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Coming to terms with the past and moving forward in Ensemble Theatre Company’s Summer Repertory Festival

Ensemble Theatre Company Summer Repertory Festival: The Drawer Boy, Born Yesterday, Superior Donuts | Jericho Arts Centre | July 12 – August 16, 2019

Superior Donuts

Of the three shows in this year’s festival, Superior Donuts stands out for both its sharp social commentary and strong performances. Tracy Letts’ 2008 play, which was adapted as a TV sitcom in 2017, includes plenty of laugh-out-loud moments along with many sobering, thought-provoking ones.

Arthur Przybyszewski (David Nykl) and Franco Wicks (Chris Francisque) are an odd couple working at Arthur’s family donut shop in Chicago. Arthur has been plodding along in the same rut for years until one day when Franco comes knocking looking for a job.

The power of the press meets high kicks in Newsies at TUTS

Newsies | Theatre Under the Stars | Malkin Bowl, Stanley Park | July 6 – August 17, 2019

A classic underdog story about the power of the press, this musical is full of rousing songs, unlikely triumphs, and a love story. Julie Tomaino’s choreography brings it all together in a high-energy frenzy of high kicks and higher jumps. The newsies take New York City by storm and stand up against the most powerful man in town, publisher Joseph Pulitzer.

Sophie Buddle headlines Yuk Yuk's

Sophie Buddle with Harris Anderson, Sam Tonning, and Ari Matti | Yuk Yuk’s Vancouver | June 28, 2019

With her recently-released comedy album, Lil Bit of Buddle, weekly Obsessed podcast, and stand-up gigs across the country, Sophie Buddle has been busy. Headlining Yuk Yuk’s Vancouver for the first time this June, the local comedian who has written for This Hour Has 22 Minutes had the room laughing about sexual fantasies, rape-front jobs, mermaids, and Christian horse camp. Her material is diverse, her delivery is confident, and her punchlines are unexpected and well-timed.

Ce qu’on attend de moi dares us to imagine alternate lives

Ce qu’on attend de moi | 2par4 and L'Homme Allumette | Théâtre la Seizième | Performance Works | May 21 – 25, 2019

A play with no actors and no script that has the audience watching from outside the walls of the theatre — it doesn’t get much more innovative than that. In Ce qu’on attend de moi, an audience member becomes the protagonist of an improvised journey to explore an alternate life they could have lead.

The Preston Rivulettes pave the way for women's hockey in Glory

Glory | Western Canada Theatre and Alberta Theatre Projects | Gateway Theatre | April 4 – 13, 2019

A Chatelaine article from 1933 states that “Ice hockey is a game for which [women’s] soft, unyielding flesh is unsuited.” Helen Schwartz (Kate Dion-Richard), a member of the pioneering Preston Rivulettes, reads this quote in disbelief as she sits with her teammates. Glory is the true story of the Rivulettes fighting back against a society that didn’t think women should play hockey. We’ve come a long way since then, but, as the current lawsuit in US women’s soccer demonstrates, we have a long way to go to achieve gender equality in sports.

Surreal antics and yodel queens combine in New Cackle Sisters: Kitchen Chicken

New Cackle Sisters: Kitchen Chicken | L’orchestre d’hommes orchestres | The Cultch | York Theatre | April 2 – 6, 2019

Dancing chickens, spray bottles of wine, and Cheese Whiz art — just a few of the joyously weird sights in this delightful orchestra that caters to all the senses. By the end of the show, the smell of roasted chicken fills the theatre and audience members have been treated to various delicacies such as lettuce wrapped hotdogs, mashed potato cones, and cups of tea with a whipped cream rim. But it’s not what’s on the plate that’s important — it’s how it gets there.

Gross Misconduct is sharply written with plenty of suspense and superb acting

Gross Misconduct | SpeakEasy Theatre | Gateway Theatre | March 14 – 23, 2019

Meghan Gardiner’s sharply-written Gross Misconduct is a difficult yet important story about sexual assault that explores the complex consequences and repercussions for all involved.

In a stark jail cell with two white boxes serving as beds and harsh fluorescent lighting, Deke (Ian Butcher) enjoys his silence. He tells the guard, Gareth (Scott Bellis), “I haven’t had a cellmate since —…” The unfinished sentence begins to build the suspense as we wonder why Deke is in prison.

Yoga Play parodies the commercialization of yoga

Yoga Play | Gateway Theatre | February 7 – 16, 2019

Playwright Dipika Guha’s Canadian debut, Yoga Play, takes aim at corporate culture, the false authenticity of the yoga lifestyle, and cultural appropriation. The themes and comedic material are all stacked in favour a great play, but the narrative remains on the surface; instead of delving deeply into the issues this production takes a more slapstick approach that didn’t resonate with me.

Circle Game gives new life to Joni Mitchell classics

Circle Game | Firehall Arts Centre | January 12 – February 9, 2019 | On tour around the Lower Mainland February 14 – March 26, 2019

Joni Mitchell’s songs are full of classic themes of love, environmental consciousness, and social justice. In this marathon musical, her songs have been updated and reimagined with new arrangements or musical styles, and sometimes with new narrative interpretations. Mitchell’s words still retain a great deal of relevance for today’s generation, and Circle Game reminds us of her wisdom.

The Full Light of Day is innovative, ambitious

The Full Light of Day | Electric Company Theatre | Vancouver Playhouse | January 7 – 12, 2019

This is the most innovative piece of theatre I’ve seen in a long time. The integration of beautiful film elements, suspenseful plot, tense family dynamic, and brilliant cast made for a spectacular production. Ambitious and immersive, this is theatre that’s pushing the art form in new and exciting directions.

Mary (Gabrielle Rose) is an aging matriarch of a wealthy family who feels that she must face her husband’s corrupt past and reject it wholeheartedly before she dies. In an act of redemption, she banishes him from her deathbed and comes to terms with her self-imposed ignorance.