Comic wits Bowser & Blue, Josh Freed and Terry Mosher aka Aislin assemble once more for their cathartic, topical new show, Four Anglos Surviving the Covid Apocalypse. They skewer politics, covid and so much more at Montreal's Centre St Jax Centre, 1439 Ste Catherine W). (Coincidentally, the venue is a church where Aislin was baptised!). Until Saturday.
Last chance to see two great plays: Mohsen El-Gharbi's the tragicomic tale of his family history Omi Mouna, a fantastical encounter with my great-grandmother. At Kin Experience (397A Ste Catherine W) until Sunday. And one-man show Every Brilliant Thing presents you with the Narrator as a child whose mother has been diagnosed with chronic depression. They are determined to make her realize how much life has to offer, so they begin to compile a list of Brilliant Things, like roller coasters and ice cream. Audience participation makes this a surprising and interactive experience. Until Sunday.
Let's get warmed up for the return of dancing and karaoke! Bar Le Ritz and Super Taste are bringing back Rock Night at Bar Le Ritz, with the best indie, new wave, post-punk and Britpop. Saturday, 9pm.
La Tohu has a spate of circus shows, including this weekend's Ghost Light: between Fall and Flight, Machine de cirque's stunning two-partner acrobatic show that plays with light and shadow. Until Saturday.
Dr Sketchy presents a live drawing session with Marie Doroftei putting on the character of the bloody Countess Elizabeth Bathory. Saturday, 2 to 5pm at MainLine Theatre.
Wheel Club hosts Bruce Springsteen tribute band The Last of the Duke Street Kings, Saturday at 8pm.
Posing the eternal question 'who am I?' choreographer Line Nault's Non de Nom sets up four dancers in a labyrinthine set of rooms, with one person operating a video monitor remotely. Audience members enter in 15-minute increments, and are invited to stay as long as they'd like over the course of four hours, being able to choose what they view and for how long. At Agora de la danse until Saturday.
Final weekend to take in an in-person tour from the Museum of Jewish Montreal. (Virtual tours will continue to be offered.)
Holiday shopping time! The City of Westmount has selected 30 creators for its Artisans Westmount show. Browse and select jewelry, ceramics, toys, accessories and more. At Victoria Hall, Saturday and Sunday, 10:30 to 5pm.
Vancouver-raised, now NYC-based comic Phil Hanley headlines The Comedy Nest, Friday and Saturday.
Ensemble Classico-Moderne and violinist Isabella d'Éloize Perron present Vivaldi's Four Seasons, followed by Piazzolla's tango-infused The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires. Saturday at 2 and 7:30pm at Maison symphonique.
French film fest Cinemania presents a wide range of feature and short films. Streaming options include Memory Box, a Lebanese-Canadian show about a single mother in Montreal whose past is unlocked by the arrival of a mysterious box. It screens at Cinéma du Musée and Cinéma Impérial. Ladies of the Wood (Au coeur du bois) is a documentary about sex workers who are based in Paris's bois de Boulogne. Cinemania-in-person continues until Sunday, with online screenings until November 21.
Gearing up to release a new album, Taylor Swift is musical guest on Saturday Night Live while relative newcomer actor Jonathan Majors (Lovecraft Country, Da 5 Bloods) hosts Saturday Night Live.
ONGOING
The McCord Museum is marking its 100th anniversary by launching free admission for 100 days, until January 19. Check out the tribute to cartoonist Serge Chapleau and the enlightening Indigenous Voices of Today.
Pointe-à-Callière has just launched a new show chronicling the history of circus, It's Circus Time! Over 350 objects will explore the 200-some year history of the art in Quebec, through costumes, props, training equipment and more.
The Montreal Science Centre has reopened! Learn more about our evolution in Human, the moon in Water in the Universe and the process of invention in Fabrik - Creativity Factory. The 3D IMAX theatre is also open, with Superpower Dogs 3D delving into the work of rescue canines.
The Biosphère on Ile Ste Helene has finally reopened, joining the Space of Life constellation that also includes the Biodome. With the recent "red alert" climate report from the UN, the Biosphère's mission is as urgent as ever: to educate Montrealers about the environment and how best to care for it.
It was a hot week! Cool off at Below the Ice with Mario Cyr, a new immersive walk-through exhibit by Cirque Éloize. You will journey north to follow Cyr, a documentary filmmaker, to nearly inaccessible spots in the Canadian Arctic. Marvel at the polar bears and narwhals and walruses, and learn more about what a precarious position their environment is in. At the Éloize Studios In Old Montreal, at 417 Berri.