Get stuffed!

>> It's time to pig out on theatre

by AMY BARRATT

After almost three years of writing about

theatre for this paper, I am still sometimes astonished by the sheer number of plays being presented any given week in this town. When you're deluged with media releases as I am, it's difficult to fathom that there are people who go their whole lives without ever darkening a theatre door; and others who never venture beyond the safety of the single hall where they've purchased season tickets.

This week, instead of filling this space blabbing about a single show, I shall tempt you with an all-you-can eat buffet of tasty options.

The November Company is an ambitious and talented group of recent Concordia Theatre grads. They are currently presenting their first show, written by one of their number, Jacob Richmond.

Included in the press package for Qualities of Zero is a tiny Ziploc bag containing two pills: one white, one green. That's because the play is about a neurochemist named Roland Welby who is doing research on a fictional drug called Zeropinealphrine which, it seems, could radically accelerate human evolution. Richmond, an actor who has previously written a Fringe play and some cabaret pieces, plays the lead. The cast also includes Catherine Tasse and Jonathan Rondeau. David Jordan directs. Qualities of Zero is at McGill Players Theatre April 13-15 and 20-22 at

8 p.m. Tickets are $12, $8 for students.

Meanwhile, Concordia's graduating theatre students are presenting Les Belles Soeurs by Michel Tremblay, until this Sunday. I've long maintained that Montreal English was a dialect unto itself and that we needed local translations of French Quebec plays. So I'm thrilled about this "uniquely English Montreal" version. It's based on the standard Bill Glassco-John Van Burek translation but with some little changes to make the characters sound more like nous autres. This is the piece that caused a ruckus when it was first produced in 1968 because the characters spoke joual. Go see the play that made Michel Tremblay's reputation. Elise Menard directs graduating students, many of whom will be making their mark on the professional scene in the next few years. Tickets are $10, $7 for seniors, $6 for Concordia alumni, and $5 for students and QDF members.

The Dummies are back and, as always, the price couldn't be more right! These wacky kids do theatre for free. Really! No strings attached, no service charges will be added. Their latest show, Dummies in the Mirror, is the last piece in a trilogy that featured Go Weast (1996), and Medea in the Media (1998). In keeping with the company's policy of reclaiming abandoned spaces as theatre venues, they will again be performing in the loft space at 3997 St-Laurent (just below Duluth, east side). Look for the actors themselves drumming up business on the sidewalk pre-show. Performances are at 8:45 p.m., April 14-16, 19-23, and 26-30.

Tickets are not cheap for The Great Houdini, the original musical being presented by the Yiddish Theatre at the Saidye, but if you're feeling flush ($35 adults, $22 students), it's well worth a look. With a book by Hollywood screenwriter Melville Shavelson, Elan Kunin (score) and Alexander Ary (lyrics) have put together an old-fashioned musical in the best sense. The tunes are evocative of vaudeville days; the lyrics are witty, and it's a rip-roaring good story. The Great Houdini is better than half a dozen home-grown musicals we've seen that were supposedly "Broadway bound." It closes this Sunday, the 16th.

Also, a new play by Montreal playwright Marianne Ackerman, Venus of Dublin, is playing at Centaur until May 14. :