MainLine Theatre - 3997 Saint-Laurent, Montréal QC 514-849-3378

What does MainLine Theatre's The Mid-Life Crisis of Dionysus have to do with Garrison Keillor?

The title was borrowed from a one-act story/sketch by Keillor and, according to the credits, inspiration was derived from it.

The result is an energetic bacchanalian romp that mixes Ancient Greek myth with vaudevillian Jewish shtick.

The project must have sounded good on paper. Otherwise The Mid-Life Crisis of Dionysus, a musical with book and lyrics by Jeremy Hechtman and Patrick Goddard, would never have been chosen as the sole representation of English-language theatre included in this year's Montreal High Lights Festival.

On stage, it pretty much resembles a frat party with wacky costumes, including a two-person centaur outfit that pokes fun at our local flagship anglo theatre.

With Nick Carpenter on piano, the instrumental side of the music holds up well. And the Greek chorus, clad in scholarly robes for the opening number - until the robes are shed for sexier attire - does manage to harmonize.

Mostly, however, those who sing are just giving it a game try. So this is musical comedy with emphasis on the word "comedy."

Only it isn't terribly funny, although the fact that everybody on stage seems to be having a good time lends a certain joie de vivre to the proceedings.

Goddard carries off his chorus leader/narrator role with engaging panache, allowing us to forgive him for co-writing such cliché-ridden lyrics and dialogue. (In the program, Hechtman thanks Goddard for "helping me get this play out of my head and vomit it forth onto stage.")

Given that this is supposed to be a tale of mid-life angst, casting Paul Van Dyck, who can barely pass for 35, as Dionysus seems odd. Adjusting the script by a decade, having him celebrate his 40th birthday - as opposed to Keillor's Dionysus, who was celebrating his 50th - doesn't quite solve the problem. (Sixty is the new 40. Not the other way around.)

Van Dyck, wearing nothing but (edible) grapes, which he insists on sharing, looks decades away from becoming a Viagra pill popper in need of Botox injections. So when a team of ditzy nurses (remember the Carry On series of films?) and a couple of sadistic doctors give him the medical checkup from hell, the scene lacks pathos, not to mention wit.

The dinner table sketch, with Dionysus facing his Betty Crocker conventional wife, is mildly amusing. But the show doesn't really get off the ground until after intermission. It's the valiant performers who save the day, working miracles with lame material, glowing with charisma and talent through a loosey-goosey happening that includes a bit of tap dance and and a faux Oscar Wilde. (The Fates as Jewish grandmothers? Oh, why not?) Standouts include Tristan D. Lalla as Zeus and Joanne Sarazen in multiple roles.

The good news is that libations may be purchased on site and consumed during the show. Liberal intake is advised.

Warning: While The Mid-Life Crisis of Dionysus may be adults-only, the nudity depicted in the promotional material does not happen on stage.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Alcohol+helps+ease+life+cri...