Fall Away Home

At the Stanley Park Works Yard August 25, 29, 31 and September 1
The parking is easy; Stanley Park is, of course, beautiful; the tickets are free; and the kids will love Fall Away Home.

Ming Hudson in Fall Away Home. Credit: Ryan McDonald

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A. . . My Name is Alice

At Studio 1398 until August 25, 2013
I don’t usually review musical revues but how could I resist a show with five young women under the direction of one young-ish guy? All the songs are about women in various stages of life and I do have experience: daughter, sister, aunt, wife, mother, mother-in-law, ex-wife, ex-mother-in-law, friend and grandmother.

Hannah Unterschultz, Michelle T. Baynton and Rebecca Friesen in A…My Name is Alice

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Wolf at the Door

At Pacific Theatre until August 17
Keeping the wolf from the door is about keeping food on the table. By the time the wolves come howling, the occupants are starving – easy pickings for packs of hungry canines.  But there are other disasters that can destroy a family and they can be as simple – and as painful – as a clash of ideals.

Rebecca deBoer in Wolf at the Door. Credit: Richard Norrish

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How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

At Theatre Under the Stars until August 16, 2013
What a pleasant surprise this show is after reading a couple of reviews that diss it because it’s so dated. How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is, indeed, dated but almost all musicals – from Oklahoma! To Grease – are out of sync with contemporary culture anyway.

Andrew Cownden in How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Credit: Tim Matheson

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der Wink

At the Russian Hall until August 4, 2013
Critics don’t always agree – and that’s a good thing – but there’s one thing the committee that decides the Critics’ Choice Award for Innovation does agree on: innovation isn’t enough if the piece doesn’t ‘work’.

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The Farnsworth Invention

At Jericho Arts Centre until August 9, 2013
Presented by Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC), this is a brainy play about brainy people and it crackles with nastiness and intrigue.

Michael Smith in The Farnsworth Invention. Credit. J. Chan Photography

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