The annual Vancouver International Jazz Festival begins on June 21^st and takes places in multiple venues all over the city. There are so many amazing musicians performing through-out the festival. From free shows downtown opening weekend to more shows on Granville Island and in David Lam Park during closing weekend. There are also many paid shows worth checking out and here is my picks list.

June 21  –7:30pm – Vijay Iyer –Performance Works

June 21 – 9pm –Alex Cuba – Vogue Theatre

June 22 –9pm –Betty Lavette –Vogue Theatre

June 23 –7:30pm –Vieux Farka Toure –Performance Works

June 23 –9pm –Esperenza Spalding –Vogue Theatre

June 24 –7:30pm –Gregory Porter –Performance Works

June 25 –7:30pm — Youn Sun Nah –Performance Works

June 25 –9pm –John Scofield –Vogue Theatre

June 27 –7:30pm – Courtney Pine –Performance Works

June 28 – 9pm –Red Baraat –Vogue Theatre

June 29 –7:30pm –Alfredo Rodriguez Trio –Performance Works

June 29 –9pm –Nikki Yanofsky –Vogue Theatre

Check out the full line-up of this years Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

Join the Fillmore Family and Linda Fillmore for this 90 minute proof positive, reflective, respectful, passionate, loving, and uproariously funny look back by Leslie Jordan at how his Southern Belle Mom, Miss Peggy Sue, an indomitable, inspiring steel magnolia survived Leslie’s tales of woe, regret, success and rewards. Leslie Jordan has proven to be a lot of things in his illustrious career spanning TV-FILM-STAGE and NIGHTCLUBS.

The common thread of his fame, whether he’s playing a role or just being himself is; he sure can tell a story! Regaling audiences and critics alike with this latest in a series of acclaimed autobiographical stage pieces, the Pixie from Dixie turns to his mother for source material that will entice you to sit back and lend an ear. Best known for his raucous, outrageous recurring role as Karen Walker’s nemesis, BEVERLEY LESLIE on the television classic Will & Grace (garnering an Emmy for Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, 2006).

Can you describe your view of the production of The Matchmaker of Montréal?

My next challenge was to write pure fiction, where there is no prior body of knowledge to fall back on. I admired the work of Oscar Wilde and the methods of Shaw. So I studied their techniques, and decided to write an Oscar Wilde-type play: using caricatures to amuse and make a commentary on society. So “Matchmaker” is the first such attempt. Now in Vancouver, the concierge in our condo in Coal Harbour challenged me to write a play about a concierge. So I obliged him, and this is doubly interesting because it enables me to describe the diversity in Canada, how one city Vancouver is so different from Montreal, which is so different from Toronto.

This trilogy is really about Canada, and each is based in one of these three cities. The third will be “The CEO of Toronto”. The themes in these plays are universal, and they draw on my experiences living in these cities.

How long did it take the playwright to write this theatrical play?

Initial draft – 6 weeks. Revised over the last 2 years

What do you want your audience to take away from this production?

Satire on our money culture.

Tell our readers about the lives of both Elise Fortin and matchmaker Martha Boisvert

Elise leaves her middle-class husband to find a rich man. Martha runs a matchmaking business in Montreal. Both are women who take charge of their destiny, but one is principled, the other is not.

How long has your production been planned to be performed at the Firehall Arts Centre?

Three weeks of rehearsals (only one in the Firehall), 2 weeks of performances in the Firehall.

If there is one thing you want the audience to grasp from your play what would it be?

Women are achieving success and are no longer victims and can successfully be satirized

The Matchmaker of Montréal by Shaul Ezer (Matchmaker Productions) plays at the Firehall Arts Centre May 23-June 2

My Turquoise Years is the story of a girl growing up in Canada in the years after the war – a story that many Canadians growing up in the 60′s could easily relate to.

