I went to the Lady Gaga concert a week or two ago courtesy of Chris, and it was a pretty fun night!
Compared to seeing her last March at a small club venue, this show could not compare. I mean, that one was much more intimate. I was hoping that with more money behind her, she'd have a bigger show this time around. And some elements definitely delivered, from the screen and imagery she presented, to of course, the newer songs.
I freaked out on Monster, lost my mind during Beautiful Dirty Rich, and screamed my heart out to Bad Romance. But I did find her ordering of the setlist a bit off. Near the end of the show, she sang Paper Gangster, a relatively unkown song and also one that's mid-tempo/slow. She followed it up with Poker Face, which I think deserved a much better lead in. At that point, I was like, "Oh yeah, Poker Face. That's nice." Sorry Gaga, but Paper Gangster totally took the wind out of the sails!
Another observation I made was that she talked a lot to the audience, which somewhat interuppted the flow of the whole show. I mean, it's nice that an artist will talk to her audience, compared to some others that don't even say one word to them (paging Madonna!!) but between every song was a bit much. I think she was trying to keep that intimate vibe she had last Spring, but in this bigger venue with a bigger show, it just wasn't working.
And why the heck didn't she perform Telephone!?! RIGHT?!
But overall, an entertaining evening and a fun night out with friends, dancing and singing along to the vibes of Lady Gaga!
I grew up in a Vancouver Special. This was a type of house that dotted the city because it was cheap to make and made maximum use of space. Aesthetically speaking though, they weren't that nice to look at, especially when you had entire neighbourhoods full of them.
But now someone has gone and did a major renovation of one of them and come up with something absolutely fabulous!!
It's unbelievable the facelift that they've given to an old Vancouver Special!!
Last week I went to a reading by Canadian author and radio personality, Stuart McLean. If you listen to the CBC's Vinyl Cafe, you'll know who I'm talking about.
For those who don't know him, well he has written several "Vinyl Cafe" books that are light and fun reads. Definitely wholesome entertainment. It might be a bit too vanilla for some folks, but that's his appeal. He's no David Sedaris or Augusten Burroughs. Rather, his stories are about a family in smalltown Canada and the misadventures they go through. If you're interested, check his radio show or download the podcast.
Last night the rain was relentless. In fact, there was no reprieve all day. It made it the perfect evening to go for some mellow out music with The Swell Season.
Their show was lengthy but good. I'm glad I got to see them. Marketa is super cute live, borderline shy, it's endearing. I guess compared to Glen, he would make anyone look shy.
Here they are on Letterman from 2007, singing their Academy Award winning song, Falling Slowly, which they did last night in one of their encores:
The sun poked out today, and it's been dry so far. Fingers crossed!
It has been raining for about three weeks straight here in Vancouver. Oy. Today is a torrential downpour. It's just disgusting. I don't like it. We've had a few reprieves but for the most part, it's either drizzle, mist, or downright cats and dogs. Tomorrow the sun is supposed to make a cameo. Keep your fingers crossed.
It was complete fun!! Total camp, and of course, blood splattering everywhere! Including all over me, since I was in the "splatter zone"! I made sure I bought Splatter Zone tickets.
So, there is a bit of controversy going on around this production. They bought the rights to put it on, and so they are doing so. HOWEVER, one week later, it gets announced that the touring company of this show is also coming to Vancouver at the exact same time that this production is going on.
That really sucks for these guys. I mean, the touring production has a way bigger budget, bigger venue, and more advertising. I've seen full page ads and heard their cast on radio stations, etc.
It isn't right that they would do that to this little theatre company like that. Basically screwed them over, you know? I mean, these people put their time and energy and money into this production, only to have the big guys come in and take all that possible business away?
So, if you're in Vancouver or have friends here, please encourage them to go see the local production of Evil Dead: The Musical. Support local theatre, local arts. This production was fantastic! Why pay double the price when you can enjoy the exact same thing for less? Buy your tickets here!
I'm so mad I won't be able to go see Jay Brannan when he arrives in town next Thursday at the Biltmore Cabaret. Tickets are only $17, so it's a total deal to go check him out! He's awesome live and will probably be doing songs from his latest release, In Living Cover.
The last time I went, he did Jann Arden's Good Mother and it was soooooo heartbreaking, I fell in love with it. I'm so glad he included this song on the new album. In addition, he's done this brilliant cover of The Cranberries' Zombie:
Last night I found myself up on the 58th floor of Vancouver's tallest building, the Shangri-La hotel. I was there in attendance for the launch of Shinan Govani's book, Bold Face Names.
