From start to finish I don't think the smile left my face. It surprized me, because I had my doubts. Before the curtain was drawn on the Mid-Life Crisis of Dionysus I have to admit, a musical about the god of the debauched didn't inspire me., Although it sounded sexy... I just figured the evening would be lacking in substance and vigor. Well I couldn't have been more wrong. Everything from the music to the cast singing the songs inspired bachanalian pleasure. The production was heady as wine and as deliciously indulgent. The Mid-Life Crisis of Dionysus has legs (very beautiful legs) and real staying power.

Michael MacKenzie has created a thoughtful drama about a once-wealthy family that has fallen on hard times. Geometry in Venice , a 19th century period piece, is subtle and intelligent and begs reflection long after the curtain has been drawn. The play is rich with an innuendo that makes the audience's sap rise. The fantastic undoing of this English family living in Venice passes as a charade. Everyone is in such denial... even the tutor assigned to the development of the mind of the Moreen family prodigy, Morgan, continues to mentor his charge despite never being paid for his efforts. The only character not in denial is Henry James, the writer perched at a great height, who at first beguiles the Moreen family and then gently nudges them into their final undoing. A sophisticated and elegant drama from start to finish, the lighting was playful and the stage design managed to be both minimal and elegant simultaneously. The director, Chris Abraham, had his cast firing on all cylinders....

It's with a mixture of sadness and relief that we bid adieu to the 2009 edition of the Montreal Fringe Festival: sadness because many are (quite rightly) calling it the best Fringe ever in terms of the overall quality of the shows, and relief because I don't know if a lot of us could have done another day (and/or night... the last two 13th Hour shows and the Frankie Awards were pretty monumental in every sense). And if anyone sees my liver, tell it it's safe to come home: daddy promises not to beat it with a booze-hammer anymore. Anyway, congratulations to all the Fringe organizers and volunteers, and all the artists and musicians, who lent their energies to a pretty spectacular Fringe. And special thanks from me to all of Hour's writers/bloggers who were so generous with their time and talents in making this site a rousing success over the course of the Fringe - you're the best, thank you. Here's to hoping we see you all here again next year!

The following was issued by Fringe HQ, and contains the names of the - all very deserving we might add - winners at this year's Frankie Awards on Sunday, June 21. Congratulations one and all! 12th Frankie Award Winners Announced Montreal , PQ (June 21, 2009) - Winners for the 12th Frankie Awards were announced this evening at a gala hosted by the 13 th Hour crew and Mélodie Bellefeuille. MainLine Theatre’s Jeremy Hechtman and Roy Surette from Centaur Theatre were among the presenters for the evening’s festivities. Frankie Award winners for outstanding performances and achievements at the 2009 Montreal Fringe Festival are: Best English Production – by Centaur Theatre - Prize: entrance into the 2010 Wildside Festival Winner is: A Nutter Show for the show My Pregnant Brother Meilleure création francophone – by Cirque du Soleil – Prize : $1000 award Winner is : Le Laboratoire, théâtre de (ré)création contemporaine for the show Humanfleish Best English Comedy (best of Fringe and best of...

Local Montreal actress Johanna Nutter delivers the goods; her one-woman Fringe production, My Pregnant Brother is a touching and comic examination of a dysfunctional family brought to the edge of disintegration by the birth of an unexpected child. Nutter is a gifted and charismatic actress who had the packed house at the Geordie Space hanging off her every word. Her story about her transsexual sibling who embraces life as a man twists and turns between suspense and comedy. When at the apex of her sister/brother's gender identity-confusion, he/she accidentally becomes pregnant, the Nutter family dynamic undergoes a profound upheaval. Johanna's story-telling is as compelling as it is intelligent and as witty as it is dramatic. She had the audience eating out of her hand. Three cheers for My Pregnant Brother . Nutter you rock! (FFFF)

Some of the highlights from last night, including the Best of the Fest at 13th Hour, and a deadly set by Winter Gloves (following some very iffy performances - and one truly awful one - earlier) at the beer tent that drew 350-plus people. And don't forget the Frankies tonight!

Okay. I stole that from a Kills song . Okay. Anyway. It's the last day of Fringe. There's a changin' wind a-blowin', Montreal, and it's going to blow a lot of these weird and wonderful Fringe folk out of town starting tonight. The Ottawa Fringe has already started and Toronto's Fringe is licking its lips and, well, there are days for last hurrahs and this is exactly what we're facing. Today. So, are we going to go out with a bang or a whimper? Horizontal in my bed, the flaming sword of chest pains and/or reflux and/or whatever still dampening my spirit, and I'm voting for bang. Six bang-worthy Sunday shows: Awkward Centaur : 15:00 and 18:00 at Club Lambi . The Without Annette guys are funny. They've proved that for years. And, with two shows today, they offer more bang for your buck. (They actually don't, but don't actually think about that part...just think about going to celebrate some loveable local ne'er-do-wells.) Cocktails : 15:00 at...

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. These twelve performers in the Cabaret L'Amour Fou were hilarious and their spot on performances were truly entertaining. Combining dance, song and comedy this ensemble had the house roaring with laughter and wishing that the performance would never end. It was high seas adventure that set sail deep into the heart of love. The antics of cast were over the top and as joyous and maddening as love itself. A real stand-out at this year's Fringe, these Vancouver artists rocked the Cabaret Juste Pour Rire where audience members were served up a healthy dose of l surreal and sexy story-telling. If you missed the show... to bad... it was one of this year's Fringe Festival's best. A very sexy evening indeed! Bravo.

