Broadway Across Canada: Mean Girls

 

Well my first show of the new year was Broadway Across Canada's Mean Girls at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. I am not a fan of the original movie, so maybe this musical was not meant for me. There were many in the audience dressed in pink and seemed to be super fans of the film. Basically, I found the show to be fairly meh. 

The songs were not memorable, and the storyline was even less entertaining for me than the movie was. At least the movie had the charisma of Rachel McAdams in it. The cast here were fine, but the material is just too fluff for my liking. 

I do applaud Broadway Across Canada for stepping up and trying to bring new stuff on tour such as shows like this and not the usual regular Les Miserables / Phantom of the Opera combos. 

Having caught the Saturday matinee yesterday, there was one memorable moment in the show that was unplanned when one of the set pieces flew off and hit the actress playing Gretchen in the face. The curtains came down and we had an unexpected intermission, with the understudy taking the stage after the show resumed. Assuming it was Kristen Amanda Smith who was injured, hopefully she is doing okay. 

East Van Panto: Beauty and the Beast

This was only my second year of taking in the East Van Panto, and this tale as old as time did not disappoint with its take on the classic Beauty and the Beast, with its annual East Van spin. 

Everything is familiar but just slightly off. We have our brainy Belle, who wants to become a finance person, a Beast who is turned into a mattress, a family of skunks and their Skunk Overlord, and a well-placed joke about Ken Sims. If you're familiar with the intersection of Venables and Clark, you'll appreciate all the Mr. Mattress and Fujiya humour throughout the show. 

The songs skewer popular hits such as Kylie Minogue's summertime anthem Padam Padam, (as well as her early 2000s monster hit Can't Get You Out of my Head), the Beach Boys' Kokomo, and Ryan Gosling's I'm Just Ken from the Barbie movie, to name a few. 

Some standouts included Steffanie Davis who shows off her pipes as the belting Belle, Jason Sakaki as the Beast and whom reminded me of a younger version of Broadway's Cheyenne Jackson, and Mark Chavez who takes on the multiple roles of a marijuana joint, an art dude, King Skunk, and Senor Tamaki, giving each one their own distinct flavour and nailing it each time. 

With its finger on the pulse of pop culture and city politics, Beauty and the Beast is fun for the whole family. Get your tickets here! 

Snow White

 Looking for theatre that's fun for the whole family?

Check out the Carousel Theatre for Young People's presentation of Snow White (retold by playwright Greg Banks), on stage at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island from November 29 to December 31! 

Tickets and more information available here! 

How Black Mothers Say I Love You

From the very onset of Trey Anthony's How Black Mothers Say I Love You, presented by the frank theatre company, we hear joyful rhythmic music playing, but underscored with notes of dread. What exactly was I in for? It sounded welcoming but at the same time, an unsettling feeling of darkness. 

What follows is a play that unravels like an onion, layer after layer. We first encounter the friction between Daphne and her lesbian daughter Claude. Then a mysterious character appears, singing a lullaby type hymn. Who is she? We soon find out exactly who she is, and it's a shame that her only appearances have her singing. 

Enter Valerie, Claude's sister, and for me, the most layered character in the show. She brings up issues of race, marriage, motherhood, and sisterhood. She seemed complex and complicated, while the other characters seemed more set in their ways. 

Overall, an intriguing glimpse into family dynamics that meet at the intersection of sexuality, race, and religion. 

How Black Mothers Say I Love You is on now at the Cultch until November 12. 

The Catering Queen

Well if you've already packed up your Halloween candies and decked the halls with festive cheer, then why not get more into the holiday spirit by checking out the latest show on at the Metro Theatre? 

The Catering Queen is a seasonal comedy revolving around a group of caterers at a hopping holiday function. They deal with unruly guests and ghosts of Christmas past, while wrestling with their own ghosts of Christmas present. 

It's a glimpse behind the scenes at what goes on when you're drunk off your ass during the festive season with the sober catering crew to bear witness. 

So spike the egg nog and go check out The Catering Queen, playing now until November 18 at the Metro Theatre! 

Te Tangi a te Tui

 

On now at the York Theatre is an escape into the lush world of a Maori legend. Te Tangi a te Tui is a circus of movement and a circus of language. The show is told completely in the Maori language, supplying a sensory delight for the ears. Add in singing and musical instruments, and the sonic soundscape is just as important as all the visuals happening before your eyes. 

Prior to the show, ticket holders were emailed a link to an audio file of the show in English. It is highly recommended that you do the homework before attending. I myself did not do that and found myself fairly lost in terms of the storyline, as there is no translation available on stage. 

It is a beautiful and breathtaking show. Te Tangi a te Tui is on now at The York until October 29.

(All photos by David Cooper.) 

The Mousetrap

I attended the opening night of Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap this past weekend, playing now at the Metro Theatre in Marpole. 

What more perfect way to kick off the spooky season than with a whodunnit mystery written by the Queen of mysteries herself? In The Mousetrap, we are snowed in somewhere in the English countryside and there is a murderer loose in the manor! Who could it be? I had my theories at intermission, but by the time the play concluded, I was definitely proven wrong. 

Set designer Emily Dotson did a fantastic job with this production! We are immediately transported to an old-school lodging house caught in the throes of a winter snow storm. It's cozy and classic, much like the play itself. You can't go wrong with one of the most enduring plays to hit the stage! 

The Mousetrap is on now at the Metro Theatre until October 7! Get your tickets here!