Fringe is back, this year with over 100 shows and 800+ performances. The 36th edition of the Montreal Fringe Fest promises a lineup of unforgettable and endlessly entertaining shows, musical performances, drag races, kids’ programming, Fringe Park, and so much more—on from June 1 to 21.
Here are eight shows to get you started—and be sure to check out the full lineup to find your Fringe favourites.
A sentimental, sometimes sweary blend of neo cabaret and stand up, ONWARDS! is a one-man show to help us remember how to be human in an artificial world. Featuring storytelling, singing, guitar playing, existential tantrums, and a lot of laughs. The goal is to make audiences feel far more alive than when they walked in.
Playing: June 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 13, and 14 (various times).
Venue: White Wall Studio
Tickets: $15 – purchase here
a Tall Mark show: EAT IT ANYWAY
This five-instrument autobiographical romp will take audiences from a diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) to a 25,000 km tour across the Trans-Canada via healthcare hurdles, $100 hot dogs, humour, slick wit, a kick at Big Pharma, and navigating a body in decline. Tall Mark promises one swear word and absolutely no bananas.
Playing: June 11, 13, 16, 17, 19, 20 (various times)
Venue: Théâtre Sainte-Catherine
Tickets: $15 – purchase here
Montreal theatre collective Hive Theatre looks at how Zoroastrian monk Viraf—who descended to the underworld in search of wisdom—might be resurrected in today’s age of technology. Can this reimagining of an ancient literary practice help the performer reconnect with their cousin who was lost during the war?
Playing: June 14, 15, 17, 18, 20, and 21 (various times)
Venue: Mile End Improv / Theatre VME
Tickets: $13 – purchase here
Painting Moments: The Portrait of an Artist as a Young Gay Man
Adapted from Mary Melfi’s non-fiction book Painting Moments, this performance tells the true-life story of Montreal painter Nick Palazzo, who died before his 30th birthday. Based on journal entries and featuring hundreds of the artist’s works on screen, this is a moving look at one of Montreal’s lesser known but incredibly gifted painters.
Playing: June 12, 13, 15, 17, 19, and 20 (various times)
Venue: O Patro Vys
Tickets: $10 – purchase here
Swashbuckling takes the stage in this piece about brothers and sisters who are divided by past choices. Two leave and two remain, and all want to change their future for the better—but must first decide what they’re willing to risk to get what they want. Expertly stylized fight sequences guaranteed!
Playing: June 12, 14, 15, 19, 20, and 21(various times)
Venue: Studio Jean-Valcourt du Conservatoire
Tickets: $13 – purchase here
Iggy Beamish Destroys Traditional Marriage
Iggy Beamish makes his living officiating straight weddings—the perfect distraction from his impending gay divorce. Join performer Johnny Walker as he takes us on a wild ride from queer nightlife to the real-estate market, gay husbands, heteroflexible hookups, I Do, I Don’t Anymore, and a whole lot of other shenanigans in between.
Playing: June 13, 14, 15, 18, 19, and 20 (various times)
Venue: Petit Campus
Tickets: $15 – purchase here
King Ashurhaddon has a problem: He sees bad omens everywhere he looks. All the king’s astrologers, exorcists, and diviners try to manage the royal panic attacks against a backdrop of the ancient Assyrian empire, only to learn—hilariously—that anxiety makes for terrible empire building.
Playing: June 12, 14, 16, 17, 20, and 21 (various times)
Venue: Théâtre La Comédie de Montréal
Tickets: $15 – purchase here
We All Died at the Lesbian Bar
In a cozy gay bar, Simon runs into his ex, Charles, and the tense reunion soon morphs into a strange night riddled with doublespeak and shifting truths. As the audience turn into bar patrons and the room grows less stable by the minute, a building sense of desire and jealousy mixed with campy comedy make the place feel almost alive.
Playing: June 11, 14, 16, 17, 20, and 21 (various times)
Venue: Petit Campus
Tickets: $14 – purchase here
