musical theatre

Exuberant, youthful energy is palpable throughout Daniel K. McLeod’s updated production of this 2015 Fringe hit. It’s funny, sunny, and thoughtful, and doubly energized by a cast, musicians and crew who clearly work well together whether dancing, singing, or delivering the satire.

Many of last year’s strong cast are back, notably Adam Olgui playing multiple roles including the dapper and haughty Pierre Trudeau, and Avy Crowchild playing the lead role of May Lee. Emily Elliot and Caylee Watrin return as May Lee’s close friends, and they are a lovely, animated pair of supporting actresses. Elliot plays the role...

Awkward Stages Productions presents a spirited musical set in highschool where homosexuality is the norm and heterosexuals are outcasts. The school matchmaker keeps everyone coupled up with his magic wand.

Comedy, Musical Theatre, Satire, All Ages - http://awkwardstageproductions.com/

Storyteller Jeff Culbert is on the road and unleashing his own brand of poetic justice to avenge the deaths of “The Black Donnellys”.

Drama, Musical Theatre - http://www.jeffculbert.ca/index.htm

Sadie Goldstein (aka “Knitting Nell”) invites us into her wartime knitting group.  (Got your knitting?  It’s strongly encouraged.  Don’t worry if you can’t bring your own, Sadie may just have a scarf or two in her little basket that you can work on.)

Musical Theatre, Cabaret, Opera, All Ages http://www.melaniegall.com/knittingnell/

My Aim Is True is loosely inspired by the Elvis Costello song Alison. You see, the main character is named Alison, purposefully so by her nihilistic mother, Olivia. The similarities with the song begin and end there. Yes, the characters sing Alison, using various verses in between scenes as sort of buffers to relate to the song, except the actions in between don't meet up with the events in the song.

Alison is a powerful song for two reasons: the quality of the story telling and Elvis Costello. It's not one of those tunes that's covered much, because it's...

Drama, Musical Theatre, Cabaret, New Work - http://chrishomusic.com/

I entered “CAPS LOCK: The Musical” wondering what is in the water in Vancouver that two theatre companies in two months have produced musicals about life in the office (Delinquent Theatre recently premiered “Stationary” at the Neanderthal Arts Festival).

Comedy, Musical Theatre, New Work, All Ages

Hanafuda Denki only has three performances in total (last one is Sunday at 10:10pm) so get your tickets while you can! Imported from Tokyo, the experience of this show was so frantic, fantastical and fragmented that prose cannot do it justice. I recommend that you go and see it with your own eyes.

Comedy, Dance, Drama, Musical Theatre, All Ages - http://www.ryuzanji.com/

A washed-up cabaret performer gets ready for his comeback only to find in his dressing room a reporter. The interview ensues and the audience watches as this original tale written and performed by Bremner Duthie takes his has-been character and shows the reporter and viewers what kind of an artist this man had been.

Whiskey Bars: a Kabarett with Songs of Kurt Weill

Death is the uncommon theme of this medley of pieces; hence, the name: "Deadley" = "medley" + "death". Nursery rhyme puppet-play is juxtaposed with behind-the-scenes SNAFUs in Heaven and more poignant scenes of everyday experiences of death; there are even a few musical numbers. In other words, the collection is a little all over the place.

What holds the production together is less the script than the solid chemistry between the two actors: Gabriel Carter and Shauna Johannesen (also the author) as they played against each other, constantly changing roles. Ms. Johannesen leads the piece subtly and well, and Mr....

Deadley

Director Alistair Newton and his company Ecce Homo have become Summerworks regulars, first bursting onto the scene with attention grabbing The Pastor Phelps Project, a delightful and scathing cabaret deconstruction of ultra-controversial (99% percent of people would say ultra-hateful) American religious leader Fred Phelps, and then a surprising if not unreasonable dissection of humanitarian icon Mother Teresa.

Loving the Stranger

Pages