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VAN CITY VINCE

The adventures of Vince Kanasoot, a public relations boy in Vancouver.

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VAN CITY VINCE

  • Blog
  • About Vince
  • Theatre Reviews & More
  • #BoysDanceToo

CTORA searches out enduring truths in West Side Story →

May 1, 2025 Vince Kanasoot

What’s the key to good storytelling? For CTORA, authenticity seems to be the driving force in its version of West Side Story. Inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the musical tells the tale of star-crossed young lovers Tony and Maria, against the backdrop of an ethnically divisive street-gang war between the “American” Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks in 1950s New York. The roles of Tony and Maria are as iconic as the show itself, immortalized in many Broadway stage and film versions. But CTORA’s stars Sayer Roberts and Cassandra Consiglio aren’t fazed. They’re leaning into authenticity.

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In Theatre Review Tags Theatre review, Vancouver theatre review, Van City Vince
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Powerhouse performances give fresh currency to 9 to 5: The Musical →

April 28, 2025 Vince Kanasoot

Royal City Musical Theatre has a great new look: instead of presenting its usual annual offering of a beloved classic Broadway musical, the company has tackled a contemporary show—9 to 5: The Musical. Under the choreography of the revered Valerie Easton and her codirection with Chris Adams, RCMT demonstrates its versatility and ample ability to stay relevant. 9 to 5 is a fun musical-theatre extravaganza with bold messages of female empowerment, workplace equality, and following one’s heart at any stage in life, set to a score by Dolly Parton herself. 

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In Theatre Review Tags Theatre review, Vancouver theatre review, Van City Vince
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Arsenic and Old Lace serves up charm and dark humour with a splash of poison elderberry with a splash of poison elderberry wine →

April 8, 2025 Vince Kanasoot

Is murder something that runs in families? This certainly seems to be the case in Arsenic and Old Lace. Written by Joseph Kesselring, this play about a family with a bad habit of killing people was a huge hit when it opened on Broadway in 1941, before making it to the big screen in 1944. Now, over 80 years later, Metro Theatre’s production is a true delight, showing that this black comedy is still a hit with modern audiences. 

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In Theatre Review Tags Theatre review, Vancouver theatre, Vancouver theatre review, Van City Vince
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A History of Motown weaves stories and songs into unique interactive experience →

April 7, 2025 Vince Kanasoot

There’s a story behind every song—and song by song, Motown built an empire of hits that changed the world.

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In Theatre Review Tags theatre review, vancouver theatre, vancouver theatre review, van city vince, Theatre Review, Theatre review
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Powerhouse performance captures a star's troubles and triumphs in Tina: The Tina Turner Musical →

March 27, 2025 Vince Kanasoot

Broadway Across Canada’s Tina: The Tina Turner Musical has stormed into Vancouver with every ounce of electrifying energy, confidence, and sexiness you would expect from a jukebox bio musical about the music icon.

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In Theatre Review Tags theatre review, vancouver theatre, vancouver theatre review, van city vince, Theatre review
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Krystle Dos Santos's lifelong love of soul gives powerful voice to A History of Motown →

March 26, 2025 Vince Kanasoot

Twelve years ago, singer-songwriter Krystle Dos Santos embarked on a journey to discover the true inspiration of her love for soul music. Dos Santos had been passionate about soul from a young age, influenced by such icons as Aretha Franklin and Etta James. But having grown up in Edmonton, decades after the height of those soul icons, Dos Santos experienced imposter syndrome—questioning whether her voice was authentic enough to do justice to the genre. 

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In Theatre Review Tags Theatre review, Theatre preview, Van City Vince
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Poetic staging brings uplifting power to Children of God's dark stories →

March 24, 2025 Vince Kanasoot

Children of God, a musical written and directed by Mattagami First Nation artist Corey Payette, is a haunting account of life in the Indigenous residential school system. While the show premiered in 2017, its subject matter hits harder today, in the wake of the discovery of unmarked graves at former residential schools across Canada. The importance of the story cannot be overstated, and Payette has channeled it through a remarkably poetic theatrical work—a stunning artistic accomplishment. 

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In Theatre Review Tags theatre review, vancouver theatre, vancouver theatre review, van city vince, Theatre review
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Sinners' fast-flying farce is full of naughty fun →

January 27, 2025 Vince Kanasoot

Sometimes it feels so good to be bad. That’s why Metro Theatre’s production of Sinners hits in all the right ways.

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In Theatre Review Tags theatre review, vancouver theatre, vancouver theatre review, van city vince, Theatre review
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Beetlejuice the Musical is a world of whacked-out fun →

January 23, 2025 Vince Kanasoot

Forget about saying “Beetlejuice” three times: Broadway Across Canada’s Beetlejuice the Musical is so much fun, you may actually want to see it three times.

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In Theatre Review Tags theatre review, vancouver theatre review, vancouver theatre, van city vince, Theatre review
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Strong singing and dancing over darkness in Gateway Theatre's Oliver! →

December 16, 2024 Vince Kanasoot

Gateway Theatre’s production of the beloved musical Oliver! has arrived just in time for the holidays. Based on Charles Dickens’s timeless Oliver Twist, the musical telling evokes many of the same poignant messages as the same author’s A Christmas Carol, set against a similar backdrop of poverty and class struggle in Victorian England.

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In Theatre Review Tags theatre review, vancouver theatre review, vancouver theatre, van city vince, Theatre review
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Cinderella! A Traditional British Pantomime makes for a full-on experience →

December 16, 2024 Vince Kanasoot

One endearing holiday tradition in the Vancouver stage scene is Metro Theatre’s British pantomime. This year, the company takes on Cinderella, and it sparkles with all the humour, energy, and fun that audiences have come to love from the annual show.

