New musical theatre group to present You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown

Adam’s Apple Productions, a new amateur youth musical theatre group, will present its inaugural production of You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown on Friday, August 12 (7 p.m.) and Saturday, August 13 (2:15 and 8 p.m.) at the Irving Adessky Community Centre (30 Lyncroft) in Hampstead.

Adam Daniel Koren (Age 16), the musical’s producer and director, will play the title role of Charlie Brown, with Anna Frances Meyer (17) as Lucy, Brandon Adam (16) as Linus and Alex Cohen (13) as Sally Brown (photographed here by Rachel Kirstein). Jesse Gordon (17) is undertaking the position of stage manager. You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown is based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz and the musical comedy of 1967, with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner.

As Koren explains, this musical has been a popular choice for amateur theatre productions because of its small cast and simple staging.

The ticket prices are only $5 for general admission and $3 for children 12 years and under. They can be purchased or reserved by emailing: adamsappleproductions@hotmail.com or by calling 514- 688-1751. Seats are not assigned and will be based on availability. The production is one act and runs approximately 45 minutes

Will we see another mega concert like U2?

Evenko and Live Nation Global Touring can now say “mission accomplished!” where the big U2 concerts are concerned. A grand total of 162,466 spectators, a record-setting attendance for a paid outdoor event in Montreal, gained some extraordinary memories thanks to the U2 360° Tour’s breathtaking concerts. No doubt, these two concerts will go down in history! Just look at this spectacular photo of the makeshift stadium!

But this is only the beginning of our musical summer. Evenko will present a series of must-see events this summer. Their two festivals, Heavy MTL (July 23rd & 24th) and Osheaga Music and Arts festival, now a three-day event (July 29th-31st), which take place at the magnificent Parc Jean-Drapeau have something in store for music fans of all genres. Not to be forgotten is the return of Paul McCartney to the Bell Centre stage on July 26th and 27th, Janet Jackson August 1st (her first visit to Montreal since 1998), Foo Fighters on August 10th, and Britney Spears August 11th. Also to be noted is The Lion King – the award-winning Broadway musical which runs from August 9th to September 4th at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Place-des-Arts.


But back to U2 and Blue Bonnets for a moment. It seems very unlikely the former Blue Bonnets Raceway site will be used again for such a spectacle. True, there were no acts of violence or vandalism and it really put Montreal on the map. This was simply a real high for all Montrealers. Even folks like myself, who did not attend, got into the spirit and listened to every tune that came out of Bono’s mouth from Marc Chagall Avenue across the CP Railway tracks. I am now being told that as many as 1,500 people gathered in Aaron Hart Park near Decarie Square.
Many businesses nearby never want to see such an event again. Parking was prohibited anywhere in the immediate vicinity. So for places like Union Lighting, Cellular Solution (Rogers), Le Chateau and others, business was horrible. Talk to the people at Dunn’s Famous and Orotoro restaurants and they could not have been happier.

Will someone build housing on this gigantic former horse racing track? If the land is worth some $100 million and it is owned by the Quebec government, what are they waiting for to put it on the market?

I sent a note to legendary concert promoter Donald Tarlton (Donald K. Donald) and suggested perhaps he bring the Rolling Stones back here for a two nighter at Blue Bonnets. I believe this could create the same type of atmosphere as U2. What about Celine Dion, Madonna or even Lady Gaga?

Jacques Aubé, the highly impressive head man at Evenko, doubts any type of concert will return to the site. He believes a housing development will go up there.

Personally, I would like to see part of the land reserved for an outdoor stadium with 5,000 seats so Montreal can finally get a minor league professional baseball team.

NBC's Kathie Lee delights all during Montreal visit

NBC’s Today Show set up shop in Montreal last week, broadcasting live from Old Montreal on Thursday and recording another segment which aired on Friday. Hosts Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb were absolutely charming. The shows were de facto infomercials for the local tourism industry.

On a quick tour of the city they stopped at the lookout on Mont Royal, the St. Viateur Bagel factory, the Canadiens Hall of Fame at the Bell Centre and the room where John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. In OId Montreal, there were mobs of fans on hand to cheer their every word. Kathie Lee, of course, was the draw. I loved the bit with local celebrity chef Chuck Hughes making poutine.

Dana Goldfarb (below with Kathie Lee), whose son Mike runs Fresh Entertainment, put a lot of energy into getting a photo with Kathie Lee. She succeeded, almost falling into Kathie Lee’s arms in the process. “She was so nice,” Dana told me.

If you missed the shows, you can catch the highlights here.

Remarkable violinist Joseph Greenstone "retires" to Toronto at 92

For many years superb violinist Joseph Greenstone (left) was a regular pen pal of mine. He’d send me handwritten notes to remind me that he would be leading the orchestra at the annual Austrian ball a nd I would make sure to mention this in my column. When I found out that he attended Bancroft Elementary School in the Plateau as a kid, I picked up the phone and asked him to make a return visit and perform for the kids.

