Life is all about creating your own path and Roberto Campanella knows about that. Originally from Rome, Roberto had a successful dance career joining his first company, Compagnia Italiana di Danza Contemporanea, at the age of 17. He eventually leaped to Toronto to dance for The National Ballet of Canada, where he began choreographing. Since then, Roberto has had a stellar career in teaching, choreographing, and directing. One of his most notable credits was choreographing the Academy Award-winning film The Shape of Water.
Read more#BoysDanceToo: An interview with Logan Savard, dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School
Logan Savard (right) and partner. Photo credit: Leif Norman
Logan Savard is in the final stages of achieving his dream to become a professional dancer. Originally from Comox on Vancouver Island, BC, the 18-year-old has been training full-time at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (RWB) School since he was 16. He’s now in Level 7, the highest level in the Academic program at the RWB School.
Read moreDancing Lessons' quirky take on the rom-com has mixed results at Jericho Arts Centre →
When two seemingly opposite people end up having to spend time together in an unusual situation, you have the basis for a romantic comedy. Dancing Lessons intends to give this genre quirky flair. But while this production has some sweet moments, the affection between the two characters isn’t quite believable and there a few too many loose ends in the story to make it truly satisfying.
Read more#BoysDanceToo: An interview with Sterling Baca, Pennsylvania Ballet
Sterling Baca, principal dancer, Pennsylvania Ballet. Photo credit: Alexander Iziliaev
As the world premiere of Joshua Beamish/MOVETHECOMPANY’s @giselle approaches, I interviewed principal dancer Sterling Baca as the first profile in my new #BoysDanceToo series. Sterling was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch”, and was a soloist with American Ballet Theatre before moving to Pennsylvania Ballet as principal dancer. Read about Sterling’s meteoric rise to the top of the ballet ranks, and enjoy some of his fun personal info as well.
Read moreIconic ballet reimagined in today’s social media-driven world in @giselle
Photo credit: Craig Foster
Have you ever been ghosted by someone you were into? Isn’t it ironic how we can still feel so isolated in an era where we’re all connected digitally? Joshua Beamish/MOVETHECOMPANY has taken the iconic classical ballet Giselle, and reimagined it in today’s social media-driven world with @giselle, featuring top dancers from across North America.
Read moreIt’s opening night of Mamma Mia!
Tonight is opening night of Mamma Mia! at Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS), and I am so excited and honoured to be in this amazing production. I truly believe this will be a career highlight for me, and I’m so happy to share this amazing experience with the extraordinary cast, crew, and creative team of Mamma Mia!
Read moreMatilda celebrates the wonder of childhood innocence and imagination
The cast of Matilda The Musical. Photo credit: David Cooper
Roald Dahl’s classic children’s tale, Matilda, has been brought to life in a dazzling production at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. Presented by the Arts Club Theatre Company, the Tony Award-winning Matilda The Musical tells the story of a brave and hyper-intelligent young girl who dares to stand up for what’s right, including facing off against her villainous school principal. Arts Club’s version is a slick display of masterful storytelling, thanks to tremendous creativity and talent from the show’s artistic team and cast.
Read moreCome From Away pays tribute to the humanity that unites us
Broadway Across Canada’s Come From Away has landed in Vancouver, and on opening night this Tony Award-winning musical brought its audience to its feet with its authentically bold and emotional testimony of humanity through the most trying of times. Base on real-life experiences, the show recounts the moments and days following the 9/11 attacks, when 38 planes unexpectedly landed in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Read moreLa Bohème soars with poignancy and heartbreaking beauty
France Bellemare and Ji-Min Park star in Vancouver Opera’s La Bohème . Photo credit: Tim Matheson
La Bohème is the one of the world’s most enduring love stories and operas of all time. And love is definitely in the air in Vancouver Opera’s (VO) beautiful staging. This production is a larger-than-life vintage postcard of Paris, set for the most part in the 1920’s. André Barbe’s Parisian set of cafes and shops lining a bustling city street, is complemented by his period costumes and Guy Simard’s luminous lighting, altogether painting a superb vision. And the first-rate cast performances, accompanied by VO’s exquisite orchestra under the direction of conductor Judith Yan, make this telling of La Bohème an excellent artistic work.
Read moreAnnie offers great ensemble performances and visuals, but lacks magic overall
Camryn Macdonald (centre) with the company of Annie. Photo credit: Emily Cooper
As the snow continues to fall in Vancouver, it seems fitting that Align Entertainment’s current offering is the Tony Award-winning musical, Annie, which not only beckons the sun to come out tomorrow, but also takes place at Christmas. And while a lot of effort has gone into putting on this ambitious musical, which involves a sizeable cast, gorgeous sets and costumes, a full orchestra, and two dogs (who alternate in the role of Sandy), this production doesn’t quite hit the mark. The issues lie mainly with comic timing and dialogue delivery, and a lack of vibrancy from some of the leads.
