The Cast of The 39 Steps.
The return of an all-femme hit cabaret, some groundbreaking puppetry and no fewer than three plays with religious themes are part of this month’s Vancouver theatre scene. Check below to find a show or two that suits your tastes.
Children of God (until March 10, York Theatre, 639 Commercial Dr.)—Remount of Corey Payette’s acclaimed 2017 musical about siblings sent to a residential school.
Changed Utterly (until March 16, Jericho Arts Centre, 1675 Discovery St.)—Constance Markievicz – born an aristocrat, rich, Anglo-Irish, and married to a Polish Count – helps lead a group of Irish rebels against 20,000 British soldiers in 1916 Dublin. The actual words of the participants are used together with the songs and poetry of the day. Tickets: $28/$24 (seniors and students) at brownpapertickets.com or the door.
Le Soulier (Feb. 27 – March 9, Studio 16, 1555 W. 7th Ave.)—Théâtre la Seizième presents the world premiere of a new play by award-winning Quebec playwright David Paquet. A dark comedy, Le Soulier is about Melanie, her troubled son Benoit, a dentist and the dentist’s receptionist. Tickets: from $26 at seizieme.ca and 604-736-2616.
The Shoplifters (until March 9, Granville Island Stage, 1585 Johnston St.)—Canadian playwright Morris Panych directs his comedy about a career shoplifter and her misfit crew. Tickets from $29 at artsclub.com or 604-687-1644.
The Good Bride (Feb. 27 – March 9, Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E. Cordova St.)—A Christian 15-year-old girl waits patiently for her 28-year-old groom to arrive. Vancouver playwright Rosemary Rowe tackles faith and feminism in this one-woman play.
Marisa Emma Smith stars in The Good Bride. Wendy D photo.
Better Than This (Feb. 28-March 9, Havana Theatre, 1212 Commercial Dr.)—This new revue show chronicles the evolution of women in musical theatre. The cast includes Kyrst Hogan (aka Burgandy Brixx of the multi-award winning Kitty Nights Burlesque) and Brianna Clark (Nominated for Best Newcomer/ Outstanding Lead Female Ovations Awards 2019).
Jesus Freak (March 1-23, Pacific Theatre, 1440 W. 12th St.)—A young woman comes home to her family and outs herself as a Christian. The family is aghast in this world premiere from playwright Peter Boychuk.
The 39 Steps (March 1-10, Norman Rothstein Theatre, 950 W. 41 St.)—Loosely based on the Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same title (itself based on a novel), this four-person adaptation plays the spy story for laughs. In English with Mandarin sur-titles.
Elephant & PIggie’s We Are in a Play (March 2-31, Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island, 1412 Cartwright St)—This new musical for kids is based on the best-selling book series by award-winning author Mo Willems. It’s about two best friends and their many adventures and discoveries, such as: what happens when two friends want to play with ONE toy? What DO you wear to a fancy party? And will ANYONE say “Banana?”
Jesus Christ: The Lost Years (March 13 – 23, Havana Theatre, 1212 Commercial Dr.)—A humourous exploration of what happened to Jesus in “the lost years,” that is between the ages of 13 and 30. Monster Theatre originally produced this show ten years ago. For the remount, the company replaces the two male leads with two female leads (The Canada Show’s Alex Gullason and Carly Pokoradi).
Come From Away (March 5 – 10, Queen Elizabeth Theatre)—The hit Broadway show comes to Vancouver. Read more here.
Poly Queer Love Ballad (March 5 – 11, SUM Gallery, 425 – 268 Keefer Street)—Created and performed by Anais West and Sara Vickruck, this slam poetry musical is about a polyamorous bisexual poet and a monogamous lesbian songwriter struggling to reconcile their mutual attraction with their opposing perspectives on love.
The cast of Poly Queer Love Ballad.
Redpatch (March 7 – 31, BMO Theatre Centre)—Between 1914 and 1918, over 4000 Indigenous men volunteered to fight and die for Canada in WW1. Redpatch tells a part of this story through the eyes of a soldier from the Nuu-chah-nulth nation of Vancouver Island.
The cast. Set design by Pam Johnson, costume design by Christopher David Gauthier, mask design by Jennifer Stewart, and lighting design by Brad Trenaman. Photo by Ian Jackson (Epic Photography).
9-5 the Musical (March 14-23, CapU Theatre, 2055 Purcell Way, North Vancouver)—CapU Theatre’s 2018-2019 season closes with this 2008 Broadway show, which was nominated for Tony Awards for best original score and best new musical. It features music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and is based on the 1980 hit movie starring Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda. Gross Misconduct (March 14-23, Gateway Theatre, 6500 Gilbert Road, Richmond)—In this show written by actor Meghan Gardiner, two prisoners form a bond over hockey.
Ian Butcher stars in Gross Misconduct. David Cooper photo.
Hot Brown Honey (March 15-30, York Theatre, 639 Commercial Dr.)—Women from Aboriginal Australian, Maori, Samoan, Tongan, Indonesian and South African backgrounds perform in this cabaret of hip-hop politics, dance, poetry, comedy, circus, striptease and song. The show received the 2016 UK’s Total Theatre Award for Innovation, and Australia’s Green Room Awards for Best Production and Best Design.
Hot Brown Honey.
Marine Life (March 15 – 23, Firehall Arts Centre, 280 E. Cordova St.)—Rosa Laborde’s Marine Life is a romantic comedy that explores environmentalism, mental illness and personal responsibility. The Western Canadian premiere from Ruby Slippers Theatre stars Christine Quintana, Sebastien Archibald, and Alan Dominguez.
a href=”https://thecultch.com/events/multiple-organism/”>Multiple Organism (March 19-30, Cultch, 1895 Venables St.)—Mind of a Snail’s Multiple Organism is described as “a multi-layered psychedelic dream about having a body.” Known for its multifaceted puppetry productions, the company promises “Nudity. Projections. Puppetry. Original music. Personal hygiene.” Multiple Organism won the 2018 Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards Critic’s Choice Innovation Award, the Critic’s Choice Award, Artistic Risk Award, Cultchivating the Fringe Award, and Pick of the Fringe at Vancouver Fringe in 2017, and the EAFF award (for artistic risk) at Orlando Fringe in 2018.
Multiple Organism’s Jessica Gabriel. Photo-Chloe Ziner.
The Orchard (After Chekhov) (March 21 – April 21, Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage)—Chekhov’s play, but set “told through the lens of a Punjabi-Sikh family in the Okanagan Valley.” Inspired by playwright Sarena Parmar’s childhood.