Lainey from LaineyGossip had invited me along, but I thought she just wanted to meet up quickly with me beforehand, not realizing she wanted me to be her Gay Date for the evening! So, there they were, everyone looking fabulous, and I was all schleppy in my jeans and ratty sweater and in bad need of a haircut. "It's a Vancouver crowd," Lainey assured me.
It was a bit of a frantic evening as I was technically still at work. Lainey insisted on meeting me at promptly at 5, and I wasn't off work till 5:30. I managed to sneak out of work for 20 minutes and one cocktail and 58 flights later, I was back at work finishing up my shift.
At 5:30, I hightailed it back to the Shangri La because I didn't want to shrug off my duties as the Gay Date. I went back, had another cocktail, mingled a bit, and left an hour later - since I had dinner plans in the works, too, and a friend had already been waiting and starving for an hour for me!! Whoops!
I grabbed a swag bag on the way out, which contained the book, a thinly veiled fictional account of the life of a gossip columnist (the author is a gossip columnist). So, looking forward to reading it!!
Wow, Saturday night's Pet Shop Boys concert was brilliant!! Fantastic show!!
When the Pet Shop Boys sang Jealousy, I was instantly resonating with the song and its lyrics....
Where've you been?
Who've you seen?
You didn't phone when you said you would...
Do you lie?
Do you try
To keep in touch? You know you could
I've tried to see your point of view
But could not hear or see
For jealousy
I never knew time passed so slow
I wish I'd never met you...
The Pet Shop Boys didn't sing What Have I Done To Deserve This, which caused me major sadness. I was also looking forward to Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money). The set was so simple and effective, though, made up entirely of white cardboard boxes, which would collapse and crumble and then get rebuilt again into different shapes and walls, which was used as a projection screen. At the end, they were lifted into the air and spiraled like hanging mobiles. So good!!!
One of my favourite songs in the entire world is by the Pet Shop Boys, and when they sang it, I was in heaven. Here's Being Boring:
This Saturday, the Rio Theatre will be host to another Saturday Morning Cartoon Party! Tickets available now online! I've never been but have been wanting to go, so will most likely check this out. Wear your pajamas, bring a bowl for discounts on the sugary cereals (Frankenberry, BooBerry, and more!!) and come enjoy the retro cartoons from 10am - 12pm, to be followed by a screening of the classic, The Neverending Story!
Time for the annual Fall art gallery hop known as Swarm!!
It takes place this Thursday and Friday around town and if you haven't swarmed before, it's one of the most interesting experiences you can have here in Vancouver! From the amazing artwork one can come across to the neighbourhoods you get to explore that you might never have before (i.e. the Downtown Eastside).
Last night I went to our local fair, the PNE, along with a few hundred other feygelahs, to spend an evening with some familiar funky divas: it was a free summer concert by EN VOGUE!!!! With Corn Dogs in one hand and a bag of mini-donuts in the other, I was ready for some Dawn Robinson, Cindy, Terry Ellis, and Maxine!!! Bring it on Girls!!!
When they sang Don't Let Go, I totally wanted to dedicate that to The Guy! lol! "Don't you wanna be, more than friends?" I love their video for this, look at the rage they have in their eyes. Also, all of them seem to get their time in the spotlight and can each hold their own singing-wise. Too bad Dawn had to go and break up the group by leaving it, otherwise who knows how well they could've maintained their success?
I am loving the new Skytrain line that just opened up this week. Monday was a gong show when the Canada Line opened its doors and allowed passengers to ride for free for the day. The line ups were city blocks long to try to get on, so I didn't bother. Instead, I waited for the next day when I could just hop on with my transit card and boy was it glorious! Roomy and spacious, clean and odor-free! I managed to get a seat, I didn't have to sit next to someone that smelled like booze or urine, and I didn't have to stand on the platform waiting for 3 trains to pass me by before being able to get on one!
Yesterday Philip and I escaped downtown on our lunch break and took the new line all the way out to Richmond and hopped off for some authentic Chinese food. I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of the new stops was at the River Rock Casino, so the next time I have a concert to attend out there, I can just hop on the train to go!
I hope the trains stay nice and clean but I'm sure the grafitti artists and vandals will begin their work soon enough. Still, it's convenient and about time!!
Last night I met up with blog reader Dave (nice to meet you!) who is in town from Vegas, and we had dinner followed by me dragging him out to witness Teen Angst Poetry night at the Railway Club!