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In Theatre Review Tags theatre review, vancouver theatre, vancouver theatre review, van city vince, Theatre review
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Bound! The Musical is "bound" for great things →

November 20, 2024 Vince Kanasoot

The word “bound” can be used in a couple of different ways. It could refer to being restricted to something, or else en route to a destination. Bound! The Musical (In Concert) examines how a group of people in the fictional town of Middleburg experience both uses of the word in the unusual aftermath of an election.

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In Theatre Review Tags theatre review, vancouver theatre, vancouver theatre review, van city vince, Theatre review
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Genre-defying Eurydice Fragments travels beyond binaries to another world →

November 18, 2024 Vince Kanasoot

There’s much to celebrate in Eurydice Fragments, an innovative tech-forward and gender-inclusive reimagining of the Eurydice and Orpheus myth.

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In Theatre Review Tags Vancouver theatre, Vancouver theatre review, Van City Vince, Theatre review
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The Sound Inside takes a gripping look at writing life's story →

November 18, 2024 Vince Kanasoot

“If your protagnoist is leading you then you’ll likely stay ahead of your reader,” says Bella Baird, one of two characters in Adam Rapp’s play The Sound Inside. But what happens when we can no longer stay ahead of the story we’re trying to write for our own lives?

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In Theatre Review Tags Theatre review, Vancouver theatre review, VanCity Vince
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Queer-themed Godspell radiates with love and unity

November 15, 2024 Vince Kanasoot

Cast members of Godspell, presented by Play On Words Productions. Photo credit: Owen CB Scott

The arts have always been a powerful platform for advocating social justice—and now seems to be a particularly timely moment to amplify marginalized voices. Under the leadership of artistic director Ryan Nuñez, Play On Words has reimagined Godspell from a queer perspective that celebrates love and community, while advocating for queer rights.

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In Theatre Review Tags Theatre review, Vancouver theatre, Vancouver arts, Vancouver arts and culture
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A heavenly hit: The Book of Mormon delivers comedy gold and Broadway charm

November 14, 2024 Vince Kanasoot

Sam McLellan (centre) leads The Book of Mormon, presented by Broadway Across Canada. Photo credit: Julieta Cervantes

These days, audiences can’t get enough of Mormon-themed entertainment, as proven by the ongoing popularity of the Broadway hit The Book of Mormon and the TV show The Secret Lives of Mormon Housewives. And while the Housewives may not be in Vancouver right now, The Book of Mormon squad certainly is! On Tuesday night, the Broadway Across Canada touring company lit up the Queen Elizabeth Theatre with a crowd-pleasing performance that had the audience roaring in laughter and erupting in cheers throughout the evening.

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Tags Theatre review, Vancouver theatre, Vancouver arts, Vancouver arts and culture
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The Last Resort is a playfully dark, retro-themed escape

November 8, 2024 Vince Kanasoot

From left to right: Andrew Wade, Cleo Halls, and Barbara Guertin in The Last Resort. Photo credit: Chelsey Stuyt Photography

Have you experienced immersive theatre? If not, it’s understandable—immersive theatre is rare in Vancouver, and for good reason. There are many challenges involved in presenting it, including the need for a suitable venue. Fortunately, Dreamqueen Collective—under the helm of Fairlith Harvey—offers Vancouver audiences a chance to dive into this unique entertainment with The Last Resort. In true immersive fashion, the audience is placed right in the action as the story unfolds around them.

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In Theatre Review Tags Theatre review, Vancouver theatre, Vancouver arts, Vancouver arts and culture
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Music of the Night's ode to Lloyd Webber is as polished as a Phantom chandelier →

October 17, 2024 Vince Kanasoot

From featuring falling chandeliers to high-kicking cats, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals are cultural icons. But strip away the spectacular production values associated with his shows, and you’ll find that the driving force behind everything is the score. Music of the Night: The Concert Tour proves that Lloyd Webber’s music, along with the lyrics of collaborators like Rice and Don Black, can stand alone, captivating and entertaining audiences without the theatrical bells and whistles.

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Tags Theatre review, Vancouver theatre, Vancouver arts, Vancouver arts and culture
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Theatre review: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory shines with humour and energy →

October 15, 2024 Vince Kanasoot

CTORA Theatre has plucked Roald Dahl’s beloved story Charlie & the Chocolate Factory from the pages and transformed it into a larger-than-life production that proves how pure imagination can make anything possible. Over the past few seasons, CTORA has emerged on the Vancouver theatre scene with productions infused with clever staging concepts and production values, under the direction of Mark Carter. To that end, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory is right up CTORA’s alley, with a show that combines strong on-stage talent with delightful visuals to entertain and inspire audiences of all ages. 

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In Theatre Review Tags Theatre review, Vancouver theatre, Vancouver arts, Vancouver arts and culture
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Studio 58’s Baggage innovatively unpacks dating life

October 9, 2024 Vince Kanasoot

Emotional baggage from dating is no joke. But it can be entertaining to poke a little fun at. After all, recognizing the humour in past experiences is part of how we grow. Sarah Segal-Lazar’s play Baggage is a clever and playful look at how baggage from past relationships follows us. This freshing work is superbly brought to life by a cast of tremendously talented Studio 58 students, led by the charismatic Michelle Avila Navarro. Director and Studio 58 graduate Jessie Liang offers an inventive concept with some creative ideas that highlight the many strengths of the cast and Segal-Lazar’s script.

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In Theatre Review Tags Theatre review, Vancouver theatre, Vancouver arts, Vancouver arts and culture
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