Browsing “Cue To Cue Series”

Last Minute Gift Idea: CIRQUE DU SOLEIL’s AMALUNA

December 24, 2012

Here on Cue to Cue we’ll regularly feature in-depth previews and reviews of the shows that create the face of Vancouver theatre, as well as interviews with the local artists behind it all…

Amaluna by Cirque du Soleil

Written and Directed by Diane Paulus. A Cirque du Soleil production. In the Big Top at Concord Pacific Place on until January 20, 2013.

Photo: Laurence Labat Costume: Mérédith Caron

I’m a sucker for a bit of spectacle. That said, From Quidam in 2004 to O last year in Las Vegas, I’ve always added Cirque du Soleil to the budget (or the credit card). I mention this so that we’re on the same page when I say: Cirque’s current offering to the Vancouver scene, Amaluna, is the most dazzling and effective production of theirs I’ve ever seen.

Cirque normally is escapist fare for me, a series of amazing visuals to feast on with little thought to narrative. Amaluna however makes effort to plant one foot solidly in the story realm. With heavy influence from a variety of Shakespearian plays (our lovers are Miranda and Romeo), we find a satisfying balance of reverie and realism. This isn’t just a love story, though; this is a coming of age story for our Miranda. By watching a variety of strong female performers, she finds inspiration for the woman she hopes to become. Guided by goddesses, she learns that confidence and strength are actually the key to the success she desires. In a particularly memorable moment, we end Act 1 watching her come into her own with a mesmerizing contortion and balance routine on the edge of a water bowl. From child-like joy to sexual abandon, we find ourselves on a journey of discovery ourselves through their spectacle. This journey is scored by a steady stream of beats and rock riffs coming from an all female band. “Amaluna is a tribute to the work and voice of women,” explains Director of Creation Fernand Rainville. “The show is a reflection on balance from a woman’s perspective,“ he adds. Show Director Diane Paulus says: “Amaluna is less about feminism and more about reconnecting to our world in a different way.”

Breaking the Cirque mold was where Amaluna was most successful for me, but there were clear ties to older formats that fell flat as a result. Each Cirque show has clowns, and while in many cases their presence is a welcome break in tone and athleticism, the strong narrative in Amaluna didn’t seem to require the farce. Our clowns, Jeeves and Deeta, were frankly not funny. Their entrances elicited audible groans, and sidetracked an otherwise exquisite pace.

Story aside, Amaluna still heavily favours the impossible athleticism and beauty that Cirque du Soleil is known for. I had the pleasure of being sandwiched between my friend who has never been to any circus in one seat and an 8 year old boy in the other. From screams to terrified giggles, there was rarely a moment in the night they weren’t in complete awe at the acts. We spent a lot of the night whispering “could you imagine if our bodies could do that?” Some personal favourites: In “Icarian Games and Watermeteors”, tiny girls spin ropes that are weighted at both ends while men juggle their bodies with their feet. I might have lost my voice after that part. Later, in “Manipulation”, a beautiful goddess builds an enormous arrow out of Palm one stalk at a time, holding on to the wavering form while picking up new stalks with her toes. Not even the kid next to me took a breath for fear. Then in a flying sequence called “Aerial Straps”, performers battle atop the audience. This is “flight in four dimensions,” according to the press-release “calling for precision timing in addition to the skills and physical strength it takes to move at high velocity through 360 degrees”. Success.

Whether you are looking for a last minute gift, or a treat for yourself this holiday season, I cannot recommend this latest Cirque incarnation enough. The show isn’t perfect, but it is the perfect night out…just ask the kid who left begging his mom for juggling lessons.

WHEN: Now until January 20th, 2013
WHERE: the Big Top at Concord Pacific Place
TICKETS: 1-800-450-1480 or Online.

