The Messiah

This is the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of baby Jesus as told by an amateur community theatre duo of two men (Peter Carlone and John Voth), playing all the characters from the Wise Men to shepherds to angels to Mary. Throw in an opera diva (played by Karen Ydenberg) for good measure, and you've got yourself a silly and humorous take on the Nativity. 

At first, I wasn't quite sold on the whole amateur community theatre aspect of the show, with Peter, the earnest new actor who is trying to pay his dues, and John Oliver Bunion, the haughty demanding director and overactor of the show. Their constant bickering while trying to tell the tale of Christmas was a bit distracting until it became the meatier part of the program, and Jesus et al. took a backseat. 

In the end, this seemed to be like Pacific Theatre's version of a Christmas panto (complete with some audience particiaption) and it delivers. The Messiah is on now until December 17 at Pacific Theatre. 

East Van Panto - The Little Mermaid

 I don't like pantos. I find them weird and amateur and unfunny. And the audience participation portion makes me nervous. 

All photos by Emily Cooper

But, I cannot stop recommending that everyone rush out now to go see The Little Mermaid, on now until January 1 at the York Theatre, as the 10th anniversary of the East Van Panto. 

It was absolutely ridiculous fun. This is not the Disney cartoon, if that's what you're hoping for. Nor is it really an ode to the Hans Christian Anderson source material. It lays somewhere in between, with musical numbers based on hits of the day, and Vancouver tidbits thrown in for good measure and humour. 

And oh is there humour. The scene stealer for me has to be Dawn Petten who stars as a maniacal Ursula. But everyone from Amanda Sum's Ariel to Ghazal Azarbad's Eeer-k to Mark Chavez's Sebastian, and even the kids who are taking part this year - all are a joy to watch on stage. 

The Little Mermaid is ridiculous silly fun, and guaranteed you will leave with a smile on your face. Tickets available at the Cultch. 

ANIMAL

 Well, eat your heart out, Cirque du Soleil. Who needs ya anyway! Especially when we've got something as organic and hilarious and genuine as ANIMAL, now on at the Vancouver Playhouse thanks to the CULTCH and the Vancouver International Children's Festival. 

This show was mesmerizing and joyful and also slightly terrifying, because these folks are flying without a net, balancing all over the place on top of one another and soaring through the air. There is also a lot of humour and heart in this performance, and is definitely suitable for all ages. 

photo by Rolline-Laporte

Aside from the mind-blowing stunts, the entire show is soundtracked by a live band - including the circus performers themselves, who sing, play instruments, and even yodel! 

photo by Benoit Z Leroux

Created by Cirque Alfonse, this Quebec-based troupe is gracing our city with their presence only until September 24th, so get your tickets immediately and do not miss out on this thrilling and fun night out! 

photo by Rolline-Laporte

ANIMAL had us laughing and gasping at the same time. I cannot recommend it enough!!! 

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.