Theatre, Comedy and Food in the spotlight this week in Montreal

Thanksgiving weekend gave all of us a wonderful opportunity for reflection on the current state of our lives.

This week in Montreal there is an interesting line-up of activities that showcase some of the pleasure we get out of daily existence : whether it’s laughing, eating , spending time with family and friends or simply just knowing who we are , these activities will make you reflect upon the little things that make us happy.


Who here loves oysters?  The briny liquor…the raspberry mignonette?

This Thursday the official launch party of #Oystermania hosted by #restomania will take place at l’Auberge Saint-Gabriel where guests will get to sip a glass of bubbly while enjoying a dozen freshly shucked oysters.

From the 17th to the 27th of October 2019, for only 10$ you can get to enjoy a dozen oysters with a house wine, beer or alcoholic beverage at fourteen establishments across the city including Blumenthal, Maison St Paul and L’Assommoir among others.

Those interested will need to purchase an advance ticket on restomania.ca . Overall, I find it to be a very good deal for those who wish to enjoy a pleasant 5 to 7 aperitif with friends or colleagues.

For this edition, Odessa Poissonnier is participating in this epic festival for the first time by offering 2 exceptional deals available at all their fish markets. You will have the opportunity to choose between a dozen oysters at $10 or a box of 100 oysters at $80.

Date: Thursday, October 17 — Sunday, October 27 2019

For a complete listing of restaurants,  to purchase coupons and learn more about Restomania, please visit: www.restomania.ca

Participants are invited to share their experiences on Instagram throughout the event with the tag #oystermania.


PYROMAN – Comedy show by French humorist Martin Petit

Need a good laugh ? Come on down to the Olympia theatre this week to experience the premiere of the latest show by French humorist Martin Petit that hails from Laval in Québec. He is a former member of the humoristic group Les Bizarroïdes.

Standing over six feet tall, this local French legend started his humoristic career in 1991 by winning the Just For Laughs national auditions. He subsequently became an animator, at Energie 94,3 radio of Montreal, of Le Monde est Petit.

This artist is recognized for his appearances in movies like Les BOYS or with his one Man show rewarded at the Gala des Olivier. 

Petit’s latest show PYROMAN will run for three nights in Montreal at the Theatre Olympia – Tuesday October 15th to the 19th

For tickets please press HERE

Olympia de Montréal 1004 Ste-Catherine Est., Montreal, Quebec

Tangente presents : PREMIÈRE| ELAD SCHECHTER

Learning about Identity – As part as their 3rd Biennale Altérité Festival , pas à pas!, Tangente once more joins forces with North South Arts et Cultures to promote encounters and togetherness between different cultures.

Winner of the silver medal at the Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition in 2011, Elad Schechter will present Premiere, a rare collaboration between a Muslim artist and a Jewish choreographer.

The performance will be in part a sort of protest, a performance originally staged in Jerusalem: the Western part of the city where they were both born and raised.

Elad and performer Rand Ziad Taha will seek to reveal various aspects of Arab culture by the use of several props such as a strategically placed Walkman, Polaroid camera and mobile phone onstage.

Rand will converse live with her mother, listen to an Algerian love song and wear a layered costume revealing the colors of the Palestinian flag. Her masbacha (Arabic rosary) will inspire movements that push the limits of physicality…

This show was possible thanks to a partnership with the Consulate General of Israel in Montreal / Produced for the From Jaffa to Agripas festival 2018 

PREMIÈRE| ELAD SCHECHTER / Running October 17th to the 20th

For more information and tickets :

TANGENTE / 1435, RUE DE BLEURY / BOX OFFICE 514 525-1500 / tangentedanse.ca 


BESIDE – MARIE BÉLAND | Maribé- sors de ce corps + Montréal Danse

From October 15th to 18th, 2019 at 7 p.m. the show BESIDE – Maribé – sors de ce corps, in partnership with Montréal Danse, will be the subject of four performances at La Chapelle Scènes Contemporaines in Montréal.

Public talks will be held before the show, guided by Line Grenier and Hilary Bergen.

Part of a trilogy alongside BEHIND (2010) and BETWEEN (2015), BESIDE is a collaboration between companies maribé – sors de ce corps and Montréal Danse, and their respective Artistic Directors, Marie Béland, choreographer and Kathy Casey, dramaturge. 

The main theme explore in this piece is communication and the role that the human body plays : How does the body support speeches constructed today ? Live radio as a vocal score becomes here a pretext to question the role of the body in this both political and social act that is to communicate to the greatest number of opinions and information.

Does their overabundance prevent us from understanding each other ? 

In BESIDE, third opus of the B+B+B trilogy, Marie Béland is interested in the body communicating through the body of the Other. By borrowing the words and movements of the local media, the performers assume the identity of all those who speak in the public square and address our relationship to the construction of truth, fake news and the role the body can play in the credibility of what is said in the media. 

To Learn more about BESIDE and purchase tickets please visit :

https://lachapelle.org/en/schedule/beside  

October 15th to 18th, 2019 at 7 p.m


Valparaíso is at heart an epic genealogical tale that takes the audience on a journey though historical 19th century Chile and modern day Montreal .

A Singulier Pluriel Production and presented as part of the Festival Phénomena , the text was crafted by Dominick Parenteau-Lebeuf with Director Julie Vincent weaving this magical tale of Valentina, a young lithe Chilean woman plagued by a supernatural mental disorder, who arrives in Montreal with her mother Virginia, CEO of the Sorprendente company who wishes to present her “famous mayonnaise ” at a local food fair.

Ghosts of the past present themselves to Valentina as she gets “lost ” around the city – from real encounters to hallucinated ones, the fog on her ambiguous identity will rise.

The play’s actors travel across three centuries and perform various roles while interacting with grandiose props, screen projections and tapestries that were specially woven for the production. Finally, the musical composition of Michel Smith supports the entire poetic structure of the story.

In this back and forth trip between the 19th and 21st centuries, between Quebec and Chile, Valparaíso questions the construction of the self through exile, the mother tongue, poetry, eros, history, genetics and more than anything, the folds of memory.


Located in Montreal, the company Singulier Pluriel produces and collaborates with artists from Argentina, Brazil, Chile and from here. Valparaíso is their ninth production.

(Presented in French and Spanish, with surtitles)

Presented At the chapelle of Espace Fullum (1431 Fullum Street)

October 19th to the 23rd at 7:30 pm

Online Tickets (starting September 10th) at festivalphenomena.com

Tickets on sale on the spot one hour before showtime (cash and credit card only)

20$/25$