I’ll be joining Dan Laxer on The CJAD 800 Trivia Show. Join us on Sunday, 9am to noon!
The Go Bike Montréal Festival rolls into town, with a variety of activities to promote cycling in the city. The two main spokes are Friday night’s Tour la Nuit and Sunday’s Tour de l’Ile. Don your colourful and comfy bike gear for Tour la Nuit, kicking off between 8pm and 9pm at Maisonneuve Park; it traces a 24-kilometre route through seven boroughs before returning to the park. And you have two options on Sunday: a 47-kilometre route with start times between 9:15 and 10:15am, from Maisonneuve, or the “discovery course” which takes you northeast of the city, on a 50- or 100-kilometre journey. Registration is free for 12 and under, and everyone else needs to register and pay a fee. And of course, if you’re not participating but still have to go places - make sure to check for road closures before you leave.
The first First Friday of the season is here! The monthly food truck gathering at the Olympic Stadium has selected ‘Brazil’ as its opening theme. Take in a samba and capoeira demo while enjoying Brazilian flavours from Churras BBQ and Bibi Jus.cery. Some of the other food trucks on site include BleuHomard, Di Lallo Burger and Paella Marisol. Friday, 4-11pm. (Take note that with the Tour la Nuit nearby, there might be traffic restrictions and, well, a lot of people around the Big O!)
The 3-D art show Lasting Impressions returns for one final extension! The show wraps you up in various iconic scenes painted by the artists both in and adjacent to the Impressionist movement. Get cozy with Renoir’s luncheon guests and idle with Georges Seurat’s park-goers, while enveloped in a French soundtrack ranging from Debussy to Piaf to Aznavour. At Espace St-Denis until June 30. .
A centuries-old tale and beloved Prokofiev score get fresh, Montreal-made sets and costumes (94 of them!) in the Grands Ballets’ production of Cinderella. This is choreographer Jayne Smeulders’s first full-length ballet, created back in 2011 when she herself was a principal dancer for the West Australian Ballet. Friday, 8pm, Saturday at 2 and 8pm and Sunday, 2pm at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier. (The show returns for four dates in September.)
Friday music picks: Miami-based country group The Mavericks at the Corona, 8pm. Indie-folk singer-songwriter Noah Kahan plays a second consecutive show at MTelus. DJ Gryffin at New City Gas, 10pm.
Saturday music picks: Montreal alt-indie trio Group Project at Petit Campus, 9pm. Cali punk-rockers Thrice visit Corona Theatre, 8pm.
Sunday music picks: Hot off a sold-out show in Toronto, rising singer-songwriter Sarah Kinsley at Bar le Ritz PDB, 8pm. The Halluci Nation (formerly A Tribe Called Red) X F–ked Up bring their latest collab to Corona, 8pm.
Gustav Mahler’s Third Symphony will close out the Montreal Symphony Orchestra’s season. Rafael Payare directs the MSO and chorus, with mezzo-soprano Michelle DeYoung and children’s choir Les Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal. Maison symphonique, Friday, 7:30pm and Saturday, 2:30pm.
The Montreal Chamber Music Festival kicks off with Cello on fire! Eight cellists take to the stage to celebrate this member of the of the violin family, with a program that spans Bach, Denis Plante and Astor Piazzolla. Sunday, 3:30pm at Salle Bourgie. The festival runs until June 18.
A very high level of break dancing competition comes into town: Montreal is the only North American stop on the World Dance Sport Federation Breaking for Gold tour. Competitors can pick up points on their way to the Olympics! At Théâtre Maisonneuve, Saturday, 3pm and Sunday, 2pm
The 17th edition of the Festival transamériques brings together an eclectic mix of dance and theatre from here and around the world. Check out choreographer Crazy Smooth’s In My Body, which explores bodily wear and tear, and generational divides and influences. The Gatineau-based dancer has cast b-boys and b-girls ranging in the 20s to their 50s. At Monument National, Friday and Saturday, 7pm and through Sunday, 4pm. The FTA runs until June 8.
The Montreal Fringe Festival kicked off earlier this week! While most of the programming begins June 8, some off-venue productions are up and running this weekend, like the Afrofuturistic Guerrier and joyful solo show Everything is Super Wow. The festival’s side programming includes Friday night’s Summer Slowdance, 9pm at MainLine Theatre, and Cardboard Planets, a presentation of five new plays created and staged over the weekend, Sunday 8pm.
A lonely, rundown movie theatre is the setting for Annie Baker’s Pulitzer-winning The Flick. Three workers keep the place running, maintaining one of the only 35mm film projects left in the region. Persephone Productions, which gives emerging artists a chance to break into the business, puts on this tribute to authenticity and cinema (with an interesting twist on the staging) at the Centaur until June 11.
Entertainer, lover, mother, civil rights campaigner, celebrity, spy. Josephine Baker lived many lives in her 68 years, and Josephine: A Musical Cabaret is an award-winning bijou of a play that attempts to contain her multitudes! Co-creator and star Tymisha Harris has been touring the show since 2016, including a run off-Broadway, and an acclaimed appearance at the 2022 Fringe. Now, she presents a revamped edition, guided by noted director Sean Cheesman and music director and Montreal jazz scene fixture Taurey Butler. Until June 18.
The Segal also hosts the final Broadway Cafe of the season. You’re invited to pick a song that fits the theme, Curtain Call. Sign up in advance here. The MCs: rising young acting talent Jake Cohen and budding music director Eric Elliott Lee. Saturday ,8pm.
The 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.
Mike Rita (Roast Battles Canada) headlines at the Comedy Nest with support from Jackie Joy, Aseem Halbe, John Cotrocois 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 Indie Night, a collection of experimental performances. On the docket: Good Gravy, Lake Hands and Batteries Not Included. Sunday, 8pm.
Lighting designer Paul Chambers creates a fascinating experience with Phosphos. The installation invites you into a darkened room, with a long strip on the floor coated with specialized paint. You are invited to interact with the space: create a doodle with a laser pointer or leave an imprint with your body and hair. At the MAI Tuesday to Saturday, 12 to 6pm, until June 29
Opulence is the theme this weekend at The Wiggle Room. On the bill, Minx Arcana, Lady Josephine, Lily Monroe, Butterscotch Blondie and Black Mamba. Friday and Saturday at 9pm.