It was a hilarious evening of people reading out their diary entries, old suicide notes, and bad poetry from their formative years. I didn't go up to read but next month, I'm all over it! Anyone want to join in? It's every 2nd Tuesday of the month.
Yeah, that's right. I went to watch some local wrestling at the Russian Community Centre here in Vancouver, and you know what, it was AWESOME!! It was the Pacific Cup tournament held by Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling.
The crowd was totally into it. In the heart of Kitsilano, one would never expect to find a crowd of people chanting out, "El Phantasmo!" to the masked wrestler of the same name entering the ring. These people were regulars, as they had their crowd favourites! There was Billy Suede whose high flyin' antics made the first several rows scramble out of the way when he threw his opponent out of the ring and into the audience! There was also the mohawked Randy Myers who got the crowd cheering him on as he cut off some of his hair in order to meet the weight requirements.
It was a great night out, and it was nice to see such an enthusiastic crowd. I was pleasantly surprised too when only a few people started chanting homophobic slurs like "Bunch of Faggots" or "You're a Homo!" and the rest of the room did NOT join in for that, so good on the rest of the crowd. That was nice to see. Oh and the wrestlers? Yeah, there were definitely some hot ones running around with hard bodies in tight trunks!
But overall, the wrestlers had amazing abilities in the ring, making everything look completely real and totally painful. I'm sure they were all hurtin' later on, but these are skilled pros so maybe they know how to do it without beating themselves up too much. The best part was the humour that some of the wrestlers brought to the ring. Their showmanship was amazing and definitely makes me want to go back for more!!
Last Friday I finally checked out FUSE, which is an event that's been taking place at the Vancouver Art Gallery for several years now. It takes place on select Fridays starting at 8pm, running to 2am and features performances from local artists and groups, while a DJ spins tunes throughout the night. And of course, you also get to walk around and look at the current exhibits in place.
Right now, Reece Terris' Ought Apartment installation takes up the entire staircase, with each floor representing a different decade of style and design, from the ground level 60s inspired home to the 2nd floor 70s shagalicious digs, up to the 3rd floor's 80s explosion of pleather, carpeting, and marble.
Models dressed up according to their respective decades roamed the installation, including a friend of mine who looked fabulous both in her 60s June Cleaver-esque dress as well as in her 80s hairsprayed up-do. Local dance troupe The House of La Douche performed to RuPaul's "Put The Bass In Your Walk" while the men's choir Chor Leoni serenaded the crowd. Later on, an electric celloist dazzled the crowd in the main lobby, while the hipsters upstairs were busy belting out tunes like "Jet" and "I Will Always Love You" in the "ironic karokee lounge."
The exhibits themselves were mediocre - uninspiring photography showings. The Ought Apartment installation is currently the best thing at the Art Gallery right now. Keep your eye out for the next FUSE event.
Afterwards, we made our way to the cafeteria which is constantly buzzing during lunchtime with the downtown business crowd, but on this particular evening had transformed into a makeshift bar with the hip and not so hip coming together to drape themselves along the steps of the gallery, wine glasses in hand, laughing and conversing on a perfectly warm soon-to-be summer night.
I'm 2 for 2 so far! That is, 2 good plays one after the other this week! As well, this play, Palace of The End, was the second play I've seen at the PAL Theatre located on the top floor of an apartment building in Coal Harbour. And like the other production I saw at PAL, this too was excellent, so I'm 2 for 2 on that as well!
Palace of The End is a heavy piece, made up of 3 distinct monologues based on the true life stories of 3 people. The first one was my favourite - the female soldier who was photographed making fun of Iraqui prisoners. The actress who played her did a PHENOMENAL job! Her part was engaging, interesting, well-written, humorous, sad, moving, and downright amazing.
The second monologue belonged to a British weapons instructor, who was the one to reveal to the world that there were indeed no weapons of mass destruction to be found. His bit was somewhat boring, mainly because he didn't get to move around much on stage and there weren't enough points of humour to keep the audience going. With three heavy monologues to sit through, I needed a bit more variation within each of them to keep me interested. I couldn't wait for his part to be over.
Finally, the third monologue was just as good as the 1st one, that being an Iraqui woman who was tortured by Saddam Hussein during the 70s for being a Communist, and then later killed during the war when an American bomb blew up her home. Her performance was elegant, precise, poised, sweet, sad, startling, and methodic.
