Montreal has been mourning and celebrating Leonard Cohen this week to mark the one-year anniversary of his passing. A Crack in Everything just opened this week at the Musée d'art contemporain. Forty artists from different disciplines were commissioned to create 20 works inspired by his legacy, writing and works. One of the installations is I Heard There Was a Secret Chord, 'a participatory humming experience' of his song Hallelujah, which you can check out either online or in one of the show's six galleries.
If you're at the Old Port, check out the Silos to see Cohen's words writ large. American artist Jenny Holzer is projecting his writing on the silos. For Leonard Cohen is on only tonight and Saturday, 6 to 11pm, at McGill and de la Commune.
As well, the Crescent Street mural in homage to Cohen was finished this week, and you can also take in the mural painted earlier this summer on St Laurent, blocks from his home.
Joshua Harmon's Bad Jews is an award-winning comedy about family, faith and fighting over inheritance. (This show was such a sold-out winner last season at the Segal Centre that they have remounted the show for the rest of November.) Original cast members Jamie Elman (of Student Bodies fame), Jake Goldsbie (of Degrassi High fame) and NDG's own Sarah Segal-Lazar return as a trio of cousins mourning the loss of their grandfather while squabbling over his legacy. Along for the ride is an unassuming, milquetoast 'shiksa' girlfriend, Melody, played this time around by the hilarious Ellen Denny. I caught the show finally, with my own cousin, on Thursday, and loved it... an uncomfortably hilarious portrayal of young Jewish people.
This Sunday, I'll be tackling some of the play's themes when I host a panel discussion. There will be coffee and tasty pastries - hope to see you there! The Sunday @ the Segal event starts at 11am.
Elsewhere in theatre: Hockey Sweater the Musical continues across the hall at the Segal. Late Company, a tale of bullying and homophobia by the talented Canadian playwright Jordan Tannahill, gets its Montreal premiere at MainLine Theatre. And it's the final weekend to see the Lakeshore Players Dorval put on Molière's Tartuffe.
Saturday is Remembrance Day, and the city's commemoration ceremony is at Place du Canada, 10:45-11:30am. If you can't be there, tune in to CJAD 800, where Andrew Carter will anchor live coverage.
Mprov is North America's only bilingual improv festival! The week-long show wraps up this weekend at Montreal Impro's two locations on St Laurent. On Friday, check out 'all-lady jam' at 9pm with troupes Blood & Thunder, Easy Action and The Kiki, with a bilingual jam at 11pm. On Saturday night, American duo Juliet & Juliet brings their Shakespeare-themed hilarity and Parisian troupe 13 à l'ouest closes the fest on Sunday.
Starting the holiday shopping season off right with the Artisans Westmount fair at Victoria Hall in Westmount on Saturday and Sunday, 10:30am-5pm. Ceramics, handmade dolls and trendy dog accessories are among the offerings. Admission is a toonie, or non-perishable food item for food baskets.
Choreographer Kaitlyn Ramsden's BALL$ is a dance show built around the idea of sports and competition. The teaser shows dancers clad in athletic gear, knee pads, sneakers and shorts while they stretch, play dodgeball and 'perform' sports. Kaitlyn's show will be performed Saturday night at the Variations Mile End Dance School as part of its 'Sous le sol' series of dance works in progress. Pay what you can, or $8.
BurlesGeek is a monthly show that brings together nudity and nerdy things, and this Sunday's theme is science fiction. Special guest Zilly Lilly joins Golden Thunderpants,Delorean Deluxxe and Sucre à la crème and others. Doors 7:30pm at la Sala Rossa.