The Mountaintop

 On Friday night I went to Pacific Theatre to see their last play of the season, The Mountaintop, written by Katori Hall and directed by Omari Newton. 

Wow Wow Wow.  

If you read my last post, you'll know that what I really enjoy about good plays is when the entire play takes place in one long scene. That's exactly what this 90 minute gem is - with no intermission. 

Taking place the night before Martin Luther King Jr gets murdered, we witness an imagined meeting he has at his hotel with a maid who is more than she appears. 

The maid, Camae, is played by Shayna Jones who is simply BEGUILING. I cannot think of another word to describe her. Her energy, her facial expressions, her cadence... all of it. It is perfection and you need to see this show if only to witness greatness. 

And Kwesi Ameyaw's turn as Martin Luther King Jr has big shoes to fill, but he manages to make it his own. He goes from stoic to passionate to angry to scared in mere seconds, and it is a wonder to behold. 

If you are searching for some excellent theatre in the city, then do yourself a favour and book your ticket now for The Mountaintop at Pacific Theatre. It is on now until June 11! 

Himmat

Last night I attended the opening of Himmat, at the Cultch. It is a bilingual play (Punjabi and English) about an Indian family in Vancouver. 

I try not to give negative reviews on this site, so I'll just explain why the play did not work for me. I don't speak Punjabi, so I felt I was missing out on some of the characters and their development when they were not speaking English. I thought there might have been subtitles going into it, but there weren't any. And that's fine. I saw the latest movie version of West Side Story where Spanish is included without subtitles, but I had no problem still relating to the characters since the lines in Spanish were fairly minimal. In Himmat, there are several full scenes that are completely in Punjabi and I had no clue what was happening or being said. It's an ambitious and noble attempt at bringing something seemingly new to Vancouver audiences. 

I took a playwriting course before, and I know that doesn't make me an expert on plays, but it did make me notice a few things. There are numerous scenes and scene changes in Himmat. I've found over the years that the plays I enjoy the most are the ones where the set never changes and it's almost like one long continuous scene, as opposed to one minute vignettes right after the other. It disrupts the flow for me and I find it harder to get into the character development. 

Another thing I learned in that course was that the writer or director should try to avoid having their characters sit down, as it drains the energy out of a production. I definitely felt this didn't help the show last night as the characters were either sitting or laying in a bed or leaning against something. 

When I got home, The Cultch had sent out an email saying they felt it was necessary to send out a synopsis of the show. This is probably a good idea and I wish I had received it beforehand. 

Himmat is on now at The Cultch until May 15.

The Invisible

 

On now at the YORK THEATRE is the musical The Invisible : Agents of Ungentlemanly Warfare.  

This is a stunning production with memorable songs about a secret all-female spy cell during WWII. It's inspired by real people and historic events, but was there ever really an all-female spy cell working underground? And if there was, will we ever know for sure? 

This show brings us into that world with a simple set design, stunning lighting, and passionate performers who bring these women's stories to the live stage. 

The Invisible is on now until May 7th! 

Spring 2022 : Collected Works at Rennie

I was sad to hear that the Rennie Museum would be giving up its location in Chinatown soon, but happy to hear that they are giving the space over to the Chinese Canadian Museum. I recently went to visit, fearing it would be their last exhibit there (luckily there is at least one more to look forward to!) and I spoke with one of the employees, who told me that the gallery would be relocating, so there is still going to be a space in Vancouver to see Rennie's art collection! 

Right now though, there are a number of different artists being displayed at the Rennie that are worth your time :  Larry Clark, Katy Grannan, and Andres Serrano. Here's a sampling of some of their pieces, but I highly recommend you book your free visit now and look at the exhibition as a whole. 

Book your visit at the Rennie Gallery here. 

How The World Began

 I haven't been to the Pacific Theatre in over two years, and boy was it good to be back! I'd forgotten how being there always made me feel like I was in New York at some off-Broadway theatre. It's not just the atmosphere either, it's also the continuous quality productions that they put on. 

Last night saw the opening of How The World Began, which explores the clash of religion vs. science. It's thought provoking and exhilarating, no matter which side of the conversation you fall on. 

Photo Credit: Diamond’s Edge Photography

Actors Pictured: Ron Reed, Evan Rein, Meghan Gardiner

Designers: Stephanie Kong (Costume), Jessica Oostergo (Set), John Webber (Lighting), Marcus Vaillant (Properties), Rick Colhoun (Sound)

We are introduced to Susan, a new Science teacher recently relocated to small town Kansas from the bright lights of New York. She is met with student Micah, who has an issue with something she had stated in class, basically scoffing at the idea of creationism, which juxtaposes Micah's religious beliefs. Throw in Gene, Micah's guardian, who represents the close-knit mentality of a small town, and this is one explosive powder keg just ready to ignite. 

There is friction, frustration, anxiety, and stress. There is no intermission, so the ride continues with or without you. At times I was reminded of David Mamet's Oleanna, in that there was a lot of "he said, she said" moments with misunderstandings left, right, and centre. A turn in the fourth act really brought it all together for me and made the play not just a debate between those of faith and those of science, but a piece about humanity and our differences, but more importantly, how we navigate and embrace them. 

How The World Began is on now until April 16 at the Pacific Theatre. 

Shakespeare's First Folio and Yoko Ono at the VAG

 If you haven't yet gone to the Vancouver Art Gallery yet to check out Shakespeare's First Folio, it's pretty damn cool to see. It's like such an immense part of Western history, that one just has to go see it for their own eyes. 

Also on still is the Yoko Ono exhibit, which couldn't be more timely given what's happening in the Ukraine right now, with a message of peace and anti-war.  There are also enough participatory installations to keep one entertained. 

Speaking of participatory installations, the latest exhibit aims to engage viewers with its focus on Artificial Intelligence. I wasn't too fussed about this exhibit to be honest. I was also surprised to see an entire floor of the art gallery currently closed off as it is in between exhibitions. Considering it's Spring Break and many people might want to bring their kids to the art gallery to turn their kids onto art, I would've thought they'd want to have as many exhibits on and open during this period, but what do I know. 

Check out the Vancouver Art Gallery for yourself and see what you think! 

BOW'T TRAIL Retrospek

As part of the Cultch's fifth annual Femme Festival, last night saw the opening of the dance performance BOW'T TRAIL Retrospek, starring Rhodine Désir. 

Now I don't pretend to know anything about dance. But this was a powerful and exhilarating performance to behold. Not only with the choreography and movement that we were lucky enough to witness, but also the live music performed by two accompanying "maestro musicians." 

This is culture and it is back in fine form, so don't miss your chance to experience it. Thank you to everyone involved for this opportunity to see this award-winning performance. 

BOW'T TRAIL Retrospek is on now at The Cultch until March 26 !