Centaur Theatre: Fifth Edition

Yvan Bienvenue Dept: Hence the creation of Contes urbains at La Licorne around 16 years ago, and the spinoff English version, Urban Tales, now in its fifth edition at Centaur Theatre, according to Montreal Gazette. The writing, however, is uneven. The extreme sensationalism of the genre, established by Contes urbains founder Yvan Bienvenue, encourages cheap tricks. And the stable of writers for the English version remains small. Works by Bienvenue, in translation, and by Harry Standjofski, founder of Urban Tales, are a given. That limits the number of slots available for others and too much Christmas cheer, alcoholic or otherwise, can drive a depressed person into an even deeper funk. The format, a series of edgy monologues, all set in Montreal during the holiday season, attracts good actors. Therefore, the quality of performance tends to be high. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.