“In Search of Cruise Control” starts with James Gangl showing up and reading to us birthday cards his mother has sent him. The relationship with the audience continues as he acknowledges his tripping up in some of the script and the silliness of his staged actions to resemble a conversation. This breaking down of the wall between the audience and the play invites us into Gangl’s life. As the play progresses it feels like we could have been at a support group meeting and we are hearing the story of one man’s journey of understanding...
It's not often that I find myself sexually titillated by clowns.
The Sama Kutra was one such occasion. And as I go over this colourful and electric performance in my mind, it's clear that there was more motivating it than mere shock value.
A needle swings ever more wildly between silly and sexy as a clowny couple (Sizzle played by Jacqueline Russell and Spark played by Jed Tomlinson) try to revive their crumbling relationship with the help of the eponymous magical erotic book. The makeup, the humorous acting, and the wild props all combine to create a layer of separation...
Troupers. That’s what these two are. Troupers. The intimate setting of the Revue Stage, Granville Island, was even more intimate with the excited, jovial early bird Fringers, taking in an early show on festival opening. For an act that wasn’t even on the program, due to a presumed scheduling challenge with the act that was supposed to appear. Ah, well, I think I lucked out.
Vincent Leblanc-Beaudoin and Caitlin McFarlane brought their Victoria Fringe show to Vancouver on very short notice. Like, last Friday night kind of notice. I can only imagine what that must have felt like, both terrifying...
“Damn,” I thought to myself in the queue on Commercial Drive, smelling the melange of odours donated by several restaurants in mid-Drive business, various herbal vapours wafting past from patrons in need of their pneumonic medications, and a bit of bike smells, perfumery and human aromas. We had to line up on the curb to avoid blocking the strollers and becoming invalided by bikes on the sidewalk. I wished I knew more of One Crazy Frenchman’s first take on his alter ego. I wished I had seen it performed at that earlier Fringe.
Toronto indie musician “Gentleman Reg” is Regina, a self-assured drag queen who tells her story of growing up in Guelph. She begins with how she got “out of the closet” that she was the last to know she was in. Now Regina, a true diva, is ‘out’ and taking audiences on a first date full of ‘80s inspired song, style and dance. She performs some original songs from her album as well. Her monologues are literally glamorous as they engage us with witty lyrics that poke fun at everything we want to poke fun at, including ourselves.
Wow. What a delightful treat. I admit, I was very much looking forward to seeing this show from the start. I'm not a big fan of the traditional “clown” (they scare me actually - ahem...Poltergeist…It…enough said) but I do have a full appreciation for the fierce commitment that buffoonery demands in order to capture an audience, and capture them she did. The audience was on the edge of their seat from the moment this amazing curvy clown stepped on stage. A Bouffon protege of Cirque du Soliel’s Masimo Agostinelli, Priscilla Costa had the audience roaring with laughter and eating out of the...
Rhonda Badonda: Pain in Her Brain is a credit to the solo show format. Rhonda Musak, the writer and performer of this creative autobiographical piece, fills the stage with motion and personality. She slips into her many characters with ease, and while some of the accents don't quite ‘stick’, the characters themselves are lovingly crafted and portrayed. Musak acts, narrates, and sometimes dances her way through the experience of growing up with a learning disorder she doesn't know she has, a story she tells with glowing wit and humor.
Martin Dockery’s latest one-man marvel reminded me of why I f**cking love solo theatre.
Have you ever seen YouTube videos of Indian snake charmers? Stop reading this, go to YouTube and google “indian snake charmer with 4 kobras” and then come back.
You’re back! Great.
Dockery is both snake charmer and snake. If that doesn’t sound like a compliment, it is. His strangely magnetic presence makes it impossible to look away...
Sigh. I really wanted this to be good. The actor/writer duo of Katie Hartman and Nick Ryan have come all the way from New York City. This is clearly a labour of love for them. They’re young, smart, dedicated and talented, but their show just doesn’t work.
For me to explain what doesn’t work about this play, I need to first set the scene. This is a two hander, loosely based on the childhood and short stories of lauded writer Edgar Allan Poe. Sounds good...
When I tell people “I’m off to the ballet tonight” I’m pretty sure this is not what they imagine: brutal, tense and alien, Ballet BC’s RITE is not for the faint of heart.
Stretching contemporary ballet to its limits, both pieces in the production are inspired by The Rite of Spring and the impact it had at the world premiere on May 29th, 1913.
I have come to love the creature-like choreography of Emily Molnar. And never have I seen it quite as pronounced as in RITE, the first piece of the evening. Enhanced by a throbbing score by Jeremy...
Christoph von Riedemann from Emily Molnar's piece, photography by Chris Randle
The Canadian premiere of Post Secret: The Show is happening at the Firehall Arts Centre. With a cast of three plus a guitarist, the show promises an exploration of the worldwide phenomenon that is found online at postsecret.com. Below you'll find Twitter commentary and interactions about the performance on opening night.
TWITTER COMMENTARY FOR YOU:
@allysonmcgrane At opening for Post Secret: The Show @FirehallArtsCte + see lots of people (young crowd). #PSVancouver #yvr
@allysonmcgrane Show tagline is "Free your secrets and become who you are." Is that why we're invited to leave secrets on the bathroom mirror? #PSVancouver
REPLY FROM @PostSecretShow ...
Cast of Kahlil Ashanti, Nicolle Nattrass, Ming Hudson (photo by Emily Cooper)
This year Music on Main is bringing us a December celebration of music for the winter solstice. Featuring five musicians with two world premieres, the evening is intended as the first of many annual winter solstice concerts. Happening at Heritage Hall, there is a feeling of warmth and gathering on when the days grow short and the nights so long.
The premiere performance of Nightmare Before the Nutcracker is happening at Vancouver's own Rio Theatre on December 5 and 12. Meant as an alternative, Gothic take on the Christmas classic, this performance features a mash-up of music, burlesque, circus and Tim Burton characters. For adults only.
Written by Chris Murdoch, the script features characters from The Nutcracker as well as Tim Burton films such as A Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice and Mars Attacks! It tells the story of young Clara at Christmas who finds herself entering a mystical world where her Nutcracker Prince is none other than Edward Scissorhands...
Voodoo Pixie - one of the show's burlesque performers
Things near + far premiered last night at the Firehall Arts Centre. Created by a trio of mid-career dance artists (Anne Cooper, Ziyian Kwan and Ron Stewart), the show features two pieces. Each is called Dwelling and both are approximately 30 minutes in length. The first comes from a young choreographer (Josh Martin of 605 Collective) and the second from senior choreographer (Tedd Robinson of 10 Gates Dancing). It means we experience an evening of dance that crosses generations and geography.
The first piece of the evening is from Josh Martin. It's on an open stage with a bright whitedance floor. The stage...
Ziyian Kwan, Anne Cooper & Ron Stewart (photo by Chris Randle)