Definitely worth seeing, so go check it out! I was fortunate enough to go to the Free Preview last night. Free theatre, with this calibre? You really can't go wrong. Palace of The End runs until June 6, and there is a 2 For 1 showing on Saturday night (tomorrow)!
Neil Labute's Fat Pig is currently playing at the Performance Works theatre on Granville Island. If you're familliar with his stuff, you'll know that it's usually pretty dark and uncomfortable.
Fat Pig is the tale of Tom, a young man who dates Helen, a heavy set woman, only to be made fun of by his peers and pressured into leaving her. It's an exploration of society's views on physical beauty, love vs popular opinion, and standing up for oneself, or at least, the struggle to do so.
I wanted to see this off-Broadway in New York a few years ago, when Felicity's Keri Russell was in it, alongside Jeremy Piven and Andrew McCarthy. I didn't know the woman who played Helen, though, and the show was only just beginning as I was leaving. So I'm glad I was able to see this local production of it!
The performances of all the actors were great, considering the set was pretty stark and the direction had the actors either sitting down at a table or even down on the ground. I've always been told that a good director never makes his/her cast sit on stage, as it depletes the energy. But that just shows how remarkable these four actors were, being able to convey emotion and give great performances from their respective disadvantage points.
Fat Pig plays until May 30th, with cheaper matinee showings, or if you prefer, like me, attend a 2 For 1 show - the next 2 For 1 is Tuesday, May 26.
Friday night I went to see Pi Theatre's production of John and Beatrice, which is a dynamic and fun play about a lonely woman who places an ad for man to come over to interest, move, and seduce her. John shows up to take on these three challenges. Can he do it? But what exactly will his reward be?
Held in the unique location of PAL Theatre down in Coal Harbour, one walks into an apartment building (what else is there in Coal Harbour?) and journeys on up in the elevator to the top floor, where you will find waiting for you a theatre! Talk about your theatre in the sky!
I loved this experience, from the location to the play itself. Definitely a must-see if you're a theatre buff in Vancouver!
Last night's Killers concert was well, Killer. Brandon Flowers rocked the house. He was so high energy, so damn adorable, and we were all putty in his hands.
Brandon's actually a thin guy, not to mention tiny. So, my dreams of him sweeping me off my feet have been a bit dampened, but not much. His singing voice is swell, and he's quite the talent, jumping from guitar to piano to keyboard, all while singing and running around the stage like a child hopped up on candy. Standout songs included the opener "Human" and their new single "Spaceman."
They did all their hits and then some, which had the entire floor flowing like an ocean wave and jumping in unison. We watched as one girl crowd-surfed her way to the front not once but THREE times. It was a mosh pit I'm glad I wasn't a part of! It was nice to sit right next to the stage and stare at Brandon with no one jostling me! It was a great crowd - everyone was into it, nobody chattering away during the show (though it was so loud I probably wouldn't have heard them), and I even forgave the pot smoker in front of me who asked me to take his photo, cause he was nice and he was cute, but mainly cause he was cute.
The Killers put on an electrifying show!! Complete with pyrotechnics and falling sparks!! Brilliant!
Richard Marx was a treat last night. He played all his hits, and a few new songs that actually sounded pretty good. It was unfortunate to see that the venue (the size of a lecture hall at a college) was only 3/4's full. Ah well, everyone seemed to have a good time, including Richard.
He sang Hold On To The Night and Right Here Waiting both on acoustic guitar, rather than piano. Guess he was trying to keep things interesting for himself, since I'm sure a lot of people were expecting him to do these songs on piano.
There's something about Richard Marx' voice that just makes me feel...sad/nostalgic. It makes me think of the poor kid in class who you later found out via the 6 o'clock news died in some horrible death. The kid who wore high tops and ripped jeans and was just a bit on the dirty side. Why does Richard Marx conjure up those images for me? I don't know. But THAT'S how sad his voice makes me feel sometimes.
Anyway, he spoke quite a bit to the audience which was great, making cracks about Billy Bob Thorton, poking fun at his old mullet, and talking about his hit song Hazard, which he almost didn't write but ended up finishing to spite his wife, who told him it was the coolest song he'd ever written.
Here's an acoustic version which is what he did last night, of his biggest hit, Right Here Waiting:
The rumour mill is spinning. It's pretty much secured that for Vancouver Pride this year, we will be graced with the presence of the one, the only, Miss Nina Flowers - Loca!!!
Apparently, she'll be performing at the annual Rapture party, held at the Commodore, for Pride. But that's not all. Organizers are scrambling and trying to land another drag queen whom Rupaul told to "sashay...away!" Keep your fingers crossed because we just might also be getting the one, the only, ONGINA!!!