So, it seems that Fringe's second Saturday is upon us. But before I get to Saturday I have to go back to Friday, which saw me leave my self-styled bedroom infirmary to see the final performance of playwright Lindsay Wilson's Puck Bunny . Full disclosure: Puck Bunny 's director, Alexandra West, is one of my closest friends, and so I couldn't "officially" review the show. And I get that. Moreover, last night was their last show, so, even if I could, it wouldn't help them put butts in the seats. But for what it's worth, playwright Wilson, director West, and star Joanne Sarazen have created a compelling, thoughtful show that probably would have been the surprise hit of the Fringe were it not a) stuck in an off venue b) limited to 15 or 16 audience members per show (it was site-specific theatre that took place in a bathroom). Anyway. Puck Bunny is going to the Toronto Fringe and, as a lot of Fringe people in the city right now are also going to Toronto, maybe...

Yes, yes, it's a terrible pun but this is Saturday morning and I saw Chris Gibbs' Antoine Feval show last night (thank you, Dave Jaffer, for knowing what's funny and telling us about it) and my mind has been weakened by the power of Gibbs' brilliant comedy stylings. Pretty sure all that laughing shook a few cables loose. But what else is new. I'm sure coffee and the internet will repair all damage. Fact is, if comedy really were used as a temporarily-brain-weakening weapon, the world would be a better place. And I would be in love with its benevolent, all-powerful dictator. But fantasies aside, we're now faced with the all-too-real end-of-Fringe conundrum: What to see in these last two days of the festival?? Well, now that I just want to laugh and be astounded and maybe make out with a comedian or two, I'm looking at a few options. Among them: Today Is All Your Birthdays (today at 2 p.m.and tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. at Studio JFL), Dance Animal (tomorrow, 12:30 p...

One of the undeservedly unsung productions at this year's fest would have to be Grandpa Sol and Lily's Grandma Rosie, featuring the most awesomest super-creepy puppet I've ever seen in my life. (To get a sense of what I'm saying, click on the video link above to find their segment on the 13th Hour earlier in the week. WARNING: SHOT BY DRUNKEN SAILORS.) Originating in Melbourne, Australia, this puppet play was a Fringe Award winner at last year's Adelaide Fringe Fest - if they came this far to see you, maybe we should think about returning the favour... Grandpa Sol and Lily's Grandma Rosie have ONLY ONE MORE SHOW left, at Venue 8, Saturday, June 20, starting at 7 p.m.

Again, the following review was not written by O'Meara, but rather by Richard Burnett, who was too busy replacing the vacuum tubes in his TV and hand-cranking his telephone to figure out how to do it himself. That is all. ( Dance Animal: With Robin Henderson, Dan Jeanotte, Vanessa Kneale, Joseph Bembridge, Stephane Breton, Sarah Hansen, Stephanie Mckenna, Nico Racicot, marc Rowland and Andres Yates. Directed and choreographed by Robin Henderson ) I’ve thought long and hard about this and I think the real reason Ellen DeGeneres’ eponymous TV talk show is so popular is because that show’s first few minutes celebrates DeGeneres dancing with her studio audience. It’s joyful, it’s fun, it feels good. It makes you wanna get up and dance too. That’s exactly what audiences feel with the biggest hit of the 2009 Montreal Fringe Festival, Dance Animal . From the moment this troupe of brave actors and dancers hit the stage, it’s game on. Audiences are buzzing on the hilarious, mostly Hi-NRG vignettes...

If it took a little time to get these puppies up here, it's 'cause it took a little time to recover from this year's edition of the 13th Hour Sexy Show (on Wednesday, June 17). The following are just a random sampling of the sultry and sassy shenanigans. For the full effect, go to www.flickr.com/photos/hourmtl/ where all the photos from that night are up in all their, uh, glory.

The verdict is in: Burlesque Unzipped is hot AND educational! Tragically, the bar wasn't open for the 1:30 PM show today, which made the audience perhaps a bit less loose with the catcalling, hooting and hollering that a midnight show would have, but performer Prairie Fire (aka Sharon Nowlan) still managed to deliver the goods. Starting off the piece as a schlumpy overall-wearing janitor and booty-shaking her way to corset-laced sex bomb, Nowlan's narrative explains what burlesque is and isn't, and follows its origins in Shakespeare and early parodies through its Golden Age with Mae West and Gypsy Rose Lee right on up to the modern revivals of neo-burlesque. With humour and sex appeal, she keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, wondering what will happen next. Most importantly, the show isn't just a dry documentary on the history of burlesque, but demonstrates each incarnation with performance numbers, like her twosome with bad boy "Gerrard," illustrated...

Are these two ladies dancers or gymnasts? Wow! Although I wouldn't describe their dance routine as an example of precise technical genius, what they may lack in purity of form, they more than compensated for with a truck-load of fearless athleticism. Throughout the performance, audience members sitting around me gasped with pleasure as these two dancers performed gravity-defying leaps and contortions. My only complaint: that the performance didn't last longer. Although the 30 minute production seemed to finish in the blink of an eye, you can't fault these two performers for not leaving everything on the stage. The strength and power they demonstrated was awe-inspiring. I was exhausted just watching them... A+ for effort and sheer entertainment value. (FFFF)