I’m a big fan of Jonathan Goldstein’s CBC Radio show, “Wiretap“. So when he brought his show to Vancouver for a live performance of some of his best stories, I was there! View the entire Flickr photoset.

Last night I was fortunate to have the chance to see the new play, “Scorched”, at the Waterfront Theatre. Ironically, it was due to a critique of theatre posters in general, wherein I happened to use their poster as an example of one of my points, that led in a roundabout way to me being invited to attend! (See the whole story on Rebecca Coleman’s Art of the Biz site, or my original “The Trouble with Theatre Posters” blog post.)

Now, not only am I in no way a theatre reviewer, but what shows I do attend tend to be one of three types: musicals, comedies, and musical comedies. Straight dramas, particularly one such as this which is described with phrases like “loss and emptiness” and “legacy of suffering” clearly don’t promise giddy laughs or toe-tapping melodies. And yet, by the time the lights went up, I was completely riveted. It was a powerful and memorable experience. Read the rest of this entry »

Every Saturday afternoon, come down to Vancouver’s venerable Railway Club at Seymour and Dunsmuir for a satisfying dose of roots, rockabilly, blues and country tunes from a grab-bag of the city’s finest musicians. All for a laughably small cover charge! I was down there in December of 2009 after a long absence and caught some of the atmosphere with my nifty new digital camera. Included in the night’s roster were the memorable Powell Street Slim and the unique guitar stylings of Matthew Lennox. Here’s a 2 1/2 minute sampling. Turn up the volume, and enjoy!

(This essay is being published simultaneously on my blog/calendar of local musical theatre, VancouverMusicals.com. – aa)

There’s something about many theatre posters that bothers me. They often seem to missing something important: any kind of description of the show in question.

Look at any movie poster, on the other hand, and you’re sure to see a pithy summing-up of what’s in store. Some of these have even outlasted their promotional purposes to make a dent in the popular culture, like “A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away” or “Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water.”

While I don’t expect a brilliant and timeless slogan, I’m surprised that there usually isn’t anything other than the basics: the show’s name, that of the actors, writer and director, etc., dates and venue.

Posters, of course, are all about the visual, and often the chosen image can help define the tone or mood of the play. But just as often, it seems to me, the visual doesn’t really tell you anything about the plot. Read the rest of this entry »

At long last, only about three months after the big event, here they are – the very best photos of our big night. From the cupcakes to the Ketubah, the surprise serenade to the late-night limo, it’s all here! Read the rest of this entry »