On Stage: the week in stage and dance

Ignorance: The Evolution of Happiness

There’s a lot of dance going on this weekend. First up, dancer-choreographer Myriam Allard teams up with director-singer Hedi Graja to create their special blend of flamenco and contemporary dance through their company la Otra Orilla (the other shore), presented by Danse Danse. Their new emotional work, HomoBLABLAtus opens this week and spotlights dancers, on-stage musicians and a virtual duet. There’s a talk with the artists at 5:30 p.m. at the ARTVstudio Jan 24. To Jan 24, Cinquième Salle (Place-des-Arts, 175 Ste-Catherine E.), 8 p.m., $36.35

It’s also the last weekend of the Bouge d’Ici dance fest. If you haven’t checked it out yet, this Saturday, Jan. 19, is the last chance to catch Common Space-L’espace Commun, a showcase of works by emerging dancemakers at 4 p.m. A couple hours later, there’s the fest’s wind-up performance/party. The Bouge d’Ici Cabaret unites dancers and mentors to share their works in a festive setting. Stick around after the performance for a dance party free-for-all with contests and dance games with DJ Chris Godziuk providing the tunes. Jan. 19, Mainline Theatre (3997 St-Laurent), 8 p.m.

One of my favourite contemporary dance things from 2012 was the excellent, quirky duet Je suis un autre, by choreographer Catherine Gaudet. If you missed it, luckily for you the work returns to the Théâtre la Chapelle this weekend. Don’t miss it as it’s only on for another two nights. The carefully crafted, and humourous work features talented dancers Dany Desjardins and Caroline Gravel. To Jan. 18, Théâtre Lachapelle (3700 St-Dominique), 8 p.m., $25–$38 (MC)

A lot of the theatres are staying mum for this week, gearing up for the massive onslaught of opening nights that awaits us in the last week of January, when local anglo productions of Kafka’s The Ape (Infinithéâtre), Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians (Segal), Godspell (Centaur) and Innocence Lost: A Play About Steven Truscott (Centaur) all take the stage.

In the meantime, the McGill undergrad Players’ Theatre is mount a performance of The Glass Menagerie, directed by Rowan Spencer. Come out and booster student theatre as they perform Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece about missed love and disappointment, famous for its challenging roles. Jan. 23-26, 30-31 and Feb. 1- 2, Players’ Theatre (3480 McTavish), 8 p.m., $5–$8

This week offers Montrealers the chance to catch the touring production of Ignorance: The Evolution of Happiness, the latest musical marionette show from Alberta’s amazing Old Trout Puppet Workshop. It’s family-safe, but definitely intended for grown-ups; a dark, eerie piece about our dumbass troglodyte prehistoric ancestors featuring shaggy, creepy-cute puppets. To Jan. 19, Espace Libre (1945 Fullum), 8 p.m., $24–$34 (ER) ■

By Marites Carino and Emily Raine