There’s something magical about Disney’s The Little Mermaid, and Align Entertainment has done a fine job in delivering this magic to local audiences. Led by the show’s talented star Elyse Maloway as Ariel, this production of The Little Mermaid truly encompasses the heart and soul of the story.
Read moreKinky Boots celebrates diversity and is one fierce party!
The Tony Award-winning musical Kinky Boots has fabulously kicked its way into Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Based on the British film of the same name, this sensational stage musical is the winning combination of a fantastic score by Cyndi Lauper, a clever book by Harvey Fierstein, superb cast performances, and brilliant direction and choreography by Broadway legend Jerry Mitchell.
Read moreDon’t miss the ball – presale to Broadway Across Canada’s Cinderella begins this Friday
Who doesn’t love a classic fairy tale? As millennials, anytime anyone mentions a beloved fairy tale, we all seem to get super excited and exclaim, “I love <fill in name of story>!” This is probably because fairy tale memories take us back to our childhood days. A time period when life was simpler, a world of possibilities lay ahead, and no matter what kind of challenges we faced, we could dream.
Read moreTheatre Preview: Mess provides insight into overcoming anorexia →
Anorexia is the topic of Mess, a 75-minute play presented by The Vancouver International Children’s Festival and PuSh International Performing Arts Festival.This critically-acclaimed show from England is unique because it’s not the dark play many people might expect. Instead, it’s been described as an experience that infuses humour, creativity and fun songs while offering a poignant look into the power anorexia holds over individuals and their loved ones.
Read more"The Phantom of the Opera" leads Broadway Across Canada's exciting 2017/2018 season
"The Phantom of the Opera" will open Broadway Across Canada's 2017/18 season. Image: Alastair Muir.
Broadway Across Canada (BAC) recently announced it's spectacular 2017/2018 season lineup, headlined by one of my personal favourite musicals, Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. This will be a fresh new staging of the show, featuring a new set and choreography. This production has sparked a lot of buzz and we'll get to see it right here at Vancouver's Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Read moreClub PuSh sizzles up the Vancouver arts scene this January →
While Old Man winter may be continuing his tyranny over Vancouver, local arts fans will soon be able to escape to the sizzling atmosphere of Club PuSh. Held at the Fox Cabaret, this social hub of the 13th annual PuSh International Performing Arts Festival promises to provide exciting theatre in a casual, fun setting.
Read moreKayla James takes over Mary Poppins umbrella in style →
Stepping into the role of Mary Poppins is never an easy task. There’s the expectation to match or at least come close to reaching the standards of Julie Andrews. But in the Arts Club’s current remount of Disney’s Mary Poppins, actress Kayla James also had the challenge of living up to Sara-Jeanne Hosie’s acclaimed performances from previous seasons. Fortunately for audiences this holiday season, James is phenomenal as the iconic English nanny who flies through the sky with her umbrella and changes lives one household at a time.
Read moreRoyal Winnipeg Ballet's "Nutcracker" celebrates Christmas and being Canadian
Attending Nutcracker is one of my favourite holiday traditions, and this year for the first time I had the pleasure of watching Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s (RWB) version. I was intrigued when I heard that they did their own unique Canadian version of the show. So how is RWB’s Canadian-themed version? It's the ballet equivalent of enjoying a classy maple and bacon donut, or a gourmet poutine, or a Caesar made with Grey Goose vodka...you get the idea.
Read moreExciting presale offer to Kinky Boots, December 2 – 4 only!
Kinky Boots, the Tony Award-winning musical with songs by Cyndi Lauper, is kicking its way into Vancouver, February 7-12, 2016. And for this weekend only, you can snag your tickets before the rest of Vancouver does. How is this possible? Great question!
Read moreThe Threepenny Opera sails on intimacy and creativity, if not fully realized empathy →
In many ways, Theatre in the Raw is right on point with its production of The Threepenny Opera. The three-act musical tells the story of those left on the margins of society while capitalism prevails in Victorian London. Using a unique, in-your-face approach, Theatre in the Raw’s production effectively takes its audience into the seedy 19th-century world of beggars, prostitutes, and criminals, with some English-music-hall flavour to keep things from getting too dark and heavy.