It was a cold February morning more than a year ago and I offered to pick Joseph and his wife Sylvia up. This was an extraordinary occurrence of a man returning to his former elementary school for the first time in more than 80 years. I arranged for CTV News and local city councillor Alex Norris to join us. When Joseph walked into one of his old classrooms, he broke down in tears. It was a heartwarming moment. We did get to see the kids. He played the violin for them and they loved it.

Joseph and I kept in closer touch after this memorable experience. He just turned 92 and recently led the dinner and dance music for the 28th consecutive year at the prestigious Austrian Ball. Just a few months ago the German Ball came calling for his services. And Joseph and I now communicate by email. Yes, he decided to take a course and has become quite good on the computer.

Having lived here their entire lives, Joseph and Sylvia have made the difficult decision of moving to Toronto. They depart next Tuesday. We are moving to Toronto to be near our children, and what a major move that is at age 92,” Joseph confided in me. “ Sylvia is approaching 84. Basically, we have no close family members in Montreal, other than nieces and nephews. Our children convinced us that they want to be there for us, and to be able to spend time with us which is very logical. I suppose this spells the end of my career. But I guess that at my age I have to expect it, though it's a strange feeling. It has to happen to all of us eventually.”

Greenstone was a 10-year-old pupil at Bancroft when he spotted a notice on the bulletin board advertising music instruction. His parents’ positive response, his teacher’s support and his talent ultimately paved the way for his successful career as a professional violinist. The Greenstones were people of modest means and had five children to support. Nevertheless, they consented to the 50-cent fee and purchased a violin for $5 at a pawn shop on Craig Street (now St. Antoine). It didn’t take long for teacher Harry Norris, a former British opera conductor, to recognize Greenstone’s inherent talent. “The teacher informed my father, who also loved violin and always accompanied me to class, that he would give me private lessons at no extra cost,” Greenstone says, “but eventually we couldn’t afford to pay anything, so Mr. Norris taught me without pay.”

After returning from service in World War II, MGreenstone performed for a limited time in what he considers a precursor of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. “In those days, they didn’t pay musicians enough to make it a full-time job, so during the day I worked for my brother (William) in the textile business.”

Although the violin is his favourite instrument, Greenstone also enjoys playing the viola. As for relaxation, he adores listening to Mozart and Chopin on the piano. A versatile musician, Greenstone excels in every genre outside of the very latest hard rock, heavy metal and hip-hop. Moreover, he plays hundreds of classical, popular, operatic, ethnic, folk, show tunes and other pieces by heart. He has performed with the most renowned opera and ballet companies, symphonies, ice shows, stage productions, bands and accompanied world-famous stars at major events in posh hotels, dinner clubs, the United Nations, National Arts Centre, Museum of Fine Arts, celebrity weddings and city halls. During his career, Mr. Greenstone served as concertmaster for four Gilbert and Sullivan Operatic Societies and after 45 consecutive years, he was inaugurated as a life Member of the Montreal West Operatic Society.

I wish Joseph the best of luck!

Price or Wills for Habs play by play?

This is not a July in which TEAM 990 radio station general manager Wayne Bews will truly be able to relax. Upon receiving the exciting news two weeks ago that his station had wrested the radio broadcasting of Montreal Canadiens games from CJAD, with a seven year contract, it has been operation talent hunt.
Is morning show co-host Elliott Price (right) the odds on favorite to do play by play? Does he actually want the job. Price was outstanding fulfilling his lifelong dream of doing Expos play by play. He has done some Canadiens in the past with CJAD, a little Impact and Alouettes and of course junior hockey for the past three years.
Wills (picture below right) is the director of broadcasting and communications for the Hamilton Bulldogs and their play by play man on radio for the past 10 years. Hamilton is the Habs' top farm team. Wills has stated publicly that his goal is move to the NHL.
Bews plans to announce his team in August.

World Under 21 Snooker Championships headed to Montreal

St. Laurent resident Patrick Guigui (left) is on a mission to raise the profile of professional snooker in Canada. With this in mind he successfully pursued the opportunity to host the International Billiards & Snooker Federation Under 21 World Championships. They will take place July 12 to 23 at The Sheraton Montreal Airport Hotel in Dorval.

Players from over 40 different countries will be here, competing for the ultimate prize of getting a coveted spot on the professional snooker tour. On Monday the very careful process of setting up 10 snooker tables for competitive play began. It will last the rest of the week.

“The format begins with a round robin stage, and is followed by the nerve racking knock off stage until it eventually reaches the final two,” explains Guigui, noting that there is a nominal admission charge to watch the action and it will also be streamed live online at snookcanada.ca. “This promises to have a spectator base from all demographics to attend and enjoy watching the future generation of snooker.”

Former professional Kirk Stevens will be attending the opening ceremony of the event, which should prove to be a big treat for all the young international snooker players. Guigui has also communicated with boxing guru Russ Anber, himself a noted snooker player. Matthew Ross from THE TEAM 990 will emcee the opening ceremonies.

