Chewdiasm
Rialto Theatre
Sunday May 5, 2019
I have been posting about this evening periodically all week, so if you missed it you only have yourself to blame. As anticipated it was a hilarious evening viewing the full length documentary that has already entertained audiences internationally and won awards in the process. Having been filmed in, as well as being about Montreal, it was long awaited and attended by a capacity crowd that filled not only the complete main floor but also the balcony of this iconic theatre.
YidLife Crisis won the 2017 IAWTV Award for Best Non-English Series and has been nominated for 4 Canadian Screen Awards.
Jamie Elman and Eli Batalion the creators of Yidlife Crisis are no “new kids on the block” they are seasoned entertainers who have been producing and starring in this Jewish web series since 2014.
Eli Batalion is a writer, producer, actor, and composer for film, tv, and stage. He holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts from Brown University, and an M.B.A. from Ecole Des Hautes Etudes Commerciales in Montreal, QC.
Jamie Elman, a native Montrealer, is a graduate of Mc Gill University and has appeared in many of television’s most acclaimed series, which includes one of my favourites, Curb Your Enthusiasm. He has also starred in a number of feature films since 2013 and done extensive voice work for video games and animated films including the blockbuster, Frozen. He is also an accomplished blues and jazz pianist and singer.
The duo is fun to watch because they come across as natural and unpretentious. Their comment, “We are probably related to most of the audience” is strangely possible. The team involved in the making of this film are to be congratulated.
Everything about this evening was done in style. The biggest problem I have experienced with events at the Rialto was where to park. The planners arranged to have a fleet of drivers for valet parking. The next biggest problem I had foreseen was that food was going to be served. I envisioned a buffet style meal and the need to get out of the way of the stampede to the buffet. The planners had prepared box lunches that we picked up on our way in. Each box contained a smoked meat sandwich, cole slaw, a karnatzel, and a potato knlsh. What about vegetarians? Different boxes with appropriate food.
The film was an interesting documentary on the history of Montreal, the landmarks, the restaurants, the changing demographics and the adjustment to life in the “new world” for immigrants arriving here at the turn of the century with no knowledge of either of the two spoken languages.
The show closed with the duo performing their own arrangement of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and the Beatles’ Hey Jude.
If you weren’t there have no fear. My blog will post all future dates for showings of Chewdiasm. For the best info on concerts, movies, or plays always look at www.lastcallwithsol.com