Read moreTheatre Preview: CREEPS takes a hard look at living with disability in the seventies →
When Rena Cohen first watched CREEPS over four decades ago, her life changed forever. David E. Freeman’s dark comedy about four disabled men marked one of the first times a Canadian play openly addressed discrimination in such a raw, gritty manner.
Read moreRent intermittently reaches the 1996 rock opera's original heights →
When the musical Rent premiered on Broadway in 1996, it took the world by storm with its insightful commentary on urban New York life in the midst of the AIDS epidemic. Today, Vancouver theatre fans, especially those too young to have seen the original production, will appreciate URP’s current rendition, which offers shades of the original. However, URP’s production doesn’t quite live up to the legacy of Rent, falling short in many important details.
Read moreTheatre Preview: Returning North Vancouver company's big bet on Rent →
This month, URP’s staging of Broadway musical Rent at Centennial Theatre will mark the first time the company has produced a mainstage show in seven years. Since 1995, URP (formerly Uncle Randy Productions) has produced 23 full-scale musicals in North Vancouver, which served as a breeding ground for young, talented theatre artists, and allowed local audiences to enjoy a variety of big name musicals on home turf. All of that came to an abrupt end in 2009, after URP’s production of High School Musical 2.
Read moreJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat has a ball of biblical proportions →
Align Entertainment’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is the perfect treat for musical-theatre fans in the mood for some zany fun. The show is a loose retelling of the biblical tale of Joseph from the Book of Genesis, set to music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and with lyrics by Tim Rice.
Read moreBallet BC’s "Program 1" uses shadows, lights and inventive choreography to explore emotions and memories
Ballet BC raised the curtain on its 2016/2017 season last night, with the sophisticated Program 1. This brilliantly creative and well-danced collection of contemporary ballet pieces explores time, space, memory, and the emotions we remember from relationships.
Read moreAges of the Moon pokes well-executed fun at aging →
There’s a famous quote that says, “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” In Lonesome Moon Productions’ Ages of the Moon, a play by Sam Shepard, a one-day hangout session between two old friends brings up issues of lifelong jealousies, frustrations, and vulnerabilities while the two wait to witness a lunar eclipse that night.
Read morePop-up Taiwanese puppet festival coming to MOA →
From pop-up restaurants to pop-up stores, the theme of setting something up for a limited time in an unconventional setting is all the rage these days.
In keeping with this theme, the Museum of Anthropology is turning heads with the Taiwanese Puppet Festival from November 5 to 6. Amidst a cool museum setting, audiences will get to see talented Taiwanese puppetry performers tell both timeless and contemporary tales.
Read moreJames and Jamesy light up the dark
Discovering yourself and the world around you is precious. Vancouver comedy duo Aaron Malkin and Alastair Kowles recently captured the essence and beauty of this discovery from an imaginative angle that wowed local audiences. Malkin and Kowles’ abstract comedic play, James and Jamesy in the Dark, took audiences on a fun journey using simple production elements, Pixar-like creativity and Charlie Chaplin-inspired vaudeville comedy.
Read moreThe Concierge of Vancouver is a fresh look at city's housing crisis →
From headline news stories to cocktail party conversations, Vancouver’s housing crisis seems to be a daily topic of conversation. Matchmaker Production’s current play, The Concierge of Vancouver, written by Sahul Ezer, looks into this topic from a pretty cool angle. While the writing of the play isn’t amazing, the story itself is fascinating and the talented cast deliver top notch performances.
Read moreOut On Screen gala benefits LGBTQ youth across BC →
This past Saturday, Out On Screen, the non-profit organization behind the Vancouver Queer Film Festival, hosted its 14th annual fall gala. Held on the Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre, the event featured sassy drag performances from Isolde N. Barron and Adam Zapple.
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