Photo: Laurence Labat

Thanks! As always you can contact me at cuetocue@vancouverisawesome.com or @viaplays

Written by: Sarah Szloboda |
Category: Cue To Cue Series, Theatre, Uncategorized

Blind Date: The Best Date I Never Had

October 4, 2012

Laurence Olivier once said that “in a great city, or even in a small city or a village, great theatre is the outward and visible sign of an inward and probable culture“. There is no better proof of this than in the umbilical connection between Vancouver’s thriving culture and bourgeoning theatre scene.Here on Cue to Cue we’ll regularly feature in-depth previews and reviews of the shows that create the face of Vancouver theatre, as well as interviews with the local artists behind it all…

Rebecca Northan as Mimi. Photo Credit: Greg Tjepkema

Blind Date at The Cultch until October 7th

In a world saturated with cynicism there is a welcome break. Her name is Mimi. In Blind Date (at The Cultch until Sunday) we arrive to meet a beautiful woman in a cafe who is so up-beat you almost can’t believe she’s been stood up. Not to be deterred, Mimi invites a complete stranger from the audience to be her date. What happens next is a completely improvised relationship between the lovely Mimi and an audience member. That means that like a date, no two nights are ever the same. It’s extraordinary and absolutely mandatory viewing.

As Mimi, the ridiculously beautiful Christy Bruce (understudy for show creator Rebecca Northan) dances between comedy and pathos, creating the perfect environment to build a relationship with her audience member. With a red nose and a charming grin, Bruce enchants detail after detail from her once uneasy audience guest. Managing to even charm her date’s wife in the audience, their date goes from first meeting to first kiss through to fourth baby. While a comedic triumph, the beauty of the 90 minute piece is the richness of the honest moments. Bruce exhibits such confidence and warmth in the silences, that I felt like I was truly watching a relationship progress; In many ways I was. A unique and resonant evening of theatre, Blind Date is a highlight of the fall’s offerings. With only four shows remaining, and few tickets left, this show is not to be missed.

Where: The Cultch (Victoria and Venables)
Tickets: www.thecultch.com or 604-251-1363

As always you can contact me at cuetocue@vancouverisawesome.com or @viaplays

Written by: Sarah Szloboda |
Category: Comedy, Cue To Cue Series, Theatre

REVIEW: The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

April 12, 2012

Here on Cue to Cue we’ll regularly feature in-depth previews and reviews of the shows that create the face of Vancouver theatre, as well as interviews with the local artists behind it all…

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot By Stephen Adly Guirgis

Presented by the Cultch
Produced by Pound of Flesh Theatre in association with Pacific Theatre and Neworld Theatre
Presented with Rumble Productions as part of the 2012 TREMORS Festival

Judas (Bob Frazer) and Jesus (Todd Thompson) photo: Tim Matheson

“It must be nice to have all the answers.”
“It must be difficult to have only questions”

Is any mistake too big for forgiveness? If man has choice, and god made man, are any choices actually mistakes? If god is all forgiving, then why does Judas Iscariot sit in hell? In The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Stephen Adly Guirgis’ own beliefs are put to trial along with the world’s most famous traitor. Thankfully for us, Guirgis’ own disaccord is asserted with biting humour and voiced by some of the best actors in the city. Certainly one of the best productions of the year, Judas Iscariot offers a black-comedy of biblical proportions rooted in doubt and lifted by contemporary bombast.

If heaven and hell are a mindset, as the play seems to suggest, it seems fitting that purgatory is really a place called Hope. It’s to this end we watch a trial between “God and the Kingdom of Heaven and Earth versus Judas Iscariot”, presided over by a surly judge (Kevin McNulty) who has languished there for 140 years after a civil war suicide. While at times deeply poetic, we learn that this court room drama is as many parts The Wire as it is Perry Mason. As the unceremonious Saint Monica, the brilliant Marci T. House sets the pace for the rest of the night. In response to being thought of as “heaven’s nag” she replies “I am a nag, and if I wasn’t a nag… the church wouldn’t a had no Father of the Church named Saint Augustine—cuz I birthed that mothahfuckah, raised him, and when he started messin’ up, like, all the time and constantly, I nagged God’s ass to save him!”. This is a masterpiece in which the strict bonds of naturalism need not exist.

