A History of Motown

Vancouver, you only have  ONE WEEK left to catch the phenomenal and informative show A HISTORY OF MOTOWN on now at the Firehall Arts Centre!

I was lucky enough to attend last night with a sold-out crowd and had no idea what to expect. Was this going to be a jukebox musical of sorts? 

I couldn't have been more wrong. 

What began as an educational program that toured schools to enlighten kids with the sounds and stories of Motown, as well as information about society at that time, i.e. civil rights movement, racism, has now become a bona fide hit with the public! 

Creator and singer Krystle Dos Santos leads a full band and the audience on a journey into Motown. I learned so much from this show that I never knew before, like how Stevie Wonder went blind or just how important the Ed Sullivan Show was to many Black artists. The first act is Motown 101 while the second act dives deeper into its history and legacy. 

My favourite part was the segment detailing the rise and fall of The Supremes, highlighting Florence Ballard, all interspersed between verses and choruses of You Keep Me Hanging On. So well done! 

By the end of the show, everyone was on their feet and dancing, and you will be too! 

Go see this now and take everyone you know with you! And if you're connected to a school, she still does school shows so invite her already !!! 

A History of Motown is on at the Firehall until August 24. 

Starwalker

 Whenever I see that I'm attending a homegrown musical and that it's a world premiere, I admit that I am prejudiced into thinking that it's not going to be good. But upon arriving at The York theatre on opening night of Starwalker, I was immersed into the positive energy that was vibing throughout the building. There were dignitaries in one corner, drag queens in another, Indigenous dancers in yet another, and smiles all around. Everyone was eager to see the show that we were all about to witness. 

From the opening number, we were presented with a brand new musical of such calibre that it should go directly to Broadway next. No joke. The songs were great, the singing was fantastic, the dancing was entertaining, and the storyline was engaging. Add in the Indigenous culture element, and this is something you've not seen before. 

The story revolves around Star, a lost soul who finds themself embraced into the fold of the House of Borealis, a group of drag performers who have become chosen family to one another. Through their support, Star becomes the person they've always meant to be, while also navigating a love interest, a maternal figure, and a secret past. The House of Borealis itself also has its underlying tension going on.

This show has humour and it has heart. Writer Corey Payette's achievement is astounding, and if he won the Tony award one day, I would not at all be surprised. The imagery in the show is memorable and the messages it brings forward are important and heard, but without hammering the audience over the head with it. A balance of entertainment and education. 

Go see Starwalker now at The York Theatre, on until March 5. 

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!!! 

SUM Gallery : Sovereignty

 Did you know there was an art gallery here in Vancouver dedicated to Queer Arts? 

I just found out recently that the SUM Gallery exists, over in Chinatown! This space is courtesy of the Queer Arts Festival. 

On now until May 14 is the show Sovereignty by Duane Isaac, who is a Mi'gmaq photograpgher and mask maker.  

It's free to visit the SUM Gallery, you just have to book an appointment! Go check it out! 

Book of Mormon

The Book of Mormon is currently in town and you have a few more days to catch this uproariously hilarious musical from the twisted minds of the creators of South Park. I've seen it three times already (once on Broadway, once in Seattle, and once here in Vancouver the last time it came to town).

But I couldn't RESIST the Student Rush Ticket deal they have going on right now. Every show, two hours before curtain time, the box office will open with 20 Student Rush Tickets priced at $25 each. Since I am a student, I had to make use of my student card, amirite?

Each student is allowed to purchase a maximum of 2 tickets, to be paid in Cash Only. I caught Sunday evening's performance, which began at 7:30pm, which meant the Student Rush tickets went on sale promptly at 5:30pm. A friend and I snagged FRONT ROW seats to this spectacular show!

If you've never seen the Book of Mormon musical, what are you waiting for? Go do it now! It's only here for a few more days!

The Vancouver run closes on September 4th. Check out Broadway Across Canada for more info!

Fringe: Blackbird

One of the shows at this year's Fringe Festival is David Harrow's Blackbird, put on by Aenigma Theatre, who previously did The Zoo Story this past Spring and which I really enjoyed.

I've seen the play Blackbird before, and it is intense. It's the story of a young woman who goes to confront the man with whom she had a sexual relationship when she was 12 and he was 40. Awkward!

