UQ Events Arts & Entertainment Blog

In Vancouver in the year 2010, the rich got richer and entertained themselves with extravagant circuses as the poorer got poorer and more desperate. And so, Itsazoo Theatre brings us their Vancouver 2010 re-imagining of Robin Hood, a memorable outdoor-theatre romp where Queen Elizabeth Park becomes Sherwood Forest and Gordon Campbell becomes the Mayor (and later Premier) of Nottingham.

Inspired by the medieval morality plays that were all the rage back in Robin Hood’s day—not to mention the medieval callousness with which certain politicians regard our poor and downtrodden—the delivery is big and broad, with young and handsome heroes clashing with dastardly villains sporting grotesque masks and paper-mache heads. And in keeping with Vancouver’s outdoor fitness culture, this show keeps you in shape: when a scene ends, the audience walks a short distance to a new location, usually serenaded by a guitar-slinging folkie troubadour.

Since we all know the Robin Hood story and we’re well aware that the public purse shelled out over a kajillion dollars to fund the Olympics as homelessness dramatically increased, this show doesn’t teach us anything new—so its success is measured in the strength of its performances and satirical flair. I enjoyed how the Vancouver Olympics, aka the “International Big Deal”, is recast as a preposterous money-burning orgy, and loved their spoofing of our hyper-enthusiastic young Olympians:

“Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of stacking millions of dollars in a cauldron and lighting it on fire! And now that I’m here, and the money is burning, I couldn’t be more proud!”

Since the story is simple and familiar, this show could have been a bit shorter and snappier. A few scenes were too short and/or flat to be worth the walk—there was a large audience the night I saw the show, which may have slowed down scene changes—and a couple of locations were too small to comfortably accommodate us.

But these are minor flaws in a consistently entertaining show from a charming young cast. Verily, Itsazoo’s Robin Hood is precisely the sort of gleeful anti-establishment theatre that inspires the black-hearted Gordon Campbell and his cronies to slash funding for the arts in British Columbia. If only our arts community produced more work that flattered the wealthy and celebrated corporate profit….

Until August 28 in Queen Elizabeth Park (meet at the entrance to the Bloedel Conservatory at 7 p.m.) Tickets can only be purchased in person at the Bloedel Conservatory (Bloedel Conservatory hours 9am-8pm Mon-Fri; 10am-9pm Sat-Sun). Info at 778-888-2435 or the Itsazoo web site.

Theatre Under the Stars’ two current productions employ the same set and director, but surprisingly, the results widely vary.

On one hand, behold Shel Piercy’s shroom-tastic hippie re-imagining of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, which is so kaleidoscopically colorful that Joseph’s psychedelic coat of many colors—emblazoned with such 60s emblems as a peace sign, huge sparkly ganja leaf and the tongue-wagging Rolling Stones mouth—appears to have given birth to all the other costumes.

The large, energetic young cast radiates charm and enthusiasm, and leaps with unbridled energy into Andrew Lloyd Webber’s eclectic, eminently hummable score, which runs the gamut from rock to country to a triumphantly goofy calypso number. Several players stand out as talents to watch, the best of which is the production’s excellent Joseph, Eric Ioannidis—who rocks a wicked Jewfro, commands the stage with bold, gymnastic physicality, and dazzles us with an electric smile that I’m sure we’ll see again many times in the coming years.

Talk about a feel-good summer hit! This Joseph is packed with inventive surprises, adorable kids and geysers of literal and figurative confetti—verily, an audience hasn’t been blasted with this much pure fun since Mr. Dressup’s tickle trunk exploded onstage in 1985.

And then there’s Shel Piercy’s disappointing Singin’ in the Rain, the first show I walked out of in my five months at the helm of the UQ Events Arts and Entertainment blog.

Unlike the Joseph cast, which oozes charisma and talent, there are no standout stars in this production. Female leads Cailin Stadnyk and Lauren Bowler are reasonably solid as the obnoxious Lina Lamont and winsome Kathy Selden, but they—nor the well-costumed and choreographed choruses—can’t save this oughta-feel-good exercise from the consistently soggy males. Intended first-act showstopper “Make ’Em Laugh” failed to make us laugh on account of Neil Minor’s oddly mechanical delivery. Jameson Parker’s frustrated film director Roscoe Dexter is too shallow and schmacty for his on-set outbursts to be genuinely amusing. And leading man Lindsay Sterk is so not-Gene Kelley it hurts; after the painfully underwhelming marquee solo number “Singin’ in the Rain”—which seemed contrived to showcase Sterk’s lack of charisma and inadequate dancing—I bailed out during the intermission.

And I wasn’t the only one. Joseph may be based on an Old Testament story, but this production of Singin’ in the Rain clearly takes a page from the Book of Exodus.

Until August 21 (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on even dates, Singin’ in the Rain on odd dates) at Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park. Tickets and info at Theatre Under the Stars.

“Wanna buy some land?” asks the poster for the Arts Club’s production of Glengarry Glen Ross. If your answer is yes, stay away from this show—because David Mamet’s Pulitzer and Tony-winning masterpiece about desperate real-estate salesmen will make you never buy anything from a salesman again.

If you’re not looking to buy land, however, buy your tickets now, because this show unabashedly rocks out with its cock out. The cast—all longtime friends—has waited years to sink their teeth into this bloody, blue-rare slab of theatrical steak, and they chew through Mamet’s famously profane script with gusto, spitting out gristly strings of four-letter expletives that at times had audience members laughing from sheer shock.

The first act unfolds in the booths of an atmospheric Chinese restaurant. With a gently bubbling aquarium in the background—I’m not sure why they stocked it with pretty tropical fish, when a bunch of live crabs crawling over each other would have complimented the script perfectly—four venal, desperate salesmen grapple with the cruel “sales contest” their bosses have devised: the month’s top seller will win a Cadillac, the second-place seller will win a set of steak knives, and the third- and fourth-best sellers will be fired. Comprised of three independent two-man scenes, Act One elegantly sets up the whodunnit second act, and fleshes out the personalities and motivations of each gloriously flawed character in a surprisingly short time.

The second act features another great set—this time a bland, soulless 1980s office—and here our men can finally rip each other to shreds. At least one of them is guilty of robbing the office the night before, and as a brusque detective summons them one by one into the manager’s office for questioning, the office becomes the scene of some epic verbal rutting. It’s great fun watching these guys at each others’ throats, and I am pleased to report that Will & Grace star Eric McCormack—whose nuanced performance wonderfully renders hotshot salesman Ricky Roma’s delicate mannerisms, quick wit and savage rage—delivered his highly-anticipated line “You stupid fucking cunt!” with palpable relish. (Not to mention a scalding spay of five-alarm Dijon and a contemptuous slap of watery ketchup.) Bravo, sir. Bravo.

“You stupid fucking....”

Props to McCormack and friends for getting this show onstage in Vancouver. Verily, Glengarry Glen Ross is a noirish all-male potboiler well-suited to a hot August night, and a blast of raw male energy that will put hair on any part of your body you choose.

At the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage (2750 Granville Street) until August 22. Info and tickets at the Arts Club.