At the York Theatre until January 30, 2016 (2PM and 8PM)
On the day Charlie Demers was born – July 1, 1980 – his mother made two predictions: Charlie would be a comedian (because he peed on his doctor that day) and, secondly, he would become Prime Minister of Canada.
Charlie Demers in Leftovers. Credit: Tim Matheson
At the Arts Club Granville Island Stage until February 13, 2016
The historical period that writer/director/performer Rick Miller covers with lightning speed starts with a boom and ends with a boom: the August 6, 1945 bombing of Hiroshima and the launch of Apollo II on July 16, 1969.
At the Firehall Arts Centre until January 30, 2016
American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis handed publicists a marketing nightmare with the title of his 2011 play, The Motherf**ker with the Hat.
Stephen Lobo, Kyra Zagorsky, John Cassini, Francisco Trujillo and Lori Triolo in The Motherf**ker with the Hat. Credit: Brian Markinson
At The Cultch until January 23, 2016
As sparkly as a glass of champagne, The Rivals bubbles over with wicked wit, silly jealousies, hilariously mangled language and mistaken identities. Nothing as déclassé as a gut-buster, it’s a well-bred rib-tickler from the opening scene.
Emma Slipp as Miss Lydia Languish and Martin Happer as Captain Jack Absolute. Credit: Tim Matheson
At Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Remaining performance: December 31, 2PM
Imagine finding an old chest buried in the snow. Brush it off, open it slowly and discover it’s full of sparkling jewels. That’s what awaits you at Alberta Ballet’s The Nutcracker.
How did I love thee?/Let me count the ways. This is a sampling, not necessarily of the best, but of what delighted, challenged, provoked, unsettled, stimulated and entertained me throughout 2015.
Genevieve Fleming in The North Plan.
At the Jericho Arts Centre until January 2, 2016
Told from the point of view of The Ghost of Christmas Past (Thomas Jones), The Ghost of Christmas Present (Melissa Morris) and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Mike Stack), Ebenezer: A Christmas Ghost Story is a riff on Dickens’ classic.
Andrew Wheeler as Ebenezer and Melissa Morris as The Ghost of Christmas Present in Ebenezer: A Christmas Ghost Story. Credit: David Newham
At the York Theatre until January 3, 2016
Hansel and Gretel: An East Van Panto has more jokes than Granville Island has rats. Or more puns than the bike lanes Gregor Robertson proposes for Vancouver. It’s loaded with ‘em. Crazy rhymes like “sing and dance” with “drop our pants” or “stairway to heaven” with “7/11” proliferate like abandoned Easter bunnies in Stanley Park.
Dawn Petten (Hansel) and Maiko Yamamoto (Gretel) in Hansel and Gretel: An East Van Panto
On the Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre until December 27, 2015
What a rollicking, swashbuckling opening of the brand new Goldcorp Stage at the BMO Theatre Centre. Peter and the Starcatcher is an Arts Club production in this new venue, owned jointly by the Arts Club and Bard on the Beach.
Rachel Cairns as Molly and Benjamin Wardle as Peter in Peter and The Starcatcher. Credit: Emily Cooper
At The Fox Cabaret (2321 Main Street) until December 6, 2015
FLEE charmed the pants off me. I confess: even if I have no idea of what’s going on, I can be seduced by costumes, lighting, set design, choreography and performance.
Peter Anderson as Archibald Twill in FLEE. Credit: David Cooper