But seriously though, this is an excellent piece of theatre, so make sure you don't miss out! Blackbird will be on at the Culture Lab at the Cultch on the following dates:

Friday, September 11th-       10:05pm
Saturday, September 12th-   5:15pm
Sunday, September 13th-    12:30pm
Monday, September 14th-     9:20pm
Thursday, September 17th-   9:30pm
Saturday, September 19th-    7:05pm.

The shows runs for approximately 90 minutes, without intermission.

Fringe Festival Vancouver 2015

Are you ready to Fringe??

As Summer comes to a wrap, we are fortunate enough to have a plenitude of events in store for us in September. One of those events is of course the annual Fringe Festival! Preparations are already in gear, and tickets are already on sale, so have you picked up your program, chosen what shows you want to see, and bought your passes?? If not, now is the time to do so!

Check out the Fringe Festival website for more info! Fun Fun Vancouver will be devoting much of the blog to the Fringe as September begins, so stay tuned for reviews on shows if you're looking for suggestions!

Asians on Stage & Screen Talk

Want a guaranteed celebrity sighting? Then why not head up to the UBC campus on Tuesday March 24th for a panel discussion on Asians on Stage and Screen? It features members of the local comedy troupe Assaulted Fish, who are hilarious!You might recognize a few of the actors too from some of their cinematic works, including actress Diana Bang, who was most recently in the controversial Seth Rogen film The Interview. Also appearing will be Nelson Wong and Kuan Foo. For more information check out this link!

Stickboy the Opera

I got a chance to go see Stickboy The Opera recently, which is having its world premiere at the Vancouver Playhouse and presented by Vancouver Opera.

I'm not an opera fan in the slightest. I do enjoy musicals, though. Actually, I love musicals. Which is not to say that they are one and the same. In fact, opera is very different. Usually, the lack of hummable Broadway show tunes has me infuriated that I'm wasting my time watching an opera. Also, they are usually in another language so I don't have any idea what's happening, despite the help of subtitles that are normally provided.

However, with Stickboy, comes a VERY accessible opera not only in the modern way that it's presented (animated images on a screen in the background), a very thorough write up of the story and yes it is in English! The story itself was also easy for me to connect with, having been bullied in school during my teenage years. The premise revolves around an overweight boy who is the target of harassment and bullying in his high school. The scenes are simple but effective, and will keep you poised on the edge of your seat as you root for him to find the courage to overcome.

Stickboy would be the perfect introduction for anyone who is looking to get into opera, in its accessibility and relate-able storyline. I can easily see troops of high school classes being taken here for a field trip both as a lesson in opera and the effects of bullying.

Stickboy is on now at the Vancouver Playhouse until November 7th.

Vancouver Opera presents: Stickboy

"There's a bully in all of us." So is the tagline for the world premiere of this original piece presented by the Vancouver Opera.
 

"The inner life of a young boy is at the heart of this moving and meaningful new opera by world-renowned spoken-word artist Shane Koyczan and composer Neil Weisensel. Bravely autobiographical, beautifully poetic, visually innovative and musically memorable, Stickboy confronts the uncomfortable reality of a society struggling with its own fear and insecurity, a society that seeks conformity and uniformity at the expense of those who are different."

Stickboy runs at the Vancouver Playhouse from October 23 to November 7. 

Spamalot

The Arts Club Theatre has chosen a perfect way to close out their theatre season, with the Tony-award winning musical, Monty Python's Spamalot.

The touring production has never come to Vancouver, so to have it be presented at the Stanley Theatre for our city's premiere is perfect. It's also perfect because it's silly and light and goofy and totally hilarious. If you're a huge Monty Python fan, you will absolutely love this. If you're not a fan or not familiar with the story, no worries, it's extremely entertaining and will be sure to get you laughing within minutes! 

Be prepared for high camp, slapstick, and puns...lots and lots of puns!  

I saw this on Broadway the year it won the Tony for Best New Musical, and it starred Tim Curry as King Arthur, and Grey's Anatomy's Sara Ramirez as the Lady of the Lake. In the Vancouver production, they do a wonderful job in terms of the acting (or over-acting as the case may be) and singing. 

Monty Python's Spamalot runs now until June 29 at the Stanley Theatre! 

Happy National Poetry Month!

Tonight at the Cottage Bistro, ome down and celebrate National Poetry Month with readings by John Barton, Andrea Bennett, Dennis E. Bolen, Sarah De Leeuw, Lawrence Feuchtwanger, Jennica Harper, Alex Leslie, and Jacqueline Turner!

Show starts at 7pm; Free admission

Cottage Bistro : 4470 Main Street

Odysseo!