What I need to know, is why the fuck they haven't tried to get us Miss Fuckin' Fabulous herself, Tammie Brown, goddamnit!!! Excuse You Me???
The story goes like this: I bought tickets for my niece, they were too expensive and she didn't want them, I planned to hawk them on Craigslist but Ticketmaster wouldn't release them to me until the day of the show. Erego, I found a friend who wanted to go so we went.
Now onto the good stuff.
We arrived late so we completely missed the Pussycat Dolls opening!! I mean, really, it's Vancouver, and no one ever starts concerts on time here! We strolled in at around 7:30 and the PCD were pretty much done their set.
We found our way to the floor and ended up being literally right next to the stage. It was insane! But not as insane as a club night concert with Lady Gaga (i.e. no drunk ho's rubbing their crotches into our back). But then again, this was a stadium and not a nightclub, and tickets were not $30 each. Maybe that's the way to see concerts from now on? Pay for the highest priced ticket you can find in order to avoid all the riff-raff?
You've most likely heard about the clusterfuck that took place at the show last night. Britney doing 3 songs and then disappearing for 30 minutes leaving the audience bellowing in the dark, only to get an announcement that the show would not continue until everyone put out their cigarettes and joints.
I for one applaud her for doing it! I mean, even at the Madonna show, Madonna had to say to the audience, "Please don't smoke near the stage." Why does this shit only happen in Vancouver? I don't understand why people feel they have to toke up at concerts. I mean, if you want to get stoned, go ahead, but maybe do it outside or before the show? I just find it inconsiderate to light up during a show with everyone around you. I'm not uptight, I'll smoke a doobie with you if you want, but let's not do it in a stadium full of people and then blow it into the performer's face. It just makes me embarrassed for our city, having people think we're inconsiderate and a bad audience, therefore possibly turning off other acts who might want to come do a show here...
Anyway, the show itself was fun. I mean, yeah she lip synched her way through, her dancing was not on par with what she used to be, but it was pretty awesome to be THAT close to her. We screamed out "Merry Christmas!" to her a few times hoping she'd hear us. I wasn't very impressed with the setlist. I mean, she didn't do Gimme More or Break the Ice, let alone Toy Soldier!! I would've much preferred those songs over some of her choices i.e. Hot As Ice, Breathe/Touch of Your Hand, and Ooh Ooh Baby. Like, she's lip synching anyway so really what does it matter?
Overall though, entertaining and a great night out!
The new Vancouver Convention Centre opened its doors this weekend to the general public for an open house and I was lucky enough to be in the area and took a quick visit. First off, the place is GIGANTIC. There was room after room after room, on several levels. The "Green" roof they've got going is cool, with grass/gardens growing on them. One thing I didn't know is that they also set up a mini bee colony on one of the roofs, so that should be interesting too. Otherwise, it should be a great addition to the city and function as a great gathering spot during the 2010 Olympics!
Lady Gaga performed last night at the Commodore and it was ridiculous and fantastic beyond belief.
But before I get into the show, can I just comment on the crowd? For the most part, people seemed cool, but there was a bunch of b*tches near us who were basically drunk hos. Why do I always get stuck near these idiots? They're the ones who are so plastered they can't even stand straight, they have to lean on you for support, or they're busy flinging their limbs every which way and hitting all those around them.
When I wasn't being elbowed, I was being poked in the face. I made a big scene about it, pretending that the girl poked me in the eye and she felt guilty and tried to apologize but I just ignored her and she kept insisting how sorry she was and couldn't I see that!!! I really wanted to just shove her over, but karma had other things in mind for this wino. At the end of the show, she had fallen onto the floor and could not get up. The floor was filthy disgusting and it was amusing to see her crawling around looking for her shoe while people were dancing about around her. Yeah, that's what you get when you're an idiot and don't care about those around you - no one's gonna give a shit if you're on your hands and knees licking up the last drops of vodka that you spilled earlier when you were busy elbowing people next to you, in front of you, and behind you.
During the show, I fought off the evil elbowing losers by breaking out into my own hyperactive dance style. The first song was "Papparazzi" which was fabulous to watch just to see her outfit. I'd try and describe it but I wouldn't even do it justice. Let's just say that the set around her acted like an extension of her dress... So the next song was "Lovegame" to which I immediately started jumping up and down and elbowing back my enemies. They didn't like how it felt so they tried to out-dance me with their asses gyrating against me, but I didn't care. I got bootie, too, and I pushed back with my own and also shouted the lyrics as loud as I could near their ears, "I WANNA TAKE A RIDE ON YOUR DISCO STICK!!!!"