The main character, a teenager named Marion (Bridget Esler), tells her story of growing in Cordova Bay in a rather disfunctional family. In fact, her family is not a typical family at all – much of her growing up is marked by the notably distant relationship of Marion with her mother, Nancy, whom has built a very independent life abroad and well away from her daughter. This distance has awaken in Marion feelings of indifference towards her mother.

This odd relationship leads Marion to move with her aunt Elsie (Wendy Noel) and uncle (Peter Anderson), who act as her de-facto mother and father. However, when the couple hear the news of the upcoming visit of Nancy to Canada, they pressure Marion into accepting Nancy and her family reality with arms wide open, which causes in Marion a series of internal conflict and leads to extravagant, yet comical situations.

This play is based on the real story of author Marion Farrant, which adds a plenty of detail to the storyline. Also remarkable is the fact that the play makes use of vintage props and scenarios, which adds to the setting and reality of the story and  allows the audience to immerse themselves in an era where a few had the opportunity to grow and enjoy.

Members of the cast cast include David Marr, Wendy Noel, Dawn Peten, and Michael Rinaldi. This production is directed by Rachel Ditor.

On Tuesday night I saw this show for the 2^nd time, having seen the premiere last year, it was one that I had to see again, it 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.

The cast is all the same as last years show except for one of the leads which is now being performed by Actor Josh Epstein who sings and entertains throughout the show.

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.

Get tickets for performances running now thru May 18, 2013

The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra is excited to present Ballroom with a Twist, a critically acclaimed international dance production conceived and choreographed by ABC-TVs Dancing with the Stars’ Louis van Amstel, one night only on Wednesday, May 8^th, 8pm at the Orpheum Theatre.

This ground-breaking show, starring Dancing with the Stars pros Anna Trebunskaya, Jonathan Roberts, and Ashly Delgrosso Costa, So You Think You Can Dance finalistsRandi Lynn Strong, Legacy, and Jonathan Platero and American Idol finalists Gina Glocksen and Von Smith, pushes the boundaries of ballroom dance, infusing it with the energy and intensity of the latest contemporary and hip-hop styles. Ballroom with a Twist is an evening of entertainment for the entire family, highlighted by stunning costumes, magnificent music and breathtaking performances by the extraordinary professional dancers and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Anna Trebunskaya and Jonathan Roberts are two of the world’s top dancers, and veterans of multiple seasons of Dancing with the Stars – with Anna being most recently featured in last season’s Dancing With the Stars: All-Stars cast. Anna has danced in ten seasons of Dancing with the Stars and partnered with football star Jerry Rice, model Albert Reed, actor Steve Guttenberg, UFC fighter Chuck Liddell, US Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medalist Evan Lysacek, football quarterback Kurt Warner, boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, TV personality Carson Kressley, Jack Wagner, and Drew Lachey. Jonathan danced in seven seasons of Dancing with the Stars. His partners included model Rachel Hunter, journalist Giselle Fernández, activist Heather Mills, entertainer Marie Osmond, tennis pro Monica Seles, pop singer Belinda Carlisle, and Grammy® Award winning artist Macy Gray. He now travels around the world coaching and choreographing at dance studios, events and TV shows like So You Think You Can Danceand Dancing with the Stars.

Tickets: $25 – $88

 Available online at www.vancouversymphony.ca or by calling VSO customer service at 604.876.3434

John Ferrie’s love for Vancouver is the keynote of his newest painting collection, appropriately named “Red Skies”. He presented it at his studio on East 2nd Avenue, with the attendance of friends, onlookers, art lovers, and media representatives.

The collection consists of several pieces depicting some of Vancouver’s most prominent landmarks, all of which lie under a deep red sky. The paintings, of course, are beyond simple portraits of the city: They all have John Ferrie’s own particular artist touch, which give life and feeling to each of his paintings. That way, iconic buildings such as the BC Place, the City Hall, Tinseltown and The Lookout, just to name a few, get life through the slightly surrealist style of Ferrie – and of course, always under an imponent red sky.

