Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata

by Richard Wolak on January 26, 2012

On Tuesday night I saw the Premiere of this quirky one of a kind show that is a must see. Telling the tale of the Craigslist ads in song and comedy, I could relate and the majority of the audience could relate as well. Just spending a few minutes on Craigslist randomly checking the ads in Vancouver as well as in other cities reveals story after story. With awesome music, a great cast and a well designed set, this production is a hit, and I hope it makes it to Broadway someday soon.

Your personal ads, set to music! Irregular hats for cats, mounted lobsters, autographed copies of the Bible: this new work from composer Veda Hille and the CBC’s Bill Richardson explores what humanity has to offer and turns it into sidesplitting musical fare. Who wouldn’t want a broken time machine, for free? Come and take a look at the vagaries and intimacies of the internet. Featuring the original songs “300 Stuffed Penguins,” “Chilli Eating Buddy,” “Decapitated Dolls,” and more.

With more than 700 local sites in 70 countries, and over 20 billion page-views and 50 million new ads posted monthly, Craigslist has become a treasured online locus where we are sanctioned to share our needs, wants, and offerings. Hille describes it as “the mass of humanity pressed against the glass,” offering a forum that is simultaneously anonymous and incredibly public. After its smashing debut as part of Twenty-Minute Musicals at Club PuSh in 2009, Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata returns as a full-fledged production with 80 heartfelt minutes of quick-witted spoken text and song.

Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Cantata is the brainchild of two of Vancouver’s most beloved cultural icons. An award-winning writer and broadcaster, Bill Richardson has contributed to CBC Radio since 1984 and currently hosts “Saturday Afternoon at the Opera” and “In Concert.” Composer Veda Hille is one of Canada’s foremost indie singer-songwriters and has been described as “visceral, luminescent, fierce, haunting, and with talent to burn” (The Coast, Halifax).

January 19 – February 11, 2012 8:00pm | Tues 7:30pm

Matinee Wed & Sat 2:00pm, No show Sun

Arts Club, Revue Stage. 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Post-Show Talkback Feb 7

Tickets from $25

Arts Club Box Office

artsclub.com | 604.687.1644

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El Pasado Es un Animal Grotesco Feb 2-4

by Richard Wolak on January 25, 2012

Mariano Pensotti (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Presented by the PuSh International Performing Arts Festival and SFU Woodward’s

8:00pm

The Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, 149 West Hastings Street.

Post-Show Talkback Feb 3, led by Kenji Maeda

…the past arises… an animal glimpsed in our dream jungle. An animal that changes shape each time we remember it. A grotesque animal.

It’s 1999 in Buenos Aires. Mario, Laura, Pablo, and Vicky are in their mid-twenties and ready for careers, love, and adulthood. Over the next 10 years, Argentina’s economy will collapse and their lives will take a series of unexpected turns. In this fast-paced, multilayered “mega fiction,” director Mariano Pensotti—the artist responsible for lighting up the streets of Gastown with La Marea as part of PuSh 2011—deftly unfolds the lives of these four characters. El pasado es un animal grotesco (The Past is a Grotesque Animal) is a funny and moving portrait that takes place atop a slowly spinning turntable stage; a reminder of time’s ceaseless march. Guided by a narrative voice-over, we are granted access to a string of defining moments in the touching and tumultuous lives of the four characters. Moments that illustrate how quickly and easily real life can transform into fiction and back again.

>>[Pensotti creates] a compelling portrait of the self-obsession of his own generation that achieves that rare feat of profoundly moving an audience without ever descending into trite stereotypes or easy sentimentalism…The production is also blisteringly funny.<< Plays International

Mariano Pensotti is an Argentinean-born writer and director whose experimental work incorporates elements of theatre, literature, film and visual arts. His work has been shown extensively in his home country of Argentina, as well as in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, France, Spain, Denmark, Canada, Poland, Latvia, England, Switzerland, Austria and Japan.

In Spanish with English subtitles

Tickets Advance $32 /$28 /$26; at door $34 /$30 /$28

Tickets Tonight

ticketstonight.ca | 604.684.2787 Additional service charges apply to phone orders

Eligible for PuSh Pass access

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Fourplay Feb 13-March 5

by Richard Wolak on January 25, 2012

In the House Festival and Salt Tasting Room present:

Fourplay

A dinner/theatre experience like no other!

Why is love so illogical? Enticing, compelling and often oh so awkward, what makes us behave the way we do in our quest

for partnership? Fourplay takes you on an interactive exploration of the various stages of courtship.

February 13, 20, 27 and March 5, 2012

Doors at 7:00 pm

Show at 7:30 pm sharp

45 Blood Alley

Come to one show or come to all!

$65 per night or save $20 and come to all 4!