“I met the president of the International Federation about six months ago and asked about hosting the championships in Montreal.” Guigui said. “He is from France. So he came down to visit, I took him to the Habs game, showed him some of the potential venues and we had a deal. I am really hoping this event will jumpstart more youngsters taking up this game.”


For a look at past championships, click here .

Guigui notes that Montreal has a long history of snooker players and fans that date back over 50 years. “Mordecai Richler, an avid snooker fan, even wrote a book about it,” he said. “I am in talks with Richler's family right now about organizing a tournament with
his name attached to it.”

A new snooker academy has recently opened up here with the goal of teaching the younger generation new snooker skills.

According to wisegeek.com, Snooker is best described as a billiards game, or cue sport, that — like most forms of billiards — is of British origin. Snooker is a slightly more modern version of 16th century billiards and is played using 22 balls – one cue ball, 15 red balls, and six different coloured balls with different point valuations. A regulation snooker table measures 6 feet (1.86 meters) by 12 feet (3.66 meters) and has four corner and two side pockets. Points are scored by striking the cue ball with the result being a successful pocketing of the other balls into one of the six pockets according to game rules. The game is played in matches, which are comprised of a predetermined number of frames. The object is to score the most points per frame to win the majority of frames in the match.

Though snooker is played recreationally, it is also a professional sport with numerous tournaments held annually and the elite World Championship match held at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England. Professional snooker has a governing body that sets the rules and regulation for play. Following a brief hiatus in the popularity of the sport during the mid 1960s, The World Snooker Association was founded in 1968. Today, snooker is a popular and well-respected sport with professional standings kept and followed by many fans.

For a look at places to play snooker in Quebec click here.

Log on to www.snookercanada.ca for more details.

Four Quebecers make Dance Top 22

It was bad news for West Islander Jenny Dailey, who on her third try was unsuccessful in reaching CTV's So You Think You Can Dance Canada's (SYTYCDC) coveted top 20 finalists. But when the judges, including charismatic Montrealer Jean-Marc Genereaux, gave their final word there was actually a top 22 and four Quebecers among them.

After a cross-country audition tour which included a stop in Montreal last November, the judges selected 11 girls and 11 guys to perform for Canada’s votes and compete for the coveted title of Canada’s Favourite Dancer. Quebec is the home of SYTYCD Season 1 Winner, Nico Archambault, and this season Quebec is well-represented with competitors Christian Millette, 28 from Montreal; JP Dubé, 19, from Montreal; Denitsa Ikonomova, 24, of Laval, and Francois Pruneau, 26, from Trois-Rivières (pictured above). These competitors will take to the stage for the first time on Monday, July 11 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV, with voting beginning following the conclusion of the two-hour performance show. For full voting details, visit dance.CTV.ca.

Here is a look at the Quebec representatives:

• Millette, is a ballroom dancer. Growing up in a house of dancers, he was destined to become a performer. He has performed in countries such as England, France, Germany and Ukraine. When not on the dance floor, he also works as an ambulance dispatcher in Montreal.

• Ikonomova, also a ballroom dancer, grew up in Bulgaria watching her older brother dance on stage, and it was because of him she started dancing herself. Once she moved to Canada, she trained in Montreal, focusing on ballroom. Her dance skills have taken her to countries including England, Italy, France, Holland, Germany and Russia.

• Pruneau, yes another ballroom dancer, started doing so at the age of five. He also trained in Latin and standard dance and has participated in several competitions in Quebec and in cities around the world including New York City.

• Dubé , a hip-hop dance, has quickly become the heartthrob of he competition. He has trained at various studios in Montreal and is skilled in hip-hop, ballet and ballroom. JP has actually been dancing since he was 13, and as an aspiring hip-hop master, he’s looking forward to working with judge and choreographer Luther Brown. He told viewers that he is more than just "the little cute boy."

Canada’s newest dance hopefuls will pair into 11 couples and work with some of the world’s top choreographers, learning a new dance routine and style each week. Voting begins Monday, July 11, as viewer votes determine the bottom three couples, with the judges selecting who goes home. Once the show reaches the Top 10, viewer votes determine the fate of the finalists. Voting occurs following the conclusion of the performance shows, and is restricted to one, two-hour voting window in each region of broadcast. Voting can be cast for free via landline telephones. For full details about voting, visit dance.CTV.ca.

During the first live results show on Tuesday, July 12 at 8 p.m. ET, the three couples with the fewest number of votes are announced. Each dancer will then have one final chance to impress the judges and “dance for their life” with a solo routine of his or her choosing. After all six dancers have performed, the judges decide who continues their dream of becoming Canada’s Favourite Dancer, and who goes home.

An encore episide of the top 22 reveal airs on MuchMusic Friday, July 8 at 7 p.m. ET. Also catch weekly encores of the performance and results shows airing back-to-back Fridays at 7 p.m. ET beginning July 13 on MuchMusic (visit muchmusic.com to confirm local broadcast times).