But why should skies be red? About this collection, John Ferrie explained to Taste and Sip that the red colour is unpredictable, is different and unusual, which provides an interesting twist of other portraits of Vancouver. As for the specific landmarks chosen for his work, Ferrie explains that “Vancouver is always changing”, and so are the buildings of the city, “it is important to capture them before they are torn down”.

Of course, Red Skies is only one of the projects in the mind of Ferrie. After the success of Red Skies, Ferrie is already working in other projects that include paintings of other cities like Calgary, Toronto and San Francisco. Whether he will surprise us by covering them in red skies is a mystery for now, but we look forward to finding out when the upcoming collections are ready.

It’s difficult to describe Marcus Youssef’s latest play, “How has my love affected you”, in simple words. It is at times a hard to digest set of stories, sometimes with a funny twist, and having occasional (and unpredictable) ups and downs. At the end of the day, the mix of emotions reflects appropriately the subject of the play: Real life.

This work, largely a monologue by Marcus Youssef himself, focuses largely on the troublesome relationship between him and his mom throughout the years, and the ways in which it has shaped and changed his life. Marcus, in an almost therapeutic fashion, does a magnificent storytelling job to inject in the audience diverse emotions throughout his real life anecdotes and reflections.

Marcus’ crude story is greatly helped by the musical interventions by his own son, Zak, who showcases some of his musical talents throughout the 90 minute long play. Other than the music, Marcus’ monologue is accompanied by very few (but effective) special effects, which include mainly variations in the lighting and visual clues.

The show is written by Marcus Youssef and directed by Rachel Ditor. It is presented by Artsclub at the Revue Stage, on Granville Island, from February 28 to March 23, 2013.

With a limited run of 6 performances, Vancouver Opera presents acclaimed production of The Magic Flute. This innovative production transforms the Queen Elizabeth Theatre into a timeless Coast Salish realm.

Conceived with the guidance of First Peoples’ Cultural Council and an advisory group of First Nations artists, and incorporating words from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language. Language, movement, imagery and other aspects were created in accordance with First Nations protocol. Each performance at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre will be preceded by a blessing by a Coast Salish elder.

The production, enhanced since the 2007 premiere, incorporates substantial design updates. Two state-of-the-art projectors recently acquired by VO will help create front and rear HD video projections of high visual impact. Costumes have been significantly revised, with an even more magical and imposing Queen of the Night. Mozart’s beguiling music remains unchanged, set to a libretto in English, by stage director Robert McQueen, which incorporates words from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language, with permission of the Musqueam nation.

THE ORIGINAL CREATIVE TEAM

A dynamic team of artists and designers has created the stunning sets and costumes. Scenic design is by Kevin McAllister and scenic design consultant Carey Newman (Kwagiulth and Coast Salish). Costumes are co-designed by John Powell (Kwakwaka’wakw) and Christine Reimer. Choreography is by Michelle Olson (Han), with guidance from Cultural Dance Advisor Bob Baker (Squamish). Additional key creative contributions have been made by Cultural Advisor, Staging Marlena Dolan (Cree) and by interns Lance Cardinal (Scenic Design; Cree), Sharifah Marsden (Costume Construction; Ojibway/Micmac), and Debra Sparrow (Costume Design; Musqueam).

Robert McQueen returns to VO to direct this production. As the director of the original 2007 production, Mr. McQueen was instrumental in the creation process of this unique Magic Flute.

New and updated visuals have been created for this production by the original team of Sean Nieuwenhuis (Video and Projections) and Alan Brodie (Lighting). Joining them is Tobie Caplette (Métis), assistant videographer. The Magic Flute is sung in English, with English SURTITLES™ projected above the stage. Spoken dialogue is in English and in hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, a dialect of the Musqueam language.

VO’s Chorus Director and Associate Conductor Leslie Dala will lead the VO Orchestra. Mr. Dala was last seen in the orchestra pit as conductor of 2012′s La bohème.

