At Bard on the Beach until September 18, 2014
The Tempest is like a storm at sea: a calm ocean suddenly whipped by wind into fierce whitecaps. But, once past, the towering waves, their fury spent, become a smooth and sparkling expanse.
Allan Morgan as Prospero in The Tempest. Credit: David Blue
At the Arts Club Granville Island Stage until August 2, 2014
“Goodness, gracious/great balls of fire”. Nostalgia being what it is, Red Rock Diner will be a winner for the Arts Club.
Zachary Stevenson as Val in Red Rock Diner. Credit: Emily Cooper
At Bard on the Beach until September 20, 2014
What a dream of a Dream! Take your teenagers. Take your out-of-town guests. Directed by Dean Paul Gibson, it’s a summertime frolic in a land of fairies. And it’s beautiful.
Kyle Rideout as Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream
At the Firehall Arts Centre until June 14, 2014
“So, what’s your sign?” That’s a question that sends me running to the other side of the pool party where they’re probably talking about the price of housing in Vancouver.
Emma Slipp and Sebastian Kroon in The Concessions. Credit: Tim Matheson
At Jericho Arts Centre until June 29, 2014
“Flamboyant, flowery, fancy frippery” reads the press release for this production by United Players, directed by Adam Henderson. This Figaro – the play, not the opera – is all that and more.
Mayumi Yoshida as Suzanna and Patrick Spencer as Figaro. Credit: Adam Henderson
At The Stanley until June 29, 2014
IF The Stanley had a retractable roof and IF the retractable roof had been open the night I saw Spamalot, this show would simply have lifted off the stage and floated away: it’s that light.
Josh Epstein in Monty Python’s Spamalot. Credit: David Cooper
At York Theatre until May 31, 2014
I don’t like opera: it’s a personal failing. And I have no credibility as an opera critic. So what was I doing at the world premiere of Pauline, presented by City Opera Vancouver?
Rose-Ellen Nichols as Pauline. Credit: Michelle Doherty Photography
At Pacific Theatre until June 14, 2014
If, after seeing Lucia Frangione’s Espresso, you don’t feel like rushing home, whipping up some Calamari Piccanti Calabresi, washing it down with a sassy Italian white wine and afterwards, indulging in some amore right there on the kitchen table amidst the litter of plates and glasses, you probably need a spring tonic.
Lucia Frangione in Espresso. Credit: Ron Reed
At The Cultch, May 18, 21, 22 and 24, 2014
A brighter-eyed, more bushy-tailed bunch of performers you’re unlikely to find anywhere outside of Studio 58. And that’s where How Should You Be? was born; as a project for fourth term students, it was part of the 2013 Risky Nights series.
Cast: How Should You Be? Credit: Rae Takei
Under the Big Top at Concord Pacific Place until July 6, 2014
Ah, there’s something about pushing aside the tent flap and entering the big blue-and-yellow Cirque du Soleil tent: the smell of popcorn, the anticipation of fearless high-flying aerialists, the clowns working the crowd before the show, the music, the lights. It’s the whole circus package sans elephants, lions and tigers.