www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qtaLfr5abQ

I think the images and music combine to make a very poignant little piece. I was never there and I get a little misty-eyed watching it!

This is the last of a series of four Kiddyland videos, all of which are available on the Kiddyland Facebook page.

I was editing a friend’s video yesterday, and when I uploaded it to YouTube I came across the strangest thing.

As I’ve done many times, I used one of the supposedly royalty-free, “use however you like” music tracks, provided by Apple as part of their iLife suite, for the background. I’ve done this before and uploaded to YouTube with no problems.

(When I’ve used commercial music in the past, the videos were either prevented from uploading until the music was changed, or had popup ads applied as a tradeoff for using copyrighted music. The first is a deal-breaker, and the second is still less than ideal, so I prefer to use either original music or the reliable Apple backing tracks when possible to ensure no ads get in the way.)

This was my first time using a particularly lovely piano theme called “Newborn” – it was perfect for the tone of nostalgia I wanted to evoke.

But when I watched my freshly-uploaded masterpiece on YouTube… an ad popped up. That couldn’t be right, could it? After all, I used royalty-free stock music, cleared for any use.

Then I noticed, below the video, there was something else new: the name of a song and artist, and a link to “Buy on iTunes”. It wasn’t “Newborn” – it was called “Lose You”, by Lazylectric.

Clearly a mistake by the tune-recognizing robots at YouTube, I assumed. This was not a commercial track. It must just sound very similar to something else.

I clicked through to iTunes to give “Lose You” a listen – and was startled.

This was the “Newborn” piano track… with a vocal added over top! And it was for sale at a standard iTunes price of 99 cents!

How could this happen? I didn’t think you even could make a commercial track out of an iLife song. (Isn’t that part of the terms of use?) Actually, I hadn’t had an opinion on this at all, as the thought never even occurred to me.

And now it’s causing my video to be cluttered with a popup ad banner. Ugh.

I’m going to try and contact YouTube and see if I can get some clarity on this – and maybe even a reversal of their decision. I seem to be caught in the middle of a “sampling” conflict that I never imagined possible. I’ll keep you posted on what I find out.

It’s jam-packed with pictures of the colourful citizens of Zarnesti. Besides Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, resident diva Carlotta Castafiore, and Edwards, Bella and Stela, it also includes the three “Drague” queens, manly Prince Marku, the three princesses, the Housekeeper, “Crazy Fiona”, and more! You’ll relive the hilarity of “Priscilla” every time you look at it.

The posters are printed on heavyweight, glossy paper and are very suitable for framing.

And you can have one of these delightful posters for only $10!

If you’d like one, just email me and we’ll work out the details of payment and delivery.

A final word from Yuri: “I hope you enjoy poster! Is good poster!”

(Sorry about the ads, but my use of Andreas Vollenweider on the soundtrack makes them pop up…)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBlM4Il7R0A

I had just dropped Christine’s car off for service at the Honda place on Marine Drive and was walking back alongside the busy road towards the bus stop. Suddenly a minivan pulled up and a slightly befuddled-looking middle-aged couple asked me for directions to Tsawassen. I leaned in and did my best to guide them, but a sharp honk from a motorist behind us reminded me that this was a traffic lane – so I suggested they meet me around the corner, back by the car dealership. I jogged back and we had a little chat. I offered my best guidance, and in a few moments they were on their way.

I turned and strolled back along the empty sidewalk as traffic whizzed by.

Within ten seconds, a car pulled up to the curb. In it was another couple looking every inch the tourist. The woman at the passenger window had her window down. I walked over with a strong feeling of deja vu. She clutched a batch of Google Maps printouts in her lap; I glanced at them and saw they were in German. This should be interesting.

Luckily she spoke English and, unlike the other couple, they actually had some maps on them (though just simple ones, which explained why they were a little lost).

Again, a horn honk behind us. Again, a jog back to the corner. These folks were headed not to Tsawassen but east to Chilliwack. We figured out the most direct way to Highway 99. And then… attempt #3 (for those of you scoring at home) to actually make it along that short stretch of sidewalk without being stopped for directions!

I felt like taking the newspaper I was carrying and holding up to my face. As it was, I sped up into a slight trotting pace, furtively glancing at the onrushing traffic, hoping I didn’t look very helpful.

This time it worked. But now I had a new challenge: there was no crosswalk and if I didn’t somehow nip across the busy street, it appeared I’d be forced to walk all the way up the overpass an over to the airport.

Across Marine Drive, in the curved access ramp arcing toward Oak Street, there was a lone bus stop. And looking east, I saw my bus approaching it. A gap in the traffic appeared. I zipped to the median, then burst across the remaining lanes. I’d made it!

