In the end, because one of the players bombastically kissed the audience, I realized Hot Pepper may have been more interesting than I suspected. This conclusion came only in retrospect. Why… did I have to work so hard and …stew so long to get it? …to get that it may not be more complicated than this; around the world, folks connect over corporate office culture. Good or Bad, discuss:
"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.
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!
This show is outrageous, blasphemous and very very funny!!!
Young superheroes - Magnum, Cptn Slip'nSlide, and Exacto struggle to save the world from the faceless perils of terror! Our heroes tumble head over heels, into the world , bashing apart the binaries of good and evil in their grueling quest to save the world!!!
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...
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. I first thought this was going to be a serious play, but to my delight Drew McCreadie delivers a wiz bang of farcical humour, a sprinkle of slapstick and a healthy dollop of laugh out loud humour!
'Twas...
John Murphy & Jennifer Mawhinney in Hotel Bethlehem (photo credit: Tim Matheson)
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.
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.
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. Imbalanced comparisons aside...
Neil Simon has long been lauded as one of the great comedic playwrights of the last century, and with good reason. He cut his teeth in early television as a writer for Sid...
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. Inspired by a collection of performance styles, including circus, B-movies, baggy pants comedians, and classic striptease, the Razzle Tassle Tease Show will certainly keep you entertained, no matter what your sexual orientation!
The theatre is dimly lit with cabaret seating (tables and chairs), so feel free to bring that glass of wine you purchased before the show in with you. The opening number is punchy and amusing, as the three performers enter the...
The Sun Yat Sen Garden is an iconic Vancouver location and not one that is intuitively a great place to put on a show. But in the epic Fringe play, Siddhartha, the performers use every inch of this space to bring the audience into another world – a beautiful world of rustic villages, primeval forests, wondrous cities and peaceful secluded spots down by the river.
Siddhartha is the name of the protagonist, a charismatic and clever figure who seems destined for greatness but carries a heavy burden of existential doubt wherever he goes. In a quest for nirvana, he tries...