Guirgis paints the most doubting of his characters in Judas’ defiant and agnostic defense attourney, Fabiana Aziza Cunningham (the strong Katherine Venour). …READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

Written by: Sarah Szloboda |
Category: Cue To Cue Series, Theatre

GIANTS II: Morgan Brayton

November 23, 2011

Shining the theatre light on the best of Vancouver’s comedic underground.

On November 26th, GIANTS Comedy and The Cultch are proud to present the second of six instalments of this first-of-its-kind project uniting the best of Vancouver’s comedy scene with the ambition and professionalism of the local theatre community. After a sold out premiere, GIANTS’ sophomore show features a mix of sketch, and stand-up culminating Vancouver’s first comedic RAP BATTLE where a dozen of our funniest comedians will twist rap battles with pro wrestling type characters to make one MASSIVELY entertaining experience that we at Vancouver is Awesome are proud to be media sponsors of. This show will sell out.

GIANTS is more than just a live show, it is a collaboration between some of Vancouver’s best comedic talents. The latest video offering created by Weekend Leisure, features the uber-talented Canadian Comedy Award nominee: Morgan Brayton

Morgan Brayton was the inspiration for Nicholas Cage’s classic films, National Treasure and National Treasure 2: More Treasure. If you didn’t know that, you may recognise her from her hit shows Raccoonery and Girls Like Me which were both highly acclaimed and highly nominated. If you’re even further under a rock than anticipated, you may know her from The Vancouver Comedy Festival, , or local stages like The Hero Show, Girls Girls Girls, and Paul Anthony’s Talent Time. If by chance you cannot see, you may remember her voice from CBC’s The Debaters. I’m just saying, she’s the funniest person in my the room on a regular basis.

The November 26th GIANTS show also includes some of the golden boys and girls of the scene, many of whom have never shared the stage. Guests include: RAP BATTLE MC Taz VanRassel (The Sunday Service, Vancouver Theatresports), Ben McGinnis (CTV, Comedy Now), Pump Trolley (Chicago Sketch Fest, Music Waste), Alicia Tobin (City TV’s The List), as well as a slew of surprise Vancouver celebrity comedians battling one another in rhyming hip-hop parody.

GIANTS II is not to be missed.

Location: The Vancity Culture Lab 1895 Venables Street

Tickets: $10 Available at the door or in advance at www.giantscomedy.com

Follow GIANTS on Twitter @giantscomedy

Like GIANTS on Facebook

Find out more! www.giantscomedy.com

Written by: Sarah Szloboda |
Category: Comedy, Cue To Cue Series, Theatre

Cue to Cue Series – Ryan Beil & Main Street Theatre

November 18, 2011

Here on Cue to Cue we’ll regularly feature in-depth previews and reviews of the shows that create the face of Vancouver theatre, as well as interviews with the local artists behind it all…

We are well in to a great season for theatre, and there is no better example of it than some of the projects on the horizon. Described as “theatre at its most startling”, Ronnie Burkett is one of this week’s highlights as he returns with his new marionette piece Penny Plain at the Cultch. Hannah Moscovitch’s conceptually complex Russian Play & Mexico City opens at Presentation House. Arts Club’s latest musical Blood Brothers (featuring Spirit of the West’s John Mann) begins previews at The Stanley. From puppets, to war plays…a little something for everyone.