Then I looked over to see my bus breezily passing the empty bus shelter. Noooooooo!

Luckily it wasn’t long until the next one.

Riding home, I couldn’t help but laugh at my double-dose of navigation requests. Maybe I’ve stumbled upon a hotspot for lost travelers. Or could it be that I just look especially helpful and friendly?

June 16th (preview) to 19th at the Waterfront Theatre, Granville Island

Transylvania’s only modern musical theatre group battles the undead in Priscilla, Queen of the Damned, an uproarious, outrageous musical “monster mashup”!

It takes a queen to fight a queen, so when the Vampire Queen next door abducts the entire second soprano section, a trio of cross-dressing crowd-pleasers turn hero and wage war.

In this, its 20th production, The Broadway Chorus has pulled out all the stops. There’s fabulous costumes, beautiful princesses, spectacular dances, slapstick comedy, great drag performances, foreign accents, stairs, and beets. And of course drag queens versus vampires … you know, for kids! The terrific score includes gems from such musicals as Legally Blonde, Shrek the Musical, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels as well as a couple of original songs from Gil and Sarah Jaysmith.

To reserve tickets e-mail ashley.lm@ubc.ca or call 778-322-7182. Tickets are $20, and $15 for seniors, students, and children (and $15 for the preview night). All shows begin at 8:00pm.

The Waterfront Theatre is located at 1412 Cartwright St. on Granville Island, beside the Kid’s Market; there is plenty of free parking after 7:00pm.

Starting tonight, City Opera Vancouver, an arts group I have some close connections with, is putting on an intriguing show, so I thought I would spread the word. Here’s the summary from their recent mailout.

From the immortal Nöh drama Sumidagawa, two modern tellings.

• Natsu Nakajima’s butoh dance, Sumida Gawa (“Sumida River”), starring Denise Fujiwara
• Benjamin Britten’s chamber opera, Curlew River, starring Isaiah Bell

We build great bridges, crossing five centuries and two cultures in one narrative. We tell the story of a woman driven mad by the loss of her child. It is agonizing and beautiful.

We tell the same story twice. Each inspired by the 15th century Japanese masterwork Sumidagawa, this unique double bill offers gorgeous music, deeply eloquent dance, and a vision of the Vancouver we are becoming.

Nakajima’s Sumida River stars the legendary butoh artist Denise Fujiwara as Madwoman.

Britten’s Curlew River stars the extraordinary young Canadian tenor Isaiah Bell as Madwoman, joined by John Minágro, Sam Marcaccini, Joel Klein, members of the Vancouver Cantata Singers, and a professional orchestra.

Word is out. This will be an amazing evening of theatre, of dance and music, and of superb talent. Please don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime event.

Last year, we had to turn away dozens of people from our smash hit The Emperor of Atlantis. Please – don’t be left out this year. We invite you to buy your tickets now. This is such a great show. Please don’t miss it.

Japanese dance. Western opera. Together.

Frederic Wood Theatre, just steps from the Chan Centre at UBC
May 26, 27 and 28 at 7:30pm / May 30 at 2:30pm

$40.00. Student ID $26.00

Online: www.ticketstonight.ca
In person: Sikora’s Classical Records, 432 West Hastings Street
By phone: 604.812.3684

Information: www.cityoperavancouver.com

Get an inside look at “Curlew River” rehearsals and preparations on the City Opera Facebook page.

A co-production of City Opera Vancouver, UBC Theatre & Film, and Blackbird Theatre.

Just returned from “The Wild Party” and I was very impressed! This is a uniquely involving night of cabaret-flavoured theatre. Adding to the vivid experience is the Anza Club setting, which itself plays a sort of character: that of a Jazz Age speakeasy where skin, sin and bathtub gin abound.

The show, based on a controversial 1920’s poem, is a whirlwind of shifting scenes and characters, all movement, energy, and snappy, witty dialogue. The dark tale is told with a lot of cynical humour, stylized enough that we can even laugh – a little – at the homicidal ruminations of a crazed, jealous lover.

The stage is constantly awash in movement, but it’s all tightly focused and works in tandem with some varied lighting and staging effects so that it never becomes monotonous. The inevitable violence near the show’s end is staged with the protagonist creeping toward the stage, thrown into silhouette against the target(s) looming before him – some great visual drama to match that on stage.

Musically, the show is constantly moving from sung-through dialogue, to melody, to spoken word, to rhyming couplets, to full-on chorus numbers. The style is angular yet jazzy; always shifting to a fresh musical phrase, an oblique chord or unexpected key or tempo change. While there is not a lot to hum as you leave the show, while it’s happening there is always something to engage the ear.