Read moreYoga Play has clever concept, but needs more refined storytelling
From left to right: Derek Chan, Christine Quintana, and Lois Anderson in Yoga Play. Photo credit: Tim Matheson
Gateway Theatre’s Canadian premiere of the comedy, Yoga Play, is a fun, satirical look at the yoga apparel industry. While the play has a clever main concept – exploring the disconnect between the spirit of yoga and the competitive retail world – the show takes on a few too many plotlines for it to handle and isn’t able to adequately follow-through with its storytelling.
Read moreNew twists and strong performances make Studio 58's Cabaret a darkly satirical delight →
The company of Studio 58’s Cabaret. Photo credit: David Cooper
The set for Studio 58’s production of the Tony Award–winning musical Cabaret features large letters that light up to spell KABARETT. This German word can refer to both cabaret-style entertainment and political satire. And Studio 58’s retelling of Cabaret, under the direction of Josh Epstein, is both. Audiences are drawn into an imaginative world where the Kit Kat dancers interact with guests and provide high-energy, rousing song-and-dance numbers that eventually turn into political commentary—at first more lightly satirical, then turning very dark.
Read moreThe Illusionists deliver dazzling tricks with fun and humour
If you’ve felt something different in the air this week in Vancouver, you’re right. Because there’s magic in the air, thanks to Broadway Across Canada’s production of The Illusionists – Live from Broadway, which opened on Tuesday night at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. This highly impressive show delivers dazzling tricks in a fun and personable way.
Read moreThe Full Light of Day is a delicious visual treat, but the story is bland
Jillian Fargey and Dean Paul Gibson in The Full Light of Day - photo by Don Lee
Electric Company Theatre’ latest work, The Full Light of Day, stretches the possibilities of theatrical storytelling, skillfully incorporating videography. The two-act play uses both live streaming, as well as pre-recorded video footage, to tell its story. Combined with stunning set, lighting, and costume designs, The Full Light of Day is quite a visual treat. With the use of Brian Lind’s movie-like sound design, the show indeed verges on creating a new art form – a theatre/film hybrid. Unfortunately, the show lacks a strong enough story to support its tremendous production values.
Read moreDisney's Beauty and the Beast rides on renewed energy and strong voices →
From the first rose-petal fall to the joyous finale, the Arts Club’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast glows with the story’s message of love and forgiveness, infused with fresh elements. Originally staged in 2005 by director Bill Millerd, this production has evolved to stay relevant to audiences.
Read moreA Charlie Brown Holiday Double Bill brings beloved Peanuts characters to life, complete with "ice skating" and a Christmas pageant →
Andrew Cownden (Charlie Brown), Arielle Ballance (Violet), and Emilie Leclerc (Lucy). Photo credit: Tim Matheson
Charlie Brown and his Peanuts gang are looking fabulous these days. Carousel Theatre for Young People’s A Charlie Brown Holiday Double Bill has brought Charlie and his crew to the stage of the Waterfront Theatre in a larger-than-life theatrical experience that kids and parents alike will enjoy.
Read moreSeven Tyrants Theatre’s Doubt – a psychological drama that keeps you in suspense
Sometimes we have instinctual feelings, even though we don’t have solid evidence to prove our suspicions. If we stay true to our instincts, we’re showing strength by sticking to our conviction. The flipside is, that in order to do this we need to ignore doubt. What’s the wiser thing to do? Sticking to your conviction or acknowledging doubt? That’s the premise of John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning play, Doubt: A Parable, which Seven Tyrants Theatre has skillfully mounted.
Read moreThe Enemy pits economic prosperity against ethics and environmental concerns →
Paul Herbert, Jenn Griffin, Sharon Crandall, and Agnes Tong in The Enemy.
Is the majority always right? That’s the question that the The Enemy appears to ask at first. Adapted and directed by artistic producer Donna Spencer, from Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 An Enemy of the People, the play examines tensions between ethics and public interest. The Enemy does a nice job of transplanting Ibsen’s story into a contemporary setting that B.C. audiences can relate to. However, the play could benefit from some refinement, as the dialogue feels a bit unnatural, and there are a few too many extraneous pieces.
Read moreBeautiful: The Carole King Musical glows with inspirational storytelling
Beautiful: The Carole King Musical gets to the heart of what I love the most about musical theatre – it takes you on a character’s journey and combines acting, music, dance, and theatrical magic to tell a captivating story. It tells a simple story – but it’s a moving story nonetheless and the show’s star – the incredible Sarah Bockel – is dynamite.
Read moreAlign Entertainment’s A Christmas Story is a heart-warming treat of musical theatre magic
Photo credit: Emily Cooper
The holiday season has begun and Align Entertainment is on the ball, with its slick, fun-filled production of A Christmas Story: The Musical. Based on the classic 1983 film, the musical version features an excellent score by Dear Evan Hansen’s Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. The stage version definitely succeeds in capturing the same quirky humour and sweet family-life sentiment as the film. Align Entertainment has put a lot of hard work into this show – and the quality of this production sparkles like Christmas lights.
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