Good People

At The Stanley until April 24, 2016
Like the Nature versus Nurture debate, we often ask whether our lives are determined by choices we do (or do not) make, or are some people just born lucky?

Colleen Wheeler as Margie in Good People. Credit: Emily Cooper

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Onegin

At the Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre until April 10, 2016
There are times when I just want to write: “See it” and nothing else. This is one of those times.

Alessandro Juliani as Onegin. Credit: David Cooper

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The Crowd

At Studio 58 until April 3, 2016
Two world premieres back-to-back: The Out Vigil (Firehall) and The Crowd (Studio 58). Now that’s what makes a city world-class: two world premieres in less than a week.

Camille Legg, as Tina, and Nathan Kay, as Bobby, in The Crowd. Credit: Emily Cooper

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The Out Vigil

At the Firehall Arts Centre until March 26, 2016
It was the late novelist Marian Engel who said something about people who live on the very edges of continents. They get away from the centre as far as they can before falling off.

Stephanie Iszak as Lizzie and Matthew MacDonald-Bain as Danny in The Out Vigil. Credit: Emily Cooper

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The Gay Heritage Project

At The Cultch until March 19, 2016
Seeing this production of The Gay Heritage Project back-to-back with The Hooker Monologues brought up similarities between gays and sex workers: they share long histories of persecution and lifestyles that are heavily stigmatized.

Paul Dunn and Damien Atkins in The Gay Heritage Project. Credit: Guntar Kravis

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The Hooker Monologues

The Hooker Monologues at The Firehall Arts Centre until March 13, 2016. Sold out.
There’s gutsy and then there’s GUTSY. That’s The Hooker Monologues, enjoying a sold-out run at The Firehall until March 13.

The cast of The Hooker Monologues. Centre: Maggie de Vries. Credit: Gail Stephan

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Ga Ting (Family)

At The Cultch until March 19, 2016
It’s really hard to believe that a mother, singing “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” to her infant son, had – according to the baby’s father – “made” the child grow up gay. Pity Kevin, a young Asian guy, coming out to such an ignorant father.

BC Lee, Brian J. Sutton and Alannah Ong in Ga Ting (Family). Credit: Raymond Shun

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A Very Narrow Bridge

Dayson Board Room, Jewish Community Centre, March 5-10 and March 12-13
If you take religion out of the equation, is a Jewish guy still a Jew?  That’s the question Itai Erdal – best known as one of Vancouver’s most innovative lighting designers – asks himself.

Itai Erdal in A Very Narrow Bridge. Credit: Emily Cooper

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Cats

At the Jericho Arts Centre until March 12, 2016
As Ryan Mooney, Cats director and Fighting Chance Productions’ artistic director writes in his program notes, “What is it about this odd show?” Odd, indeed.

Four of the cast of Cats.  Costumes by Fairlith Harvey. Credit: Allyson Fournier

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