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
At the Firehall Arts Centre until December 5, 2015
Canadian playwright Trish Cooper could not possibly have known how timely this Firehall Arts Centre production in Vancouver would be just as the country is poised to bring in 25,000 Syrian refugees.
Lili Beaudoin as Sarah in Social Studies. Credit: Emily Cooper
At 211 East Georgia (at Main) until November 29, 2015
I can’t remember laughing so hard and being so unsettled at the same time – in equal measure.
Genevieve Fleming as Tanya in The North Plan.
At The Cultch until November 28, 2015
What if your loved ones don’t love you enough? What if they bail out on you if you’re diagnosed with Alzheimer’s? Now there’s a nightmare to plague your waking and sleeping hours.
Patti Allan and Kevin McNulty in You Will Remember Me. Credit: Tim Matheson