Reopening of the Casino de Montréal's Cabaret - The multipurpose performance hall is ready for its reveal!

MONTRÉAL, Aug. 27, 2015 /CNW Telbec/ - The curtain is ready to rise on the stage of the Casino de Montréal's Cabaret at the performance hall's reopening next week. The features of the "new" Cabaret promise a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience. A special schedule has been planned for the opening weekend starting off with Tony Bennett on Thursday, September 3.

After being closed for the five years required to carry out major Casino renovations, the Cabaret now offers 616 spectator seats. Maintaining its original cachet, the hall can be configured in a variety of ways and scaled according to the needs of any type of event or production, including prestigious boxing bouts, WSOP-style poker tournaments as well as private corporate or charitable events and, of course, performance shows.

The state-of-the-art 3D psychoacoustic system promises optimum sound, regardless of where the listener is seated in the hall. In addition, more than forty suspended domes allow for multimedia projections to create an immersive ambiance. High-tech equipment facilitates TV recording and broadcast of performances.

One Casino, two show venues
Now, many forms of entertainment can be found at the Casino de Montréal. In addition to shows at the Cabaret, up to 800 persons can see performances at Gregory Charles's Le Qube, where the media premiere of Plamondon will be presented on September 2. "The Casino offers a varied and high-quality programming with artists from all different horizons, eager to give their best performances," said Kevin Taylor, General Manager of the Casino de Montréal and Chief Operating Officer of Québec's Casinos.

About the Casino de Montréal
Opened in 1993, the Casino de Montréal is a world-class gaming establishment and a masterpiece of Montréal architecture. The Casino's overall entertainment experience has been recently enhanced thanks to major renovations carried out from 2009 to 2013. Now one of the most modern in North America, the Casino provides visitors with a wide range of exciting entertainment options, including shows, restaurants, bars, lounge areas, even more games and, as always, exceptional customer service.

For the Cabaret's schedule: casinodemontreal.ca
For Le Qube's schedule: theatreleqube.com

Technical specifications of the Cabaret

• Capacity of 532 dinner-show seats + 84 theatre-style seats on the balcony level
• 3D psychoacoustic system
• 800,000 watt lighting system
• 98 robotic projectors
• 44 LED-lit domes installed on the ceiling to project videos or serve as independent lighting
• 2 video projectors

Appendix – historical facts

The Cabaret: A Montréal tradition!

It's no fluke that the regular schedule of the Casino de Montréal's Cabaret starts off with a tribute to burlesque, since a "cabaret" culture has marked the spirit of Montrealers for years.

In the 1920s, Montréal was the entertainment destination of choice in North America, particularly in the context of prohibition in the U.S., and many clubs opened their doors during that time. Evenings were hosted by emcees who introduced a wide variety of performances, including singers, magic acts, impersonators and acrobatics. Most of the shows were conducted in English to please the many Americans who flocked to the city.

Burlesque made its entrance shortly thereafter. Shows in French, inspired by American vaudeville, presented a series of comic or satirical skits, singers and chorus line dancers. Rose Ouellet, Olivier Guimond, Jean Grimaldi and Juliette and Arthur Pétrie were the headliners of the time. More and more venues open on the "Main" and Sainte-Catherine, offering their individual brand of entertainment, particularly Copacabana, Casa Loma, Faisan doré, Folies Bergères and Gayety Theatre.

Over the years, the city's cabarets drew such local and international starts as Alys Robi, Muriel Millard, Guilda, Olivier Guimond, Oscar Peterson, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Lili St-Cyr, Édith Piaf, Charles Trenet and Tino Rossi, to name a few. Overflow crowds filled more than a hundred nightclubs night after night during those golden years.

The Casino de Montréal thanks the Centre d'histoire de Montréal for its valuable cooperation and invites people to visit the Scandale! Vice, crime et moralité à Montréal, 1940-1960, exhibition currently showing at the museum.

SOURCE Casino de Montréal

Marie-Claude Rivet, Director, Public Relations, Loto-Québec, 514-499-5079, [email protected]; Information: casinosduquebec.com