Although Colin Thomas in Georgia Straight faulted this show, with all due respect, I disagree. Jones, an Englishman and Cambridge graduate (as he points out three times), tells us how, a healthy young man of 30, he had heart failure - not heart disease - caused, he discovers, by a puzzlingly enlarged heart (so a pun on 'big heart').
On the screen before the start: "Has caused fainting: I'll warn you of squeamish bits," which he does twice, though no-one looked anywhere near fainting. He records, in a linear and sometimes emotional way, his...
Actually the rain was perfect. The black umbrellas thoughtfully provided by the production crew framed the story with an appropriately funereal atmosphere. And having to peep around the umbrella of the person in front of me made me feel a bit voyeuristic, like I really was witnessing the intimate details of someone else’s life.
I’m not sure about the choir. They were a good plot device in that they caught us up to speed on the action, which wasn’t really necessary, and the allowed for the actors to change, which really was necessary. It just felt a bit...
Welcome to The Minsky Follies..."40 Girls...and only 39 Costumes!" Backed by the stellar five piece band from Vancouver's Pandora and The Locksmiths, a bevy of this fine city's burlesque performers come together to tell the story of Gypsy Rose Lee at Minsky's Burlesque.
Burgundy Brixx is more than up to the task in her fine portrayal of the legendary Seattle-born intellectual striptease artist letting us in on the private thoughts of a stripteaser all the while teasing her way out of several absolutely thrilling costumes. She begins the musical number "It Was A Pear" dressed head to...
Personal taste aside, this troupe does have a lot going for them. Quick disclaimer: sketch comedy isn’t my specialty. A complete lack of structure just seems pointless to me and I don’t share the love of cringe and shock humour that most Vancouverites seem to have.
In my opinion, the bulk of the sketches were random and ridiculous and some just plain tasteless but there were a few I actually enjoyed, like the 9 - 5 office worker scene and the Tony Teriyaki sketch. I did appreciate how imaginative some of the sketches were and that the bulk...
I’ve had some very bad experiences with improv in the past so when I’m assigned to review a genre that I don’t particularly care for, I tend to grit my teeth and do my best to focus on the positive. To my relief I actually quite enjoyed the Lorax Improv show.
What Lorax Improv performed was a long-form improv, which I’m not sure I’ve seen before. I like a through-line, I don’t need much but my brain likes something to hold on to. So that really helped.
Mostly though, the actors were great. The Lorax...
Andrew Bailey’s “The Adversary” is hilarious, poignant and a little disturbing. Almost introverted and beautifully simple, Bailey himself is a bit of character with a unique vocal rhythm and a delivery style that incorporates . . . dramatic pauses. But he is charming and vulnerable and honest and his portrayal of the characters that he has encountered in his life is vivid, empathetic and, well . . . exciting.
In the beginning, the use of “locations” with light and moving from one spot to another felt a bit unnecessary for one guy up on a stage, but...
I must preface this review to say that I am a huge Martin Dockery fan and as far as I am concerned he could read the phone book and I would listen. Dockery is a master when it comes to storytelling. His ability to engage the audience and take them on a journey through the ebb and flow of a story is spellbinding.
This year he brings a new tale and this time it is not a personal experience or at least not one that has happened yet, but rather an accounting of his time in Heaven. Although Dockery protests...
From the moment the members of the Pump Trolley Comedy Troupe gather onstage in their plaid shirts and flashlights uplighting their faces in the dark I knew the audience was embarking on a wild ride through history. We are reminded by the members of the troupe that time is not linear and somehow it all has to do with ancient bears. I never did quite figure out the relevance of the bears to Canadian history but the presence of the bears allowed for a nice tie in at the end of the show.
In Greek mythology, Athena is the goddess of just warfare, strength, strategy and skill. Though Athena is a goddess of war strategy, she dislikes fighting without purpose and prefers to use wisdom to settle predicaments. The goddess only encourages fighting for a reasonable cause or to resolve conflict.
It is these traits that the show written by Michael Doherty and performed by Jennifer Huva is based on. The show begins with Huva entering in ancient Greek dress complete with helmet and spear to emphasis her war like status amongst gods. Athena assembles an audience of soon to be born souls who...
Annette Roman, who does the one-woman show Hitler's L'il Abomination, has a family history that she is keen to expose. She begins the show with what looks like a classic German Hitler Youth costume and a blonde wig, and runs through a couple routines in a German accent. She rips off the wig to reveal her true appearance and American accent.
Her family history is complex and twisted. Her mother was compelled to be in the girls' branch of Hitler Youth, but her mother's family were also owners of immense landholdings in East Prussia, until they all (including the workers...
