Friday on My Mind is a highly subjective, curated rundown of five of the cooler things happening in Montreal during the weekend.
Montreal Clown Festival
All weekend at various venues
You may not have realized that Montreal has a clown festival, but I’m betting it doesn’t surprise you that we have one. Of course we do. It’s so Montreal — and I’m not referring to the clowns who “organize” the festival of orange cones and construction sites on the city’s streets.
I’m riffing on the idea that Montreal is arguably the biggest centre for circus culture in the world, with Cirque du Soleil of course but also plenty of smaller but equally happening outfits like Cirque Éloize and Les 7 Doigts. With circuses come clowns, though nowadays these clowns are usually not the classic old-school ones with garish makeup and brightly coloured suits. Today a clown can sport a wide variety of looks, as long as it’s not a straight banker’s suit.
Vanessa Rigaux, the artistic and general director of the Montreal Clown Festival, said Montreal is the perfect place for such a festival.
“It’s needed here because there are so many clowns that are actually living in this city,” said Rigaux. “You can’t name a clown necessarily when you see them on the street. You can name a circus artist who’s going by on a unicycle. There are so many (clown) workshops happening. I can’t believe it. It’s supply and demand. There’s that much demand for clown workshops.”
But why is there so much demand for clown workshops ici?
“I think Montreal is that kind of arts-magnet city. It’s one of those cool factors and arts factors that draws all kinds of artists to the city, and Montreal is that kind of city,” said Rigaux. “It’s hard to define, but it’s so special. It has those older French European traditions that we’ve held on to. We converge all these different languages and cultures, and I think the clown lives in that area and the city just speaks to that. And it’s not every city.”
Vanessa Rigaux (in purple), the artistic and general director of the Montreal Clown Festival, said this city is the perfect place for such an event. With her, from left: Jan Dutler, Coralie Lali Lala, Marie Corseri, Joe De Paul, Les Talons Fous (the two clowns in makeup), François Blouin, Youmna Moacdieh and Benjamin Tremblay Carpentier. Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette
The ninth edition of the Montreal Clown Festival — which kicks off Friday and runs until April 18 — features 50 performers from Montreal and elsewhere, and it offers contemporary clown performances, physical theatre and absurdist theatre. Venues include Casa del Popolo, Maison de la culture Claude-Léveillée and the Gesù; the latter is the site of the opening cabaret on Friday.
There is a Clownférence, with discussions and workshops, and there is a panel on contemporary Bouffons (I’ll let you make your own jokes here). Naturally there’s also a show called Le Grand Imbécile; “it’s totally ridiculous,” quips Rigaux.
Rigaux says you could describe most of those shows as Fringe Fest-style fare, noting that the festival started at the late, great MainLine Theatre on St-Laurent Blvd., the longtime epicentre of the Fringe Festival.
“It’s still a very underground festival,” said Rigaux. “I don’t want to be the next Cirque du Soleil.”
Tickets: mtlclownfest.com
“It’s still a very underground festival,” said Vanessa Rigaux (in purple), the artistic and general director of the Montreal Clown Festival. “I don’t want to be the next Cirque du Soleil.” Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette
Gala Dynastie
Saturday at Théâtre Maisonneuve of Place des Arts
Gala Dynastie, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, has switched formats this time around. Instead of a competition, it’ll strictly be focused on paying homage to personalities from the local Black community. Some of the people in the spotlight include hip-hop pioneer Jenny Salgado, longtime CBC Radio columnist Duke Eatmon, film producer and director Éric Idriss-Kanago, poet Rodney Saint-Éloi and seasoned TV executive André Béraud.
Tickets: galadynastie.com
Gerard Van Herk
Saturday at Foufounes Électriques
Gerard Van Herk, co-founder of the legendary Montreal ’80s indie band Deja Voodoo, plays one of his old haunts from back in the day, in a triple bill with headliners The Meteors and Bloodshot Bill. The Meteors are a psychobilly band from England that’s been playing this punk-inflected rockabilly since 1980. Montreal’s Bloodshot Bill has been perfecting what he calls “honky tonk punk” for over 25 years. Just because there aren’t enough nifty musical genres mentioned here, let me add that Deja Voodoo invented sludgeabilly and that Van Herk currently plays music that may well have some echoes of his old band. He’ll be on guitar and vocals with Bloodshot Bill on drums. Bloodshot Bill also will be delivering an opening set. Is this all clear? Let me put it more simply: This will be super cool, but be warned that there might be older people on stage and off.
Tickets: lepointdevente.com/billets/themeteors
Persuasion pays tribute to Santana as part of Festival de la Voix. Photo: Festival de la Voix
Festival de la Voix
All weekend at various venues
This eclectic fest features all kinds of different styles, mostly in venues in the West Island. Linda Morrison brings her bluesy, jazzy music to St. Columba-by-the-Lake Church in Pointe-Claire, Saturday at 2 p.m. Persuasion pays tribute to Santana at the Lakeshore Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Lachine, Saturday at 8 p.m. Soprano Myriam Leblanc is at St. Veronicas Parish in Dorval, Sunday at 4 p.m. The festival continues through April 28.
Tickets: festivaldelavoix.com
Raye
Sunday at Place Bell
British singer-songwriter Raye arrives in Laval hot on the heels of the release of her ultra-ambitious second album, This Music May Contain Hope, which features retro soul, spoken word, old-school jazz and even some house. Yes, fun, so this should be interesting.
Tickets: evenko.ca
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