Inside Vancouver

Dreamgirls Musical Coming to Vancouver

by Remy Scalza in Entertainment on May 6, 2013

Image courtesy of Arts Club

The hit Motown musical Dreamgirls is making a stop in Vancouver.

The rags to riches drama about three wannabe divas from Chicago comes to the Arts Club’s Stanley Industrial Alliance Theatre May 9-July 7. Eight shows are already sold out for what is expected to be one of the hottest theatrical productions of the year.

The original musical, which opened on Broadway in 1981, ran for an impressive 1522 performances and earned both a Tony Award and a Grammy Award. It was later adapted into the hit 2006 film, Dreamgirls, which featured Beyonce, Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy and garnered two Oscars.

The musical traces the evolution of a 1960s girl group dubbed the Dreamettes, loosely based on the Supremes. Action opens in 1962 at the famous Amateur Night talent competition inside New York’s Apollo Theatre. The ragtag trio of soul singers loses the competition but gains a manager. Their career takes off when they abandon traditional R&B for more mainstream pop sounds, catered to a white audience.

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Dreamgirls Musical Coming to Vancouver

Free parking lot concert May 4 – The New Pornographers!

by Shawn Conner in Entertainment on May 3, 2013

Neko Case with the New Pornographers at Summer Live in Stanley Park, Vancouver, July 9 2011. Photo credit: Anja Weber

However you feel about energy drinks – vital pick-me-up or insidious marketing ploy – their parent companies certainly know a thing or two about promotion. Case in point: Red Bull, perhaps the best known of all the energy drinks, is sponsoring a series of free shows. What better way to get the brand’s name in the minds of its target demographic of music lovers with disposable income? The first in the series of what the brand is calling “the Red Bull Tour Bus Hometown Concerts” is in Vancouver tomorrow, Saturday May 4, in a parking lot at Georgia and Cambie. The band: local (never mind that at least two prominent members live in the U.S.) indie-rock heroes The New Pornographers. Continue reading:
Free parking lot concert May 4 – The New Pornographers!

Vancouver International Burlesque Festival May 2 – 4

by Shawn Conner in Entertainment on May 1, 2013

Performer at the 2012 Vancouver International Burlesque Festival. Cameron Brown photo.

The Vancouver International Burlesque Festival is upon us, bigger and better than ever. For three nights, from May 2 – 4 (with a closing party May 5), the city is hosting some of the best local, regional and international talent in the burlesque scene. To find out a little more, we asked dancer/singer extraordinaire Nicky Ninedoors, who is on the Board of Directors (yes, even a burlesque festival needs one) and a performer with the fest, about some of the highlights.

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Vancouver International Burlesque Festival May 2 – 4

Six under-the-radar shows for May

by Shawn Conner in Entertainment on April 26, 2013

T. Nile at the Red Room, Vancouver, Oct 18 2012. Photo credit: Christopher Edmonstone

April showers bring May flowers – and some pretty good shows. This May seems particularly heavy in the “veteran singer-songwriter” category, along with some up-and-coming Vancouver talent. Let’s look at some of the music acts that might not have the marquee value of Rihanna but are worth checking out.

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Six under-the-radar shows for May

Celebrate 50 Years of Groundbreaking Theatre in Vancouver

by Inside Vancouver in Entertainment on April 26, 2013

photo: Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata | artsclub.com

Today, Vancouver is celebrated as a cosmopolitan oasis of art and culture on Canada’s west coast. But it wasn’t always that way.

Just 50 years ago, live theatre was almost unheard of in the city. That’s when a little company called the Arts Club opened its doors in a converted gospel hall in a rough-and-tumble section of downtown.

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Celebrate 50 Years of Groundbreaking Theatre in Vancouver