Ticket price includes dinner + theatre

*beverages + gratuity not included

What are you in store for when you go to Fourplay? Here are some more details about each of the nights:

Monday, February 13

Episode 1 – Chemistry

The seeds of love often come from the strangest places. Come partake in a grand experiment to try to discover the secrets and foibles of romantic behaviour. Special guests: musician + lyrical

raconteur, Melissa Bandura, Actor + clown,  Deneh Thompson

Monday, February 20

Episode 2 – Magic

Engagement – the golden apple of so many relationships. It’s not often we get to witness such a special sight, but now’s your chance. Special guest: Magician + purveyor of all things wondrous, Travis Bernhardt

Monday, February 27

Episode 3 – Spice

What happens when the stag party and the wedding shower get booked at the same restaurant on the same date? Fireworks guaranteed! Special guest: TBA – hint: it involves burlesque

Monday, March 5

Episode 4 – Union

It’s a wedding! Come and join us for a celebration you’ll never forget. Special guests: Orkestar Slivovica

Follow the story the whole way or join us for just one episode.

All shows take place at Salt Tasting Room. Each show has a special menu created uniquely for each event. Vegetarian option available.

Tickets must be purchased in advance

Info and tickets at www.inthehousefestival.com

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The Apple Turns 75

by Richard Wolak on January 25, 2012

February 2012 Celebrate Milestone Apple Month with BC Tree Fruits

This February marks a milestone for a familiar local fruit – the apple as it celebrates the milestone birthday. 75 years ago in1936 a group of dedicated farmers came together with a goal to provide the finest tree fruits worldwide. From that first planted seed grew a co-operative of 800 producers that continues today.

Shoppers browsing the produce aisle of their local grocery store this February 2012 are in for a big treat – it’s Apple Month! Throughout Apple Month, in-store promotions and sampling serve as a delicious reminder of the locally grown fruit. It might be the dark days of winter for most Western Canadians, but naturally delicious B.C. Tree Fruits apples are still available fresh, giving consumers the opportunity to support local growers and adhere to Dr’s orders of an apple a day!

“We’re proud to be a leader supplying fresh delicious BC Tree Fruit apples throughout Western Canada and thank our loyal consumers for their growing support over the past 75 years”, stated Rick Austin Director of Sales and Marketing for BC Tree Fruits.

During Apple Month, shoppers will notice enticing displays of B.C. Tree Fruits apple varieties available at this time of year, including Ambrosia, Fuji, Granny Smith, McIntosh, Red Delicious, Royal Gala and Spartan. Consumers will be able to sample varieties in stores during the month. Apple inspired recipe cards will be available for consumers, with further recipes available on the BCTree.com site.

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Eat The Street at PushFest

by Richard Wolak Food

Eating meets Theatre for families as the Push Festival takes family entertainment to another level. Taking place in Vancouver January 25 – February 4, 2012 At various restaurants in Gastown and surrounding neighbourhoods Costs: The price of whatever you’re feeling fly enough to order! See below for a complete list of participating restaurants and dates, [...]

Written by: Richard Wolak on January 22, 2012.
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Push Festival Opening Gala

by Eddie Tafber Dance

The International Performing Arts Festival of Vancouver, known simply as the Push Festival, has opened its 8th edition. And to celebrate that feat, the organizing committee decided to put in place a magnificent gala that took place last Tuesday at the Waldorf Hotel on East Hastings . Being an internationally-known event, the Push festival opening [...]

Written by: Eddie Tafber on January 20, 2012.
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Colourful World Concert January 29

by Richard Wolak Music

Colourful World Claude Debussy, Rodney Sharman, Toru Takemitsu   Sunday, January 29, 2012 at 8pm Fei and Milton Wong Experimental Theatre  Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU Woodward’s Presented with SFU Woodward’s and PuSh International Performing Arts Festival  Prepare yourself for a truly outstanding evening as the Turning Point Ensemble celebrates a century of colour [...]

Written by: Richard Wolak on January 16, 2012.
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Los Campesinos! February 3rd

by Richard Wolak Music

From Wales, popular indie pop band will make a stop on their tour in Vancouver to perform at the Electric Owl on February 3rd. Doors at 7:00pm, Show at 8:00pm, End 11:00pm Tickets $16.00 advance available online at www.northerntickets.com, Charge By Phone 604-569-1144 and at the Northern Tickets box office (located at the Vogue Theatre [...]

Written by: Richard Wolak on January 16, 2012.
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Gunmetal Blues January 23 to February 4

by Richard Wolak Theatre

The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company launches a new series in the Vancouver Playhouse Recital Hall with Gunmetal Blues, a musical “stage-noir” of the hard-boiled detective story. This smart and witty “pocket musical” is written by Scott Wentworth with music and lyrics by Craig Bohmler and Marion Adler. Gunmetal Blues is on stage in the Recital [...]

Written by: Richard Wolak on January 16, 2012.
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Interview with Max Reimer

by Richard Wolak Interviews

Max is the Artistic Managing Director of the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company, he is also an actor, dancer and event producer. I have attended many of his theatrical productions over the past couple of years. He recently joined me for the Jazz Blues Brunch at Dockside Restaurant in the Granville Island Hotel. When did you begin [...]

Written by: Richard Wolak on January 10, 2012.
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