Also gearing up is one of the year’s hottest tickets, True West, Main Street Theatre’s latest offering. For the last three years, the men and women of MST have transformed the intimate Little Mountain Gallery in to one of the most saught after performance spaces. A series of independant theatre producers have followed their suit, inspired by the explosive staging and filmic intimacy that the city’s theatre community had rarely experienced before hand. Their first production, Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, is still one of the best I’ve ever seen and though Arts Club tried their hand at the same script shortly after I would have been quite content to let it live unchallenged in my memory for a few more years. Their two subsequent productions, American Buffalo and Lie of the Mind, solidified their place as tastemakers in the city.

Like all of the people behind Main Street Theatre, Ryan Beil has a full plate of work these days. When he is not performing on some of the largest stages in the city, and filming national commerical campaigns, Ryan is also a fixture in Vancouver’s thriving comedy scene. In fact, this week marks the 5th Anniversay of his Improv super group The Sunday Service, which has been a favourite of audiences and comedians alike (they have two specials to mark the occasion tonight and of course Sunday). This week I had a chance to sit down with the Jessie Award winner (and all around really nice guy), to hear a bit more about True West and the work behind the success:

(L) Darryl King (R) Ryan Beil (photo by Stephen Malloy)

Who are you?

Ryan Beil. Actor, Comedian, Producer, and occasioanl writer. Born and raised in Vancouver.

…READ THE REST OF THIS ENTRY>>>

Written by: Sarah Szloboda |
Category: Cue To Cue Series, Theatre

Cue to Cue Series – Never Forget

November 10, 2011

Sometimes it’s hard to say what made a show so great. Sometimes it’s a brilliantly executed script, and at other times it’s the show lacking polish that is most full of resonant moments. When seeing one of the many fall/winter theatre offerings in the city, it’s sometimes the chance to grab a drink and talk about what worked (or what didn’t) that makes the experience more personal and in that way is one of the many reasons live theatre is unlike any other medium.

This week, the gripping and fantastic Re: Union (by Vancouverite Sean Devine) continues at Pacific Theatre. Screaming Weenie’s latest provocative and emotional Falling in Time continues at Performance Works. The Margaret Atwood penned The Penelopiad, The Arts Club’s latest fare, features an incredible all female cast. Also on this week, The Firehall pays homage to the men and women who have lost their lives or loved ones to war with a special Remembrance Day performance of VIMY tomorrow Friday, November 11. The play, called “a sincere work about awful sacrifice”, tells the story of a nurse who mourns her lost love while caring for four wounded soldiers in a field hospital soon after the Battle of Vimy Ridge during the First World War.

Also continuing this week is Headline Theatre’s Us and Them:

Photo: David Cooper

Before I talk a bit more about Us and Them, I think it’s important to never forget how important a good publicist can be to a production. To use this experience as a most recent example of this point, with the amount of press releases I get in a day I likely would not have attended this production initially. After a few more polite but urgent personal emails from their publicist I realised the only way to make them stop was to go. Even after the show, her bubbly personality and specific compliments to the production were a nearly perfect pitch. I wish I could say that after attending, I realised the error of my initial aversion to the event…but that was not the case. Oh well.

I found the script akin to a highschool awareness skit, and though the piece aimed to bring awareness I was offended by the simplified portrayal of the many plights of our community members. This is all not to mention the extra 45 minutes added to the piece attempting to showcase Artistic Director David Diamond’s intelligence and empathy while he belittled audience members’ ideas in the post-show forum, which was unfortunately the nail in the coffin.

That aside, I can absolutely appreciate the intentions of the work. It is clear that Headlines Theatre has made a concerted effort to create works from a group mind, and that has earned them the financial backing not usually synonymous with theatre. The production value was high as lighting/sound design was extraordinary, and it was clear that the community members attempting to fill the one dimensional lines had put a lot of time and heart to fill the night. I am also very aware based on the size of the crowd, and the discussion that followed, that many benefitted from the night…and that can be just as or more important than any of its short comings.

As always, stay in touch on Twitter @viaplays, or at cuetocue@vancouverisawesome.com

Written by: Sarah Szloboda |
Category: Cue To Cue Series, Theatre