Angels in America: Part One : Millennium Approaches

One of the most iconic plays in recent memory will be on stage here in Vancouver. In fact, it will be on two stages! This year, Angels In America will be performed by the critically acclaimed company of Studio 58 at Langara College. Next Spring, taking a crack at it will be the Arts Club Theatre.


Now, I've been to productions at both places. Studio 58 is fairly consistent with its calibre of theatre productions that it puts on. Arts Club Theatre though, can be hit or miss. Arts Club Theatre however, may have more budget and therefore may be able to bring the grandiose that this play calls for.


With that said, the production I am most looking forward to out of the two is the one at Studio 58, which starts its run THIS WEEK!!

If you're not familiar with this play, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and deals with the AIDS epidemic in New York City during the 80s. Ground breaking and provocative, we are truly blessed to have the chance to see this live this year!


Get tickets to Studio 58's Angels In America: Millennium Approaches online!

A Good Way Out

The new season at Pacific Theatre began last night with Cara Norrish's A Good Way Out.

This drama centers around Joe, a mechanic with a storied past trying to make a better life for himself - by joining a biker gang. The gang provides family, though he has blood family of his own in the shape of sister Lynette, an ex-stripper girlfriend named Carla, and two kids.

Andrew Wheeler, Carl Kennedy, Chad Ellis.

Joe finds himself torn between loyalties to Larry, the gang leader who has given Joe a new life but who has also kept him under his thumb, and the desire to move onwards and upwards and be able to be independent and provide for his loved ones. Enter his buddy Sean, who has a not-so-wise plan to help Joe gain that independence. Will this be Joe's downfall?

Carl Kennedy, Evelyn Chew, Corina Akeson, and Chad Ellis.

A Good Way Out is a story about choices. In life, we all have them and sometimes we make bad choices. It's a reminder that no matter how hard life can be, if we just take a look around, there may just be a better way, a better choice. And if not, we need to look for it, before we end up making a bad one.

A Good Way Out is on now until October 15th at Pacific Theatre. 


(Photos by Matt Reznek.)

Literasian

It's going to be quite the literary weekend! Literasian is also kicking off tomorrow, and will also be found on Sunday at the Word Vancouver event at Library Square.

This festival celebrates Pacific Rim Asian Canadian writers! For more info, check out the literAsian website!

Word Vancouver

The Word Vancouver festival kicks off tomorrow night culminating with the big free public event on Sunday at Library Square. Word Vancouver is "Western Canada's largest celebration of literacy and reading!"

For more information, check out the Word Vancouver website!

Vancouver Fringe: Dying City

The Vancouver Fringe Festival is now upon us!!

I went to my first Fringe show of the season last night at The Cultch. My guest blogger, Meaghan, will be covering more Fringe shows in the coming days. I found it hard to get down to Granville Island all the time, so I'm so happy to see that the festival has spread itself out into the city more, with shows at The Cultch, The Firehall, Havana Cafe, etc.

Aenigma Theatre's production of Dying City is a heavy drama about a man who has died in the war in Iraq. It centers mainly on those that he left behind, including a grief-stricken widow and a gay identical twin brother. The twin and the widow meet a year after the death of Craig, tethered by loss and a balance that shifts when secrets unravel quick and dirty.

Both Christine Bortolin and Garland Chang weave in and out of past and present seamlessly, with Chang donning the dual role of the deceased Craig and his twin, Peter. If you're looking for serious drama with good acting and a thought-provoking script, then make your way to The Cultch and catch Dying City (nominated for the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Drama).

Dying City is on today at 5:15, Sept 11th at 12:30pm, the 12th at 8:45pm, the 15th at 9:30pm, and Sept 17th at 7pm.

SWARM!

SWARM, the Art-Gallery hop in Vancouver is on RIGHT NOW.

Are you SWARMing???

Madonna: Truth or Dare 25th Anniversary Screening at The Rio

OH MY GAWD.

When I was 13 years old, I was GAGGING to go see Madonna's Truth or Dare documentary. She was my idol. Of course, nobody would take me to the theatre to see it. I tried to sneak in with a friend, but that also got squashed by the theatre workers. So I had to wait months after it was out of the theatre to see it via rental on VHS video.

Still, I watched it completely enamored. I bought the video, then years later the DVD, and have watched it countless times. Alek Keshiashan's filming of Madonna's Blond Ambition tour remains the most cinematic I've ever seen of her concerts. I've been wanting to see the concert in full from his footage, but alas only a select number of songs make it into the film. Maybe one day, we'll get the full Blond Ambition tour released.

But  up until now, I had never seen Truth or Dare on the big screen. Turning 25 this year, it's finally coming back in vogue (pardon the pun). New York City screened the film for a whole week, with Madonna herself appearing at the MoMA screening of it to surprise her fans. Can you imagine? I was bemoaning the fact that I wasn't in NYC for that - not just to have her in the theatre, but even just to see the movie on the silver screen the way it was intended.

Now, thanks to the Rio Theatre, I will FINALLY get my chance! I've only been waiting 25 years for this moment!! Thank you RIO Theatere for making a lifelong dream of mine come true. I can't wait to cozy up in one of your seats with a bucket of popcorn and finally get to watch Truth or Dare in all its glory, on the big screen with surround sound, amongst other fellow Madonna fans.

Truth or Dare screens at The Rio on Tuesday September 6 at 845pm.

Picasso: The Artist and his Muses

I may have been a bit quick to dismiss the current Picasso exhibit on at the Vancouver  Art Gallery. I first attended the opening night event, which of course, was stupidly busy. That meant I had very little time to look at all the artwork being displayed. It was a "let's just get this over with" kind of evening. And Picasso's work has never fully appealed to me before.

I went back mid-summer with a friend and got to see a bit more of the show, but even then I found myself bored and not really engaging. Perhaps it's because we were more focused on catching up with one another than we were the exhibit.

Finally, I went back for a third round and it's like they say, third time's the charm. This time I read all the descriptions and realized that Oh, Wait a Minute, this exhibit centers around Picasso and all of his lovers that he'd had and how they inspired and informed his work! Whoa. That's kinda cool. And he's also kind of a player. And he's DEFINITELY a jerk. I mean, on one of his so-called "muses" he went and burned her face with a cigarette butt! W T F ??

So in the end, yes, this is an interesting exhibit and you should go check it out and give it a chance.

Picasso: The Artist and His Muses is on until October 2 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

i-Exit Escape Room Games

Last night I went to my third Escape Room game! I've done two previously, both at Exit Canada. For this round, I decided to check out something new, so a few friends and I headed downtown. Did you know there was an Escape Room game right on Granville and Davie?

i-Exit is located there, and they have theme rooms that include The Matrix, Vegas, Party at the Studio, and the one that we ventured into: PIRATES ON THE ROCKS!

Comparing it to No Exit, I found this one to be a lot less stressful to do - mainly because we were given ample time (65 minutes) and a guarantee that we can retry with no additional cost. The game itself was very fun, where things weren't always as it seemed. I don't want to give anything away so won't go into the details. There were only 3 of us and we managed to successfully escape, with about 6 minutes left on the clock! Not bad!

Bonus: We used a Groupon to go to it, so that was a sweet deal!

I'd definitely go back to i-Exit again, but am also keen to check out some other Escape Room games around town. Any suggestions out there on which ones are good?