Pacific Theatre to November 2, 2025
Tickets from $25 at 604.731.5518 or www.pacifictheatre.org
Posted October 21, 2025
“Wakey, wakey/Rise and shine” – or so we greet the dawn. We all know the time will come when we – every one of us – will neither wake nor rise again. But Wakey, Wakey, written by American playwright Will Eno, is surprisingly funny and even more surprisingly, uplifting.
It begins with Guy (Craig Erickson), in his pajamas, apparently dead or dying on the floor. “Is it now? I thought I had more time.” But he seems to remain in a kind of limbo – somewhere between living and dying – during which he ruminates on life.
In the next scene he’s in a wheelchair, still in his pjs. “I don’t know what to say to you,” he says to us, peering out into the audience. “A joke would be good about here.” But he’s all out of jokes. He pulls little flash cards out of various pockets and reads things he wants to say like, “Time is your friend. Time is your enemy. You choose.” Or, “Practising gratitude can change the shape of the brain.” Interjected between these pithy thoughts are non sequiturs; “You know what is also great? Sardines.” And “Figs are rich in iron.”
Wakey, Wakey is definitely quirky and terrifically entertaining. But the real pleasure is watching actor Craig Erickson at the top of his game. He makes Guy sad and funny and prophetic and sly. “Never a dull moment.” Pause. Reflectively, “Maybe not never.” He chuckles, he looks out at us, he fumbles with the little cards and plays with some tiny toys – from Guy’s childhood perhaps. Projection design by Wlad Wonyo Rodriguez tosses up floor-to-ceiling photographs of Erickson (Guy as a child) on the east and west walls of the performance space. The night I attended, there was so much laughter; Erickson had us from the opening line. He’s not only Guy, but he’s also a guy. He’s sort of an everyguy.
Credit: Chelsea Stuyt
Erickson is eventually joined on stage by Agnes Tong as Lisa, a sort of caregiver or perhaps a guide into the afterlife. Tong’s Lisa is efficient, cheerful and Guy readily accepts her presence at this point in his journey.
The end of Wakey, Wakey is a surprise; I won’t ruin it for you except to say it is an overwhelming celebration of life. The theatre simply buzzes with energy and good feeling. Guy is both gone and not gone. It feels like a huge, communal hug in the theatre as the curtain falls.
Directed once again by Kaitlin Williams, this is a remount of the 2021 runaway success that garnered five Jessie nominations for Pacific Theatre. It’s highly recommended but a little bittersweet as Pacific Theatre has made the difficult decision to leave its thirty-year home in the Chalmers Heritage Building at the end of 2025. Meanwhile, the company is exploring options for a new venue. Over the years, Pacific Theatre has mounted some of the most exciting, risky theatre Vancouver has to offer. We wish the company well in its search and we look forward to being invited back in 2026. Theatre in this town will be a lot less interesting until the company is ensconced elsewhere, entertaining and enlightening us again.