I won the dance-off as they slunk away to a different corner to annoy other people, so HA!
The show itself was cool because it had all the elements of a big pop tour: video images and interludes, back up dancers, changing sets, and change of outfits. Sure, everything was lower budget, with the videos being homemade (but in a cool artsy manner) and projected onto a white sheet instead of a million dollar jumbotron. But it worked. In the small club venue we were in, it was perfect.
My favourite outfit was her bubble dress! Shouldn't we all have one of these in our closets?
She did a piano/Broadway style version of "Poker Face" which was fun but a bit disappointing that it wasn't the full on original dance version. She did The Fame, much to Bellybutton's delight. I could've done without "Nothing Else Left To Say (Eh Eh Eh)" but I guess she needed to bring the energy down a bit. She performed a new song called "Futurelove" to which she commented that some of you "scallywags" probably going to record it and put it on YouTube.
Don't even get me started on the amount of cameras being held up throughout the show, recording, snapping photos. Remember back in the day when you went to a concert and had fun, instead of watching it through your digital camera's screen?
Of course she did "Just Dance" to which she again credited Canada with making it her first Number One (she said this back in November too, when she opened for NKOTB). Oh and you better believe that those digital screen sunglasses came out in full force!!
I went ballastic again when she did Beautiful, Dirty, Rich because it was sensational. "Bang, bang, bang, bang!" People went crazy for Money Honey and stomped their feet when she went offstage before her encore.
Returning in a police-hat with the word "GAGA" on top, she sang "Boys Boys Boys" which of course is the new gay anthem!
So finally, Lady Gaga babbled some more and then said, "I know what you're all thinking. You're all thinking, 'Why doesn't she just shut up and do Poker Face already?'" The room pretty much exploded at this point as she went into the original dance version of Poker Face. This was like masturbating for two hours straight and finally, at long last, finding that release.... YES!!!
Last night I attended a fabulous reading by Jan Wong at the Vancouver Public Library. Known for Red China Blues and her Globe and Mail column Lunch With Jan Wong, the author read from her latest book Beijing Confidential in which she details her journey back to China to find the woman she had turned in to the authorities during her Maoist years.
I haven't read the book but I can't wait to read about her search, and the inevitable outcome when they do finally find one another. Wong was hilarious last night, her dry humour coming out but less harsh than it sounds when she puts pen to paper.
If you missed it, you can catch her again tonight at the Strathcona Community Centre where she is headlining a fundraiser and doing a talk about growing up Asian Canadian.
I went to watch the play Blackbird on Wednesday night. Having just read the play a month or so ago, I had no idea it was even coming to town so was excited to see that it was. This was the story of the young 27 year old woman who confronts the now 55 year old man she had a sexual relationship with when she was 12 and he was 40. Yeah. If you're looking for some controversial and uncomfortable theatre in Vancouver, this is your current best bet.
I thought it was a great production, with two strong actors and a riveting storyline, which as previously noted when I had read the play, was sometimes a bit too sympathetic to the pedophile character and made me wonder just exactly where the writer was coming from and what his intentions were. The play manages to touch upon all the different facets of the situation: the hurt and chaos caused to the victim, the shame and aftermath of the pedophile's life once things come out in the open, both characters trying to move on, the seduction of the adult figure by the younger one, and the possible ongoing cycle of abuse in the adult's new life under a different name.
The East Van Cultural Centre, aka The Cultch, has been renovated so it was nice to see part of the new building. The play takes place in the back, as the main theatre isn't open yet. The only complaint was the heat in there! Somebody needed to put on the A/C!
The author of Red China Blues and the Globe and Mail column "Lunch With Jan Wong," will be coming to the Vancouver Public Library this Thursday night to do a reading from her latest book Beijing Confidential. Momma, Rick and I will be in attendance and we can't hardly wait!!
I went to the Pi Theatre production of Bashir Lazhar this past weekend, which is a one-man show starring David Marr who was downright excellent in it. For 65 minutes, he carried the entire show on his shoulders and was brilliant.
The play is the story of a substitute teacher who comes to Canada as a refugee from Algeria. He has to console a grade six class through a tragedy while at the same time dealing with his own personal tragedies that take place beyond the classroom.
Bashir Lazhar runs at Performance Works on Granville Island from now until March 21.
