Openings & Closings – Week of October 9
OPENINGS
These are the shows that are opening the week of October 9, 2017.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11
FLASHING LIGHTS, Bad New Days/Ahuri Theatre
Combining a fantastical absurdist narrative with a highly physical theatrical style using technology like smart phones and tablets as puppets, masks, light, and sound sources, Flashing Lights speaks to the growing anxiety about the future and to the vertiginous feeling that time itself is speeding up.
At the Theatre Centre, closes October 22
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12
THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SHADOW, Theatre Lab
A hysterically funny yet heartwrenching musical that follows the adventures of Tom Shadow as he travels through the mystical and magical Cloud Kingdom. This irreverent tale, though full of magic and whimsy, is definitely not for kids. Think Peter Pan meets anyone messing with Liam Neeson’s kids.
At the Factory Studio Theatre, closes October 22
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13
TRAGEDIE OF LEAR, Ad Hoc Collective
Though we see the question of caring for the elderly as a modern problem, Shakespeare was able to explore it in his day through King Lear, proving that this is a universal concern which spans centuries. An exploration of the relationship between aging parents and their adult children through the lens of mental illness.
At the Palmerston Theatre, closes October 22
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14
THE CHANCE, Leroy Street Theatre
Marcie, Jo, and Amie are down on their luck. But when a one-night stand leaves a wallet containing a mysterious cheque at their apartment, a wild ride riddled with mob hits, kidnapping schemes, and ham-and-cheese sandwiches ensues, as these desperate ladies decide to take their chance to bet on success.
At the Assembly Theatre, closes October 28
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME, Mirvish Productions
Fifteen-year-old Christopher Boone has an extraordinary brain, exceptional at math while ill-equipped to interpret everyday life. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched, and he distrusts strangers. When Christopher falls under suspicion for killing his neighbour’s dog, his detective work to identify the true culprit takes him on a frightening journey that upturns his world.
At the Princess of Wales Theatre, closes November 19
CLOSINGS
These are the shows that are closing the week of October 9, 2017.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13
TARTUFFE, Stratford Festival
Vice becomes virtue in Molière’s hilarious exploration of power and hypocrisy. Falling under the spell of a religious con artist, Orgon risks his wife, his estate and his entire family in this darkly comic classic.
At the Stratford Festival
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14
DRACULA, Shaw Festival
Liz Lochhead’s stunning version of Bram Stoker’s Gothic thriller is all about repressed erotic hunger: in Victorian England, men are as terrified of female desire as they are of blood-sucking vampires. Sexy, funny and scary, this is red-blooded theatre that will leave all your senses on fire.
At the Shaw Festival
LUKUMI, Watah Theatre
Set in post-apocalypse Turtle Island in 2167, 100 years after the Period of Explosions (PoE)—which saw the widespread meltdown of nuclear power plants, making the surface of the earth virtually uninhabitable—a group of freedom fighters called the Ahosi Mino live underground where they are viciously hunted by The One World Army. Having access to ancient knowledges, the Ahosi Mino must send a Lukumi on a vision quest to find humanity’s redemption or to die trying.
At Tarragon Theatre
AN OCTOROON, Shaw Festival
The Octoroon, written in 1859, was considered a masterpiece. Its story of a plantation owner falling for a woman of mixed race was taken as a bold plea for racial tolerance; now, it just seems embarrassingly racist. An Octoroon is Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ radical response to the play, comparing attitudes to race then and now in the funniest and least comfortable theatre experience in years.
At the Shaw Festival
WAITING FOR GODOT, Soulpepper
On a bare road in the middle of nowhere, two world-weary friends wait. While anticipating, they speculate, quarrel, joke and ponder life’s greater questions. As dusk approaches, two figures appear on the horizon.
At the Young Centre for the Performing Arts
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15
DANCING AT LUGHNASA, Shaw Festival
In the 1930s, five unforgettable women try to eke out an existence in Ireland, the land where no tears are without laughter, and no laughter is without tears. Each woman is filled with passionate longing; and yet they deal with it in their own, different ways – except when they are all equally possessed by the spirit of the dance, welling up from the buried, ancient powers of their native land.
At the Shaw Festival
THE FISH EYES TRILOGY, Nightswimming/Factory
A unique portrait of the intertwining lives of three teenage girls at one BC high school. Presented together in a single three-act play; Fish Eyes innovatively tackles coming of age, cultural heritage, empowerment, and consent with humour and elegance.
At Factory Theatre
THE MADNESS OF GEORGE III, Shaw Festival
A play is about the real men and women behind the icons we create. King George III may have been anointed by God, but when he starts to lose control of his speech and his bodily functions, it’s clear that he’s all too human.
At the Shaw Festival
ME AND MY GIRL, Shaw Festival
This delightful comic romp from the thirties follows the fortunes of Bill Snibson, a proud Cockney who is amazed to learn that he’s actually the fourteenth Earl of Hareford. But if he wants to claim his title, it looks as if he will have to shed his old life—and love.
At the Shaw Festival
POOL (NO WATER), Cue6 Theatre
When a famous artist invites her old friends to her luxurious pool, for one night the group is back together. But celebrations come to an abrupt end when the host suffers a horrific accident. Unthinkably inspired, the group looks at her injuries and sees not only art, but fame for themselves.
At the Citadel
SAINT JOAN, Shaw Festival
At the centre of this play is the most remarkable teenage girl in history. But who is she? The divinely-inspired saviour of France? A dangerously clever charlatan? Or a pathetically deluded country girl? It all depends on your point of view.Whatever she is, eventually Joan is bound to become an embarrassment to the male-dominated world she has turned upside-down. And then what?
At the Shaw Festival
iPhoto caption: Vancouver’s Third Beach. Photos courtesy of Sarah Afful
Openings & Closings – Week of January 8
These are the shows that are opening and closing the week of January 8, 2018.
Closings – Week of December 25
These are the shows that are closing the week of December 25, 2017.
Closings – Week of December 18
These are the shows that are closing the week of December 18, 2017.
Openings & Closings – Week of December 4
These are the shows opening and closing the week of December 4, 2017.
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