THE CAST

Tamino will be sung by Juno Award-winning tenor, and frequent VO artist, John Tessier. “Tessier has an international reputation as the perfect light lyric tenor,” praised The Globe and Mail. “He has beautiful clarity of tone and hits seemingly effortless high notes, and over the years he has grown into a terrific actor to boot.” Mr. Tessier has worked with Plácido Domingo, Itzhak Perlman, Dame Gwyneth Jones and several other notable musicians and has sung internationally. He was last seen on the VO stage in the title role of 2011’s La clemenza di Tito.

The role of Pamina will shared by two exciting and acclaimed singers: Simone Osborne and Rachel Fenlon. Ms. Osborne will sing in the March 9, 12, 14, 16 and 17 (matinée) performances. Ms. Fenlon will sing in the March 10 (matinée) performance.

Metropolitan Opera audition-winner Simone Osborne last appeared with VO as Juliette in 2011′s Roméo et Juliette. Ms. Osborne has been praised by the Georgia Straight for her “elegant and expressive style, her openness of sound, and her unaffectedly natural acting,” Continues the Straight, “She sang no less than exquisitely, hitting every high note…This girl’s going places. Watch her.”

Soprano Rachel Fenlon earned high praise for her performance as Mabel in this season’s hit The Pirates of Penzance. “Mabel, soprano Rachel Fenlon is a classic ingenue, trilling into the vocal stratosphere on demand, demure and ruthless by turns,” declared the Vancouver Sun. “Fenlon trills like a bird, virtuosically yet hilariously, through her first-act coloratura sendup,” reported the Georgia Straight.

Baritone Joshua Hopkins will sing Papageno. Winner of the 2006 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award and the Verbier Festival Academy’s 2008 Prix d’Honneur, Joshua Hopkins has been hailed for his “gorgeous voice, a voice with gold in it. …[T]his young Hopkins is one of those golden singers, and he filled the Koch Theater with this gold, this glow.” (The New Criterion). Mr. Hopkins was last seen on the VO stage as Figaro in 2012′s acclaimed The Barber of Seville.

Canadian bass Phillip Ens will sing Sarastro. Mr. Ens made his operatic debut in 1985 with Manitoba Opera and has since sung with opera companies across the country as well as in Philadelphia, Denver, Austin and the Bayerische Staatsoper. He has also appeared with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Edinburgh and Salzburg Festivals, and the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome.

The Queen of the Night will be sung by Canadian lyric coloratura soprano Teiya Kasahara. Ms. Kasahara is becoming known to audiences for her “flair for drama and blazing high notes” (La Scena Musicale). She is quickly rising as a versatile artist in the world of opera, oratorio and art song with her “brilliant coloratura voice” (Opera Canada). She has previously sung in VO’s Voices of the Pacific Rim concerts. This will be Ms. Kasahara’s mainstage debut.

Newfoundland tenor Michael Barrett will sing Monostatos. Mr. Barrett is a former member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio and has sung in Toronto, Newfoundland and Edmonton. He regularly appears with the Aldeburgh Connection. This will be Mr. Barrett’s VO debut.

The Three Ladies will be sung by First Nations artists. Métis soprano Melody Mercredi will sing the First Lady and will also be cover for the Queen of the Night. Ms. Mercredi sang the Queen in the Vancouver Opera In Schools’ touring production of The Magic Flute: Quest for the Box of Shadows and made her VO mainstage debut as Barbarina in 2010′s The Marriage of Figaro.

Kwagiulth soprano Leah Alfred will sing the Second Lady. Ms. Alfred studied opera at UBC where she appeared in UBC Opera’s production of Louis Riel and performed with the VSO. She currently studies at the University of Victoria. This will be Ms. Alfred’s mainstage debut.

Kwakwaka’wakw mezzo-soprano Marion Newman will sing the Third Lady, as she did in the 2007 production. She has been praised as a “show stealer” (BBC Music Magazine) for her “distinctive, dusky voice”(Toronto Star). Ms. Newman has sung in Italy, the Czech Republic, Germany and France and has made several recordings with the Aradia Ensemble for Naxos.

