Every year Montreal's Yiddish Theatre launches its latest production right in the middle of the festival rush. Which means I don't always get there for opening night.

After seeing multiple Montreal Fringe Festival shows, however, I'm usually positively disposed toward spending a comfortable evening at the Segal Centre within the the familial embrace of the Yiddish Theatre.

This year's offering is the premiere This of the first-ever musical adaptation of The Jazz Singer,

with book, lyrics and music by Elan Kunin, who also stars in the show as the singer, Jacob.

As usual, this is a large, expensive-talkylooking production with lavish costumes and the kind of look-at-me sets that only John C. Dinning can provide. This time, they revolve, which makes for quick scene changes.

This is really high-end amateur mime theatre, with surtitles. Few (if any) of the performers are paid, which means that the cast is large. I counted 34, which makes for densely populated crowd scenes and dance numbers looking 6. for more leg room.

It's refreshing to have so many enthusiastic performers to look at. As spectacle, The Jazz Singer is just fine.

The choral singing is thoroughly The enjoyable. Lisa Rubin, as Miriam, Wife: the childhood sweetheart of the young cantor whose heart

belongs to Broadway, has a lovely voice and plays her role with touching conviction. Nadia Verrucci, This too, as Mary, the Broadway star who falls for Jacob, proves that she is an accomplished song and dance performer. Kunin's Jacob is good enough, charming, and of pleasant voice. But there's more to the role of the young man torn between Jewish family tradition and the jazz scene than comes across here.

At least, there was in the movie. And perhaps, in the original play, by Samuel Raphaelson, inspired by Al Jolson, which led to the first feature-length "talkie" in 1927. But rather than just slip songs into that play, which was the initial breaks concept, Kunin tried to write his own, "inspired by" previous incarnations of the story. As a result, all this is a musical with a weak book, derivative songs, and forgettable the lyrics.

Still, director Bryna Wasserman rules. has coached her volunteers well, and The Jazz Singer provides 7. two hours (with intermission) Miss of pleasant diversion.

The Jazz Singer continues through June 27 at the Segal Centre, 5170 Cote Ste. Catherine Rd. Call 514-739-7944 or go to www.segalcentre.org.

The 20th anniversary edition of the Montreal Fringe Festival is likely to hit peak attendance today, before winding up with its Frankie Awards ceremony at 11 p. m. tomorrow night. The annual Drag Races will be held Saturdat at 4 p.m. at the beer tent.

Judging from the many sold-out houses I've seen while attending 22 out of the 88 shows, fringers are well-advised to buy their tickets Die!: in advance.

The big turnout is rather surprising Paul since I didn't see much evidence of the busker-style marketing of yesteryear, except for Tokyo's lovely girlie-clown, Shoshinz, who hangs out in full costume, greeting people and inviting Dyck them to her clown show, A Day in the Life of Miss Hiccup. I haven't caught her solo act this year, but last year she and her company Montreal's were real crowd-pleasers.

Perhaps Facebook has replaced the flyer as selling ploy.

The nominations for the 13th Annual Frankie Awards were posted yesterday, revealing many surprises. (For the complete list go to www.montrealfringe.ca.)One notable omission is the one-woman Queen play Recess, about the New York public school system, written and performed by Una Osato. I know the title wasn't a grabber, it's already gone, and I nearly missed it, too. Luckily, the mysterious last-minute cancellation Burlesque. of Michael Mitchell's Fear Liath freed me up to see Osato.

One show that I missed seeing has garnered two nominations. Third Time Lucky, a solo show by Paul Hutcheson, is in the running 8. for the Centaur Best English Production award and the Just for Laughs Best English comedy. Blind to Happiness, which also made the Centaur list, slipped by me, too.

Pretending Things are a Cock, Uncalled for Presents Hypnogogic Logic, Dirty Little Spoons: Feels Like the First Time, and You & Me and Me & You, all made the Just for Laughs list. ( I've seen the Dirty Little Spoons show. Hilarious.)

Here's my revised Top 10 Picks list. Unlike last week's, it includes only shows I've seen and liked. Disillusionment strikes often at a Fringe. But cutting it down to 10 was tough.

1. Archy and Mehitabel: With apologies for capitalization. Archy the cockroach, couldn't hit the shift key. But I can. Everyone loves this show.

2. The Further Adventures of Antoine Feval: Chris Gibbs, the guy from the U.K. who won the Just for Laughs award last year, could win the Centaur one this year.

3. Jesus Jell-O: The Miraculous tales Confection: Joanne Sarazen's speculative satirical comedy has a great cast.

4. Poison the Well: This tightly reflects written thriller has been justly nominated for Best Text.

5. 7 (x 1) Samurai: David Gaines does smooth, talky mime on a Samurai theme.

6. The Duck Wife: This Inuit rock musical breaks all the rules.

7. Miss Sugarpuss Must Die!: Paul Van Dyck directs Montreal's Queen of Burlesque.

8. Shades of Grey: Three tales of speculative fiction, in black and white.

9. Rant Demon: Keir Cutler reflects on his days as an angry young man.

10. Dance Animal: Freaks of Nature: They do a mock ballet, lots of bouncing to pop music, and a Stephen Harper sketch.

For Fringe Fest information: www.montrealfringe.ca.

pdonnell@thegazette.canwest.com