Sunny skies and spring-like temperatures... oh, wait! Spring actually offically arrives Saturday - enjoy!
Take advantage of the weather and longer days this weekend by visiting Verdun's spring event Cabane Panache, returning for its '9.5 edition'. There is also a promenade along Wellington, featuring a photobooth, an enormous moose and photographs of the maple syrup industry. Order the gourmet Cabana Panache brunch for delivery this Friday or next (there is a regular and a vegetarian option); it's $99 for two but comes with a lot of food plucked from local restos, including lumberjack empanadas and pudding chomeur. There are individual cocktails for delivery by local bars. Until April 2.
Or, stay home and support a sugar shack and feast on maple treats by ordering through Ma Cabane à la maison, an initiative to support Quebec's sugar shacks.
Montréal en lumiere continues with virtual and in-person programming. Online, there are four web series to scarf down with a glass of wine in hand: conversations with artists like Martha Wainwright and Fouki, chefs trying out new kinds of cuisine and foodies like Dyan Solomon (Olive and Gourmando) developing new dishes. In person, check out five outdoor illuminated works at Place des festivals (see above!). There is also a Ferris wheel, and the ongoing Luminothérapie - Coeur Battant to dazzle your sense. Over 30 restaurants including Le Mousso, Foodlab, Signé Toqué and Manitoba have designed exclusive take-out menus. And for a little escape, check out the Quilt & Fine Cuisine deals: stays at fancy hotels paired with menus from local restos. Until March 28.
Jazz singer-songwriter Susie Arioli and her band play The Wheel Club, Friday at 8pm.
Playwright Darrah Teitel's heroine Mara is working hard to achieve her dream: making a difference while playing politics on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. But she comes up against real-world challenges of her own. Praised as a smart response to the #MeToo movement, Behaviour is getting a reading with a talented cast (including Amelia Sargisson in the lead as well as Dr Mitch's sister, Felicia Shulman) in this Playwrights Workshop Montreal production. Saturday, at 5 and 8pm and at 4pm on Sunday. Pay what you can.
The Segal also hosts bandleader Nick Burgess' Broadway Happy Hour, taking your favourite musical requests, from Cabaret to The Little Mermaid. Saturday at 5:30pm.
Geordie Theatre hosts a fundraiser trivia event, Saturday at 5-6:30pm. This is the second round, but anyone can participate! I had a blast playing in the first round.
Jewish food collective The Wandering Chew hosts a Passover workshop to teach "charoset truffles". You might recognize the sweet condiment from the Seder plate, but the ladies at the Chew are reinventing them with flavours from around the world. Sunday, 1pm.
The International Festival of Films on Art claims the title of first festival in the Americas to pivot online as the pandemic ramped up last year. FIFA's 39th edition is virtual, too, with 249 films from 41 countries available online. The opening film is Beijing Spring, which follows a crucial piece of history from the Tian'anmen Square protests. Visit a Finnish school that trains music conductors in Conductivity. For people in love with Paris: Sauver Notre-Dame documents the race to save the medieval cathedral from fire two years ago, and Le Louvre Déménage depicts a giant plan to move over 200,000 works of art to safety from floodwaters. Until March 28.
Comedian Ron James says there are two cures to the pandemic: vaccines and laughter. We spoke to Ron on the morning show shortly after he got his first dose.. so he will be in fine form for his live comedy show, Spring Loaded, on Sunday at 8pm.
Michelle Obama's series for families Waffles + Mochi stars two puppets who leave the Land of Frozen Food and take a journey learning about food around the world. Top chefs like Samin Nosrta and Michael Twitty teach them about a variety of different cuisines and flavours. On Netflix.
What is the Snyder Cut? Okay, buckle in: filmmaker Zach Snyder was working on the blockbuster Justice League, a mega superhero epic with Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash and Cyborg. But after a family tragedy, he stepped away from the production. The film went ahead without him, and was released in 2017, but it neither wowed critics nor made much money. Though Snyder himself has said his version 'has no business existing' - it is, after all, four hours and two minutes long - it's here, on Crave.
Oscars nominations came out Monday, and I feel like I have a lot of catching up to do before the ceremony airs April 25! The black-and-white Mank, about a Hollywood screenwriter, is on Netflix. The streaming service also has The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom. Judas and the Black Messiah is on demand and in theatres. One Night in Miami is on Amazon Prime. And I absolutely adored Autumn de Wilde's version of Emma, which racked up two nods; it's available on Crave.
Indie Montreal's virtual concert series Les Dimanche Couvre-Fun features a Quebec artist or group every Sunday evening. This weekend, check out Elephant Stone, a band that merges psychedelic rock with traditional Indian music live, Sunday at 8pm. (Every weekend until April 4.)
A quarter of a million Montrealers count themselves as having roots from Italy. Now, Pointe-a-Calliere Museum is profiling the community and how it has shaped the city in a new show called Italian Montréal. Drawing on loaned treasures from local families, the show touches on culinary traditions and how first-generation families fared after arriving in the city. And you can also check out Pointe-a-Calliere's train-themed show, A Railroad to Dreams.
Degrassi fans and the film community are mourning the loss of actor Jahmil French, who passed away at the age of just 28 this week. One of his roles was in the thriller Boost as A-Mac, a teenager who runs afoul of the mob with his best friend, Hakeem. The boys steal a car and recuperate a bundle of cash in the process. leading to a whole whack of trouble. French was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award and Quebec Cinema Award for his work. The team behind the 2017 Quebec film are sharing it for free in his honour. Don't miss this chance to catch an English feature film set in Montreal with a full ensemble black cast. Check it out here on YouTube until March 31.
Consider checking out a museum, now that they are open to the public: you pick your entry time in advance, so visits are socially distanced. Demand is high as well, so you will want to select your date in advance. Visit the McCord for the Dior haute couture show (today is the anniversary of the debut of the New Look!) or the MAC for Des horizons d'attente, its bundle of recently acquired works that address today's sense of malaise. The Museum of Fine Arts presents Riopelle: The Call of Northern Landscahpes and other shows.
And if you don't want to leave the house, several museums are still offering virtual shows... including the MAC, which has updated and expanded their sensational exhibit on Leonard Cohen, A Crack in Everything. Cohen gave his bliessing for the show, which features pieces inspired by his life and work, back in 2015, and it went on display around the time of passing in 2017. The show has been enriched for online viewing, available until February 2024.
The Observation Wheel in the Old Port has reopened, open daily 11am to 7pm. (Each carriage is cleaned after use.)
I wanted to mention a weird movie I randomly found on Prime last weekend: Earth Girls Are Easy stars Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey and Marlon Wayans as furry aliens who crash land in manicurist Geena David's pool. The aliens learn to speak from watching television, and it's a chance to see newbies Carrey and Wayans chew the scenery. There are musical numbers, exotic fish, a beach scene and a terrible fiancé. Yes, it's a sexist romcom, but since March is women's history month, I'll mention that Davis lent her name to an organization that researches female representation in media.