Theatre
Screaming Silently: A Hot Mess
Frankly, the title says it all -- because that's what I was doing throughout most of the show. Screaming Silently is a trainwreck, I'm afraid, and no amount of cute stage business or earnest delivery can save it. The play is about four adult siblings reunited upon the death of their egomaniac film-director father, one Giles Forbes. In the style of such stories, the siblings return home to pay their last respects and rivalries and dark secrets emerge.
Nigeria: verbal gymnastics and "Virginia Wolfe on Quaaludes"
Remember your mother telling you to finish your dinner because children were starving in Africa? As its central motif, ‘Nigeria’ contrasts the spiritual wealth of Africa with the obsession with monetary wealth, spiritual bankruptcy and ennui of life in West Vancouver. In spite of its dazzling verbal gymnastics, the play often feels clichéd. And then, in a refreshing u-turn, the playwright questions the authenticity of his own premise.
The Idiot
"The Idiot," a new adaptation of Dostoevsky's novel written by James Fagan Tait and produced by Neworld Theatre and Vancouver Moving Theatre, opened on January 20, 2012 as part of the PuSh Festival, at UBCs Frederic Wood Theatre. Cleverly scripted and tightly-paced, the three-and-a-half-hour performance casts a vivid spell, so much so that its lengthy narrative journey feels both necessary and natural.
A Superhero Delight
When you can’t rely on the "1%" to solve the world’s problems, to whom do you turn? Why of course…
The 0.00001% - The Superhero Boy Band….The MOST powerful, the MOST flamboyant, the MOST provocative, the MOST spandex, the SUPERHERO BOY BAND!
La Cages Aux Folles: two plank perspectives
Kirstie: La Cage Aux Folles the musical premiered on Broadway in 1983. It is based on the even earlier (1973) play of the same name. Watching it on the eve of 2012, I think it’s fair to say that while the theme of love trumping prejudice is timeless, the musical’s treatment of gender-roles, queer families, and homophobia feels so dated that it’s practically geriatric. This is not to say that the story isn't entertaining or meaningful, but that enough has changed since 1983 that I think that the sharp dichotomy bewteen the queers and the conservatives felt clunky and unsubtle by todays standards (or at least by my own).
Hotel Bethlehem is a real Christmas treat!
The anticipation of seeing my very first Ruby Slippers Theatre production was only fuelled more when I saw the set. Consisting of an elaborate network of doors and levels - already I could feel the exceptional production values of this production. With almost a full house surrounding me, I had a very good feeling about what I was about to see.
Off-White Christmas is a blast!
Off-White Christmas is a blast!
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... Which means that the seasonal shows are starting up! And the improvisors of Vancouver Theatresports are not to be left behind.
Iphigenia in Tauris - hauntingly beautiful
The Canadian Opera Company launches their 2011/2012 season with a visually arresting and chillingly atmospheric production of Gluck’s bright and hauntingly beautiful Iphigenia in Tauris. Under the directorship of Robert Carsen and the baton of Pablo Heras-Casado, this Greek myth turned opera mesmerizes without relent.
The Odd Couple - back for you this fall at Soulpepper!
Why can’t we just get along? It’s a question that seems to resonate loudly these days; whether it be an apt mantra in the ongoing struggle for peace between Israel and Palestine, a rallying cry for American moderates exhausted by bipartisan bickering in the chambers of congress, or more locally, the defining premise of a damn fine stage comedy presented by Soulpepper Theatre.
Razzle Tassle Tease Show: A Talented Trio
The talented burlesque trio of April O’Peel, Melody Mangler and Violet Femme are back again in this fun and raunchy neo-cabaret spectacular at the Vancouver Fringe Festival.
