The Princess Bride In Concert is coming to Montreal at Place Des Arts from February 13-14, 2026 for a very special Valentine’s Day Weekend screening!
Directed by the recently-deceased Rob Reiner (also known for rom-com royalty When Harry Met Sally), The Princess Bride is a family-friendly classic filled with adventure, romance, and iconic quotes. Following a fairytale told by a grandfather to his grandson, the film, starring Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, and Robin Wright, portrays the treacherous journey a swash-buckling pirate undertakes to reunite with his one true love, who had been taken captive. If he wanted to, he would, am I right?
In addition to memorable characters and complex storylines, music has been a key part of film since the dawn of sound cinema. After all, we can’t all claim to have watched the Harry Potter or Star Wars franchises in their entirety, but I’m sure most of us can recognize their musical leitmotifs once played. Unsurprisingly, this public consciousness and instant recognition of cinematic soundtracks has led to a soaring popularity of the film-in-concert format over the past few years. All over Canada and the world, films like La La Land and Jurassic Park (among many others) and their legendary soundtracks have been adapted into this performance format.
“It takes the best elements of the theatrical experience and adds live elements through the orchestra,” says Evan Mitchell in an interview with the Daily. Mitchell is the musical director of the Kingston Symphony, a professional orchestra. Humans, he muses, are hard-wired for connection and shared experiences. Live performance and music thus heighten the usual cinema-going experience by connecting attendees via their common multi-sensory immersion into a fantasy world through film and music. “It’s the most exciting format for a popular orchestra that I’ve ever encountered in my career.”
The process of putting together the film-in-concert experience as a symphony’s musical director is complex. “It takes several dozen viewings of the musical parts of the film [for me] to become familiar with it, and I have a monitor so I can see what the audience sees,” recounts Michell. “It requires a lot of coordination because the orchestra has to be in perfect sync with the film. With a concerto or opera, the artists can react to changes, but movies will continue playing with or without you. It doesn’t matter how good [the music] sounds if it isn’t in time with the movie.”
Nevertheless, according to Mitchell, the orchestra, made up of local, Montreal-based musicians, will only be conducting one singular rehearsal for the showings of The Princess Bride In Concert, which speaks volumes about the mastery and brilliance of its members.
The Princess Bride In Concert is set to be a treat for the eyes and the ears. Originally, the score was played on a synthesizer known as the Synclavier, an early digital synthesizer and music workstation produced in various forms from the late 1970s into the early 1990s. However, transposed into a live orchestral score, Mitchell declares that the musical experience of the film in concert will be “an improvement” from the original. “Artistry is incredibly important. You will be more connected to the music than ever before, so much so that you might forget the orchestra is even there.”
So, what are you waiting for? Sharpen your swords, hold onto your hats, and book tickets for you and your knight/jester/princess (or even just yourself) for The Princess Bride In Concert today. Tickets start at $54.98. Missing out would be… inconceivable!