Stuff to strut

>> Cabarets, plays and other holiday fare

by AMY BARRATT

The spirit of Carla Napier was present at the first ever Kiss My Cabaret on Dec. 1. The Montreal actress, who was headed for great things when her life tragically ended in 1987, would have turned 40 on that day.

Some of her closest friends, including Danette Mackay (host of the variety show) and Harry Standjofski, made sure that Carla was not forgotten. With the help of Laura Teasdale, Mackay resurrected a Jane Russell-Marilyn Monroe routine that she used to do with Napier. Actor-director-playwright Standjofski proved he's also a mean guitar player. He played a haunting improvisation on "Happy Birthday," then abruptly broke the spell by launching into "Stairway to Heaven." He was joined onstage by Marcel Genest singing the entire song in a very literal French translation: "... et elle achète un escalier au paradis." Stephen Lawson's drag number and Joe de Paul's clowning were also highlights.

The show was short on the promised burlesque element, but that may be remedied in future installments. It was a little slow getting started, but by the second act there was political satire and plain silliness aplenty. The next Kiss My Cabaret is scheduled for Feb. 2, 2002 at la Sala Rossa. So unwrap that new calendar and ink it in.

Also in the new year, This I Know, a critical favourite at the 2001 Fringe, and winner of the Best New Text MECCA, is coming back! The play that invites us all to a kind of Religious Fundamentalists Anonymous meeting will be remounted, with changes, at infinitheatre at the end of January.

In other news, Elysian River Theatre, the folks who bring us Shakespeare on the mountain, are offering a little Mark Twain take on Genesis this Saturday, Dec. 15, 2 p.m. The author's Diaries of Adam and Eve, adapted for the stage by David Birney, will be performed as a staged reading at the Atwater library. It's a fundraiser for upcoming projects including next summer's Richard III on Mount Royal. The piece is performed by Lowell Gasoi and Jessica Mackenzie. Suggested donation, $6.

If you plan to be in next year's Fringe, there's no time to waste. Applications for local as well as outside artists are now available. Both English- and French-language shows from Quebec will be drawn by lottery on Feb. 15. To receive an application in the mail (they will not e-mail it to you), send an e-mail request to fringe@montrealfringe.ca. Don't forget to include your full street address.

Children's theatre company Théatre de Quartier is presenting three shows at Théâtre D'Aujourd'hui over the holiday season. Les Papas is a tale of adventure and magic for kids seven and over (daytime performances, Dec. 15-20). The Governor General's Award-winning Les Petits Orteils is the story of Mathilde, who is awaiting with some trepidation the birth of her baby sister--whom she refers to as "Tiny Toes." That's recommended for ages four to eight, (Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m., Dec. 22-Jan. 6). Les 2 Soeurs picks up Mathilde's story some years later, when she is 12 and her baby sister eight. Both plays are by Louis Dominique Lavigne. Les 2 Soeurs is for ages six and up (Dec. 22-30, 3 p.m., except Dec. 24-25). Tickets and info: 282-3900.