Pussy Riot

 There's a very exciting exhibit on now at the Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver. If you've never been, now is the perfect chance to go check it out. 

It's Velvet Terrorism: Pussy Riot's Russia. This is the first survey exhibition of this infamous feminist collective! How lucky are we? The group came to help curate the show, and even performed a live concert in town during the first week. 

The exhibit itself contains footage and photographs mixed with handwritten accounts of events they took part in and things that happened to them in Russia. It's extraordinary to witness their courage and bravery. 

The Pussy Riot exhibit is on now until June 2!  Don't miss out! 

Go Home Yuppie Scum

 An exciting new exhibit has landed at the SUM Gallery via the Queer Arts Festival in Chinatown. Preston Buffalo's Go Home Yuppie Scum uses altered reality technology, 3-D glasses, and even old school View Masters (remember those?) to comment on the state of Vancouver. 

Go check out Go Home Yuppie Scum on now at the SUM Gallery until June 6 ! 

Parifam

Presented by Medusa Theatre and Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, The Cultch kicks off its Femme Festival with Parifam. 

Written by Aki Yaghoubi, Parifam takes us into the world of Parifam, our lead character who is in the midst of balancing her artistic endeavours with her professional architectural work. Her friend Ramak wants to film a documentary on her and her work, but there is an underlying sense of trauma that Parifam is battling with. 

We are introduced to her son and husband, who tiptoe around her when they're not in the middle of a melodramatic argument. There are flashbacks to Parifam's own mother's trauma, but things are quite unclear as the lights go down on Act One. 

The set design by Parjad Sharifi is impressive. But the teasing mystery in Act One isn't clear enough to make audience members really feel engaged enough to want to find out what happens next.

Parifam runs now until April 14 at The Cultch.  

Noises Off!

 Another classic hits the Metro Theatre this season, as they bring to life the comedic hijinx of Noises Off! If you've never seen this play before, then get yourself to the Metro for a wonderful production!

The cast is stellar, especially when you think about all the lines and physical comedy they put into this 2+ hour production. The set design is perfect, considering how integral it is to the storyline. There's even an immersive element which I don't remember from having seen this play before, but it's been awhile so I could be mistaken in thinking it is unique to this mounting, but perhaps it is!

All in all, you will leave the theatre with your sides and face hurting from laughing all night long.

Noises Off is on now at The Metro Theatre until April 6!

Choir Boy

It was on a rainy Sunday afternoon this past weekend when I decided last minute to purchase a ticket to the Arts Club Theatre's production of the hit Broadway play Choir Boy. 

It's about a young gay Black student played by the forceful and enigmatic Andrew Broderick, who is dealing with friendships and being picked on at his all-boys school where he is the lead of the school choir. Anton May provides a nuanced performance as his character of David, while Kwaku Okyere is explosive as the bully Bobby. Savion Roach plays the roommate of our lead character and brought tears to my eyes with his portrayal of kindness. 

The show was emotional and moving, with a superb set (designed by Rachel Forbes) that transformed amidst acapella hymns sung by the cast. The singing was transcendent. It's not a musical, mind you. It's a play, with songs in it. At 1 hour and 45 minutes with no intermission, Choir Boy had me completely captivated and is quite likely the best thing I've ever seen put on by the Arts Club at the Stanley Theatre. 

The songs and the story were both simply beautiful. Go see it! Choir Boy is on now until February 25. 

Into the Woods

Studio 58 at Langara continues to produce high-calibre productions for the city of Vancouver! If you're not attending their shows, then you are missing out. 

Currently on display is the Sondheim classic Into the Woods. With brilliant production design by Candelario Andrade, we are transported into a fairy tale land that holds some shocks and surprises for you. 

Some may not know this, but Into the Woods can be looked at as an AIDS parable. Written at the height of the epidemic, Sondheim pulled on the environment around him to create a show that deals with grief, loss, and consequence. Of course, it can also be enjoyed on a more superficial level too, with the story of the Baker and his Wife trying to have a child by undoing a curse put on them by their neighbouring witch. Throw in some fairy tale favourites like Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Rapunzel, and this could very well be fun for the whole family! 

A definite crowd favourite on opening night was Brynna Drummond, who does double duty as both the lecherous Big Bad Wolf and one of  the smarmy Prince Charmings. 

Into The Woods is on now at Studio 58 until February 18! 

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.