Saputo Auditorium at Lower Canada College’s Assaly Arts Centre in NDG.
NDG’s Anima Musica Choir marks its 50th anniversary with a performance of Odusseus, an original work inspired by Homer’s tale of an endless journey by sea. It was composed by Montrealer Sylvain Allard., and sea shanties and traditional musical instruments will bring the sound of the waves to you! Sunday, 2:30pm at Oscar Peterson Concert Hall in NDG.
Saturday music picks: Tamara Weber and Paul Cargnello duet at Salle Claude-Léveillée, 8pm. Projekt Revolution presents an homage to Linkin Park at Club Soda, 8pm.
Dance night Beam Me Up spins rare gems from funk, reggae, soul and beyond. Saturday, 11pm at Bar le Ritz PDB.
On Sunday, dream pop singer (and debut novelist!) Hayley Kiyoko is at the Corona Theatre, 7pm.
The 17th edition of the Festival transamériques brings together an eclectic mix of dance and theatre from here and around the world. Creation Destruction is a free outdoor dance show, choreographed by Dana Gingras. Her 11 dancers are complemented by members of Montreal band Godspeed You! Black Emperor, performing against a backdrop of ‘nebulas of light’. Friday and Saturday, 8:45pm at the Esplanade Tranquille. Aussie company Back to Back Theatre prioritizes neurodivergent performers; their ‘town hall meeting’ The Shadow Whose Prey the Hunter Becomes covers concerns over disability, artificial intelligence and human rights, at Théatre Prospero until Sunday. The FTA runs until June 8.
The Montreal Comic Arts Festival Peruse artists stalls while strolling down St Denis, between Gilford and Roy, which is closed to traffic for the fest. There are workshops for kids and adults alike, on skills like storyboarding and creating characters, join a panel discussion that includes the talented Walter Scott, get your books signed or join a sketching session.Until Sunday.
The Anarchist Bookfair Montreal welcomes anarchists and anyone curious about it to its annual gathering. Browse books and pamphlets or take in a workshop on writing, mutual aid or self-defense. Kids can join a Klezmer music, dance and puppet show. Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 5pm at the Georges-Vanier Cultural Centre in Little Burgundy. (Say hi to my pal John, who is with Briarpatch out of Saskatchewan!)
Josephine: A Musical Cabaret is an award-winning jewel of a show about the legendary Josephine Baker. Co-creator and star Tymisha Harris has been touring it since 2016, but will soon present a revamped edition at the Segal Centre. The first preview is Sunday, 1:30pm. Join myself, Tymisha and other members of the team for a pre-show discussion at 11am. Pick up complimentary coffee and rugelach and join the conversation!
Cote Saint-Luc Dramatic Society presents a Shakespearean satire. Something Rotten! The Musical follows Nick and Nigel Bottom, two struggling scribblers eager to emulate the Bard’s success – by turning to a ‘mysterious soothsayer’ to help them. Until June 11 at Wagar Auditorium in Cote Saint-Luc.
Spot Nick Reynoldson as he headlines at the Comedy Nest with support from Isabelle Gaumont, Thomas Calnan, Darren Henwood and more. Friday and Saturday, 8:30 and 10pm.
Get cozy at Hurley’s Bar on Crescent with The World’s Smallest Comedy Night. Friday, 8pm.
At Montreal Improv in St Henri, check out Gladiator Games as three teams undergo ‘grueling challenges’ in the ring, Friday 8:30pm.
It’s Varietease weekend at The Wiggle Room. On the bill, Audrey Ivory, Hercusleeze, Joy Rider and Honey Dynamite. Hosted by Wiggle owner, Frenchy Jones. Friday and Saturday at 9pm.
Periods can suck, and they’re even worse when you don’t have the products to handle them. Monthly Dignity is a charity that works to eliminate period poverty in Montreal. Their fundraiser gala Changer les règles will raise money to support the organization, along with performances, food and drinks on Friday, 8pm at the Notman House.
Cote des Neiges-NDG invites residents to pack a picnic for their big bike party. Fête du vélo will include repair workshops and ‘safety awareness activities’ Sunday, 12 to 4pm at Martin-Luther-King Park.
Westmount High School marks 150 years of public education with an anniversary gala, with music, food and lotsa nostalgia. Notable alumna and actors Jesse Camacho (Locke & Key) and Katy Breier (The Boys) emcee the show. The Purple and White Revue is Saturday, 5 to 10pm.
A flag football tournament in honour of a longtime volunteer coach returns for a second year. Bob Mironowicz spent nearly 50 years volunteering with Sun Youth, Football Quebec and other organizations. The tournament will include games for kids and raffles. Saturday, 9:30am to 5pm at Parc des Bénévoles in Kirkland.
ONGOING EVENTS
Over at the Botanical Gardens, the irises and peonies are beginning to bloom, while the tulips and irises are coming to a close. See which other flowers are in bloom this week.
SOS Vortex is the ‘little brother’ to the SOS Labyrinth in the Old Port. Enter the vibrant time vortex of a mad scientist while learning about ecology and climate change. The structure is made of recycled containers, with eye-catching colours and Pop Art esthetic. At the the CF Carrefour Laval parking lot (corner of Daniel-Johnon and Le Carrefour) until October 29.
The Infinite virtual reality experience returns to Montreal at a different location, with new, immersive footage shot from the International Space Station. Over the course of an hour, the exhibit puts you shoulder-to-shoulder with astronauts like David Saint-Jacques, taking you through their day orbiting the Earth. A jaw-dropping V-R treat! At 2 de la Commune Street West in the Old Port, until July 3.
Cirque du soleil has just launched their 20th “big top” show, Echo. Fifty-one artists bring this ode to nature and creativity to life, with thrilling acrobatic acts, controsion and animal-masked antics. Echo is a bit of an esthetic departure from the visual over-the-topness you might have come to expect from a Cirque production. Visually, the bowler hats and blue skies brought Belgian surrealist René Magritte to mind. The stage is dominated by a large, white cube that moves and interacts with performers – with a super-sized, unexpected transformation before intermission. I adored the banquine and human cradle acts with Color Paper People, and the soaring ‘fireflies’ – a duo that are lifted into the air by their hair. Until August 20 in the Old Port.
Pointe-à-Callière Museum in Old Montreal just launched Egypt: Three Millennia on the Nile. This exhibit traces life both ordinary and royal on the legendary river, dating from the start of human settlement to the Roman conquest. Some 320 items will be displayed in an exclusive agreement with the Museo Egizio in Turin, including jewelry, statues, tools, sarcophagi and more! Until October 15.
Get your hockey fix down at the Montreal Science Centre, where they have just launched Hockey: Faster Than Ever, an action-packed exploration of the science and culture, technology and triumph of the sport. Experience what it is like to be in an NHL locker room and the corridor that leads to the ice, test your slapshot and get acquainted with some of the legendary stars of the Canadiens franchise. Until September 10.
The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts hosts Parall(elles), a look at the influence of female designers from the mid-19th century to today.
Travis Burnett
A pioneer in the flag football community, Travis helped co-found the Flag Football World Championship Tour, FlagSpin and USA Flag. Featuring 15+ years of content creation for the sport of flag football, creating and managing the largest flag football tournaments on the planet, coaching experience at the youth and adult level as well as an active player with National and World Championship level experience.