Mat Baker is the tragicomic Burrs, married to party-girl Queenie – both fast-living thrill seekers tinged with a barely-concealed edge of desperation and despair. As Burrs, Mat Baker goes way out there with a characterization I found mesmerizing even as I marvelled at how over-the-top it was. He’s clearly going for the operatic end of the scale here, frantic energy and side-of-his-mouth wiseacre delivery. With his shaggy hair and wild-eyed demeanour, he was a cross between a Tex Avery cartoon gangster and Jack Nicholson in The Shining.

Cailin Stadnyk brings a vulnerable edge of realism to a character that as written is potentially a fickle, bitchy vixen as over-the-top as her husband. Instead she commands the stage with sensuality and a desperate charm.

The rest of the cast each brings something memorable to their role, overcoming the challenge of keeping a coherent presence in this multi-character, multi-story tale. Particular standouts included Michael Antonakos as Mr. Black, who embodied the smoldering suavity of his character; and Karin Konoval as an older “Broadway baby” using her feminine wiles to grab another shot at the limelight. (She delivered a powerful version of “When It Ends”, the one number I knew as I’d sang it inhttp://www.onceupon.org/broadway/#mce_temp_url#a few years back!) And I roared at the antics of Peter New and Peter Hall as Gold and Goldberg, aspiring Broadway producers debating how much Jewishness they should reveal. (As a “member of the tribe” I must admit to some extra delight in the progress of these two shlemiels.)

Though some have commented on the poor sightlines, I actually found the club-like environment worked well with the show and the staging – wherever you looked, something was happening, and most of the performances were at least mostly visible. And the crowd around me just added to the sense of blurred lines between show and audience – I truly did feel like I was AT the titular “wild party”.

More troubling were the downstairs musical rumblings vibrating up from the floor, that threatened to shatter the carefully-constructed atmosphere in the performance space above. This was especially problematic during the second half of the one-act, two-hour show, which contains plenty of quiet moments and pregnant pauses – many of which were robbed of their impact by the throbbing from below. I suspect there’s nothing that can be done about this, and the risk of amplified music from the basement disturbing the show was the price they had to pay for the use of this otherwise-great venue, but it was still unfortunate.

All in all, I found this to be more than a memorable evening of theatre, it was a 360-degree experience. Get there a little early and you can join cast members for an onstage lesson in the “Black bottom dance”; and after the show ended, it was only moments before a burlesque performance took the stage. A wild party indeed… attend it while you can!

“The Wild Party” runs through May 28. Tickets and info can be found at the Pint Size Tall Productions website.

The Orwellian doublespeak that bureaucracies lean on to justify their unjustifiable decisions, while sadly familiar, never fails to impress me with its stunning disconnect from reality. This is an excerpt from the Vancouver Fringe Festival’s latest mailout, detailing a not-unexpected but still infuriating decision by the supposed arts promoters at the BC Gaming Commission.

Q: When is a festival not a festival?

A: When they apply for funding from BC Gaming.

It’s come to this. There’s nothing left to do but joke, because the government’s Gaming Policy & Enforcement Branch continues a relentless assault on arts and culture. According to a conversation MLA Spencer Herbert recently had with Gaming, professional arts festivals will not be eligible for the new sub category of Fairs, Festivals, and Museums.

As you know, if you have been following our discussion about these changes taking place in our society, we had expected as much. Nevertheless, it is shocking to have the worst case scenario confirmed.

For the Fringe, we will see this massive loss of $70,000 after next year’s Festival because we have a current agreement with Gaming. But for others, this change will have immediate impact.

We’re not sure what Gaming and the government think a festival might be… Ideas?

Transylvania’s only modern musical theatre group battles the undead in this uproarious mashup up of musicals and monsters. It takes a queen to fight a queen, so when the Vampire Queen next door abducts the second soprano section, a trio of cross-dressing crowd-pleasers turn hero and wage war.

It’s the 20th production for The Broadway Chorus, and they’ve pulled out all the stops for Priscilla. There’s fabulous costumes, beautiful princesses, spectacular dances, slapstick comedy, great drag performances, foreign accents, stairs, and beets.

The terrific score includes gems from such musicals as Legally Blonde, Shrek the Musical, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

To reserve tickets e-mail ashley.lm@ubc.ca or call 778-322-7182. Tickets are $20, and $15 for seniors, students, and children (and $15 for the preview night). All shows begin at 8:00pm.

The Waterfront Theatre is located at 1412 Cartwright St. on Granville Island, beside the Kid’s Market; there is plenty of free parking after 7:00pm.