Can't wait to see this! Anyone else going to this show? The company Cavalia was here a year ago and I didn't get a chance to see it, but I ain't missing out on this one! More information on the Cavalia Odysseo site!

Odysseo rides into town on December 7th until January 5th! 

Venus In Fur

Toted as a "kinky comedy" is Venus In Fur, presented by the Arts Club Theatre Company. I was thrilled to see it come to Vancouver stages this month, as it is fresh from Broadway as of last season. Usually we have to wait eons for anything from Broadway to get here, but this was less than a year in the making, so great job Arts Club on delivering us this Tony nominated play.

It centers around Thomas, a playwright who is trying to cast the lead role in his show but just can't seem to find the right woman for the job. In from a rainstorm comes Vanda, who at first starts off as the clumsy newbie but ends up with Thomas eating out of the palm of her hand.

Lindsay Angell and Vincent Gale throw out electrifying performances that you will want to catch! Director David Mackay does a great job at moving the two characters around the stage - there was not one seat in the house that could never see anything, because the movement and positioning was so thought out and precise. The play is layered with complexity, touching upon issues of sexism and art but at the same time making the audience laugh. Well done, good job everyone!

Venus In Fur plays at the Granville Island Stage until November 2.

Contemporary Art Gallery

I recently visited the Contemporary Art Gallery, located at 555 Nelson Street. Vancouver deserves to have a cool modern art gallery such as this, and with Free Admission, why aren't more people visiting? Currently, they are exhibiting the work of renowned British artist Mike Nelson, on until November 3.

Assaulted Fish at the Fringe!

I love love love comedy group Assaulted Fish! And so will you. And so did the SOLD OUT crowd last night at their 10 year anniversary show at the Vancouver Fringe Festival. They've received rave reviews for their intellectual, slapstick, political, thought provoking, and most importantly, side splittingly funny show. Get your tickets while you still can!

Assaulted Fish: Sacred and Profane has one more show to go. Saturday Sept 14 at 8pm at Studio 16! Tickets here!

SWARM 2013

Autumn, my favourite time of year!! And what better way to kick it all off than with the annual SWARM art gallery hop?!

It runs September 12 & 13th, check out the website for a full map of all the participating venues!

Avenue Q

Hope everyone had a great long weekend, whether you were at Pride, Powell Street, fireworks, out of town, or doing something else just as fabulous even if it was chilling at home.

Now that the main festivities of the summer have climaxed, let's not forget there is still a lot more to do around the city. One thing going on that I've noticed this year is the presence of more summertime theatre! The Arts Club theatre has just extended its run of the hilarious Avenue Q until the end of August! This is a Tony award winning musical that's like Sesame Street for Adults. Warning: This is not a family friendly affair, so unless you want your kids to see puppets having sex, this will likely not be PG-Friendly!

However, the calibre of the production is definitely on par with the New York show that I saw years ago. It's just as much fun to watch the amazing skills of the puppeteers as it is to just sit back and enjoy the puppets, who will have you literally in stitches!

It will definitely "suck to be you" if you miss out on Arts Club Theatre's Avenue Q, playing now at the Granville Island Stage!

Illuminaires 2013

Yay! It's that magical time of year again, when fairies and hippies and the most amazing paper lanterns light up the night at Trout Lake! That's right, it's Illuminaires and it's tonight! This free family-friendly event is one of the most perfect ways to spend a summer evening outdoors. If you haven't built a lantern yet, you've still got time to poke some holes into a tin can and bring it on down! This year marks the 25th anniversary of Illuminaires, so it's bound to be an awesome night!

The Vancouver International Fringe Festival - Sept 6 -16 !

I have a confession. I have never been to the Fringe Festival. I love shows and plays and all that jazz but have never made it to a Fringe performance! What is wrong with me!?



So the Vancouver International Fringe Festival starts today! Yay! If you're not familiar with the Fringe, it's "BC’s largest theatre festival and North America’s most international Fringe Fest. This year’s Fringe Festival will feature over 754 performances by 97 groups over 11 days, and is expected to attract over 30,000 attendees."

I have my program guide, and there are just so many live performances and plays to choose from! Where to start? How do I go about this? Anyone out there have any advice or recommendations?

I think I kinda want to see Zanna-Don't, since I've already seen Xanadu!

Other than that, I'm told things can be hit or miss. If you have a show you think is worth seeing, let us know about it!