Mezzo-soprano Sylvia Szadovszki will sing Papagena. Ms. Szadovszki is a graduate of the University of British Columbia and the Manhattan School of Music. She has performed with the European Music Academy (Czech Republic), Mountain View Festival of Song (Alberta), Artistic Repertory Theater (Florida), Spoleto Vocal Arts Symposium and International Lyric Academy of Rome. Ms. Szadovski is a member of VO’s Yulanda M. Faris Young Artists Program and was last seen on the VO stage as Kate in 2012′s The Pirates of Penzance.

THE STORY IN BRIEF

On a quest for love and enlightenment, young Tamino finds himself at the centre of a battle between the forces of light and darkness. Accompanied by an absurdly lovelorn bird catcher, Papageno, and protected by his spirit-guide, Sarastro, Tamino confronts the formidable Queen of the Night, bravely endures terrifying trials, and is finally united in love with his beloved Pamina.

BACKGROUND

The Magic Flute is the most unusual of Mozart’s operas. On one level, it is a romantic story of lovers in jeopardy, enjoyable by audiences of all ages. On another level, it is an allegorical tale of the quest for life’s meaning, subject to more interpretations than any opera outside of the canon of Wagner. The recurrence of the number three (three trials, Three Ladies, Three Spirits, three priests) in the narrative is echoed musically by Mozart’s sublime score, leading to many political and spiritual interpretations of the deceptively simple story. Ultimately, analysis matters not, as the music is some of Mozart’s finest, with exalted arias existing in harmony with heartfelt love songs; outrageously silly buffa pieces and hair-raising coloratura passages.

Adapted by director Robert McQueen, in consultation with a panel of First Nations artists, the legends and traditions of BC’s coastal First Nations proved ideal for providing a fresh look at Mozart’s work. Coastal traditions dictate equality of the sexes, allowing McQueen to eliminate much of the language criticized as sexist in recent years. As well, the “trickster” archetype of First Nations legend allows for a wider appreciation of the characters of The Queen of the Night and Sarastro, as each contains the duality of good and evil. Sarastro’s followers are clothed in representative dress of BC’s 10 coastal Nations, and his three priests, or “siem,” represent spiritual figures in the Coast Salish tradition. The set design represents the three planes of land, water and air central to First Nations mythology, which is echoed in the symbolic movements of the five dancers.

Tickets to The Magic Flute are available now from the Vancouver Opera Ticket Centre, online at www.vancouveropera.ca, or by phone at 604-683-0222. Visa, MasterCard and American Express are accepted.

Nicola Lipman (playing the Maid). Photo by David Cooper.

Taking in opening night, I found myself laughing throughout the Arts Club Theatre Company’s clever production where Bernard (Jonathon Young), a successful architect in swinging sixties Paris, is even more successful with the ladies. In fact, he juggles the hearts of three air hostesses who jet in and out of his groovy bachelor pad: Gloria (Kimberley Sustad), Gabriella (Moya O’Connell), and Gretchen (Colleen Wheeler)—aka “America,” “Italy,” and “Germany.” But when Boeing introduces a faster jet, Bernard’s precise romantic timetable goes hysterically off course and turbulence looms. Hilarious, a must see during this run! Standout performances by Nicole Lipman (Berthe), Andrew McNee (Robert) and Coleen Wheeler (Gretchen).

The Swiss-born Marc Camoletti was a prolific playwright during the latter half of the twentieth century. In 1960, he wrote Boeing-Boeing, with which his name has become synonymous. Camoletti’s works have been translated into eighteen languages, produced in fifty-five countries, adapted for television or film on fourteen occasions, attended by an estimated twenty million people, and watched in a recorded version by half a billion people.

Boeing-Boeing at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage through to February 24, 2013 Tickets are $29 to $65, inclusive of taxes and fees. Call the Arts Club Box Office at 604.687.1644 or visit artsclub.com.