Shows/Theater, Montreal

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I saw the Cirque du Soleil perform "Alegria" 10 years ago, before anyone had ever heard of it, or they were doing much performing outside of it's hometown in Montreal. I can tell you that as a performer myself, seeing the Cirque du Soleil changed my life and the way I view performance. It is an experience that is really hard to explain-- it transcends the boundries of language and culture and touches your soul. If you don't know what Cirque du Soleil is... literally it means circus of the sun. But trust me when I say it is not like any circus you've ever imagined. It is an artfully put together program that weaves together a story through music, costume, acrobatics, dance, humor and contortionism. There's no elephants or popcorn, it's just not that kind of circus. It's simply amazing.

I saw "Alegria" performed again in Philadelphia about 10 years after I had first seen it. It was just as fantastic as I remembered. The past few times I have seen Cirque, we splurged and bought Tapis Rouge (Red Carpet) tickets. They are quite expensive, but absolutely worth it. In addition to premium seating, parking, a free brochure, a CD, appetizers, dessert, wine, beer, champagne and access to the Tapis Rouge tent are all included. This makes for an excellent value when you factor in all you get.

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The Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun) is an interesting, exciting and fascinating show, based right here in Montreal, and is now shown all over the world!!! In Las Vegas alone, performances are shown to over 9,000 people per night!!! There's a reason so many people are interested in the Cirque du Soleil. It's fantastic!!!

There are many different shows and venues, so check their website for more details. When I saw the Cirque du Soleil, they performed their show "Quidam," at the Bell Centre. It was superbe! In the future, they have upcoming shows "Totem," and "Michael Jackson's Immortal" planned. If you're in town, and you have the chance, don't miss it!

The Montreal Jazz Festival is one of the biggest jazz festivals in the world, and usually happens during the first week of July. Jazz bands and musicians from all over the world play at the festival, and there is lots of variety. I only got to see opening night at Place Des Arts (I had to leave Montreal the next day) but I loved it. Carlinhos Brown performed on the big stage, and I also saw a lesser-known flamenco guitarist playing in a gazebo nearby. If you want to know who's playing, when and where, pick up a schedule book (yes, it's like a catalog - there are that many acts!).

Montreal is the home of the world famous circus group Cirque du Soleil. If you happen to be in town when they have a show (this year between 21st of April and 19th of June) I'm telling you it's worth it to pay for that super expensive ticket! I went to see the spectacle called Dralion and just couldn't believe the acrobatics they were doing! You can see they've really made an effort to make the show perfect with the costumes, the music and everything. This is real entertainment!

Located in the beautiful Old Stock Exchange building in Old Montreal, the Centaur Theatre is part of this city's cultural heritage. It's a great venue to catch some of the best new talent on the stage today.
The play I saw was called "The Paris of America" and took the audience for a trip back in time to the days of Expo '67. It was really a fitting play to see in Montreal and gave a great feel for life at that time.

Pepsi Forum Entertainment Centre is an entertainment complex well worth checking out! This Center includes a 22 giant-sized movie-plex cinemas, trendy fast food restaurants, a disco/dance club, live music, sports bar and a bowling alley, a rock climbing wall as well as a virtual arcade centre with games that rival the real thing!
We went there on a Friday night and had fun for hours! Although I'm a teenager, the majority of the other people there, especially in the bar/lounge area, were in their 20's and 30's. So it really is an entertainment complex for all ages!

The Spectrum is a very nice place to see a show. All places are good (when shows offer seats) and because of the proximity of the scene, it makes for great concert experiences. Locals such as Jean Leloup and Daniel Bélanger come here fairly often. I also saw Bela Fleck and a few others. This is my favorite concert venue. (Arrive early as the seats are not assigned, so people LITTERALY run into the place when doors open..they really look silly and there is a bit of pushing and shoving..but hey!
:)

This is one of Canadas MOST historical Buildings of all time. It is the site of the Old Forum. The home of the Montreal Canadians Ice Hockey team from 1924-1996.
It was turned into a 22-screen movie megaplex movie Complex, but the shrine still exists, with Center Ice set up inside, with some actual seats surrounding it. It is something to see! (Click on the Picture to See a Large Version)