Montreal Fringe: Ethereal Tribal, Soir de première and Try A Variety Show

Ethereal Tribal

Ethereal Tribal is not just a typical Belly Dance show. Their performance is fused with multiple music and dance influences, all of which come together to create an exotic, entertaining, and fresh approach to the tradition. It begins with the dancers surrounding the audience, moving through the space with tambourines, candles, and flowing scarves setting the seductive, mischievous tone of the work. When they eventually make their way to the stage the audience is immediately reeled in by their seductive gaze, something that is consistently strong throughout the show.
The show transitions between group work, solos and duets that demonstrate unique talents and an impressive awareness of the female body. It was clear from the catcalls around me that the audience was enthralled by their performance. The dancers work well at supporting one another through their eye contact and obviously enjoy the experience of performing together. Aesthetically pleasing and expertly executed Ethereal Tribal is a sultry hour of entertainment.

Ethereal Tribal is being performed at Cabaret du Mile End and is $12 General Admission.

Soir de première

This cabaret style comedy show was a nice break for me as I’ve been seeing a lot dance over the last four days. Performed by Les 3 Garçons (who are each eccentric in their own way), Soir de première is genuinely funny and inventive. The premise of the show is based on their desire to be respected performers and opens with a parody on backstage pre-show jitters. As they fumble their way through the performance, Philippe Thibaudeau is constantly let down in the most hilarious ways by his two counterparts who fail to make it through any of the acts without finding some ridiculous way to spoil his vision.

These flamboyant, physical actors feed well off their audiences energy and have a great ability to respond quickly in original ways. Considering how much serious dance work I’ve seen at the Fringe Festival I especially enjoyed the way Les 3 Garçons poked fun at ballet and dance in general.

I laughed a lot and I’m sure you will too! Soir de première is playing at Cabaret du Mile End and is $12 General Admission

Try A Variety Show

Try a Variety Show is another comedy style cabaret that makes fun of the universal theatre experience. The show opens with a longwinded list of things the audience should expect to see throughout the performance that are so ludicrous it is obvious they won’t ever happen. I felt they were most successful in the act inspired by improv comedy, calling upon the audience for locations and professions and acting as though we were the weak link in their performance.

There are some witty lines and funny moments but for me the joke becomes a bit tiresome after the first few acts because it doesn’t progress. Towards the end I felt irritated by the way Dan and Chris would constantly set up an act that would never follow. They also stumble a little over their lines, and while they masked their mistakes as part of the performance, I couldn’t help but sense that they were perhaps unrehearsed or nervous. Overall, I didn’t find it exceptionally original but I did have a few good laughs over their take on the theater clichès.

Try a Variety Show is happening at Cabaret du Mile End and is $5 General Admission.

-Heather