Palace of the End

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)!

Fat Pig

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.

John and Beatrice

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!

Let's Go See The Killers and Make Out in the Bleachers...

ady Gaga really said it best, didn't she?

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!

Hold On To The Memories...

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 Time Has Come to Lip Synch FOR YOUR LIFE!

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???



"I had a nightmare and I didn't wake up."

Baby, One More Time