Bard on the Beach

Harlem Duet by Djanet Sears

When & Where June 15 – July 17, 2022 at 7.30pm | Howard Family Stage, Vanier Park

Director Cherissa Richards Set & Costume Design Rachel Forbes Lighting Design Sophie Tang Sound Design Malcolm Dow Composer & Musical Director John Littlejohn Fight Director Jonathan Hawley Purvis Intimacy Director Lisa Goebel Stage Manager Rebecca Mulvihill Musicians Alexander Boyton Jr., Marlene Ginader

Reviewer John Jane

The Harlem Duet time shifts between the 1860s, a period just prior to the abolition of slavery and in 1928 that shows Billie and Othello's relationship in analogue form; while the bulk of action takes place in the time that the play was written. Sears draws inspiration from Shakespeare's play Othello, though the characters and the story are original. Full review

A Midsummmer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

When & Where 8 June– 24 September 2022, Tuesdays through Sundays at 7.30 pm; Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm | BMO Mainstage, under the tents in Sen?ákw/Vanier Park

Director Scott Bellis Set Design Amir Ofek Costume Design Christine Reimer Lighting Design Gerald King Sound Design & Composer Mishelle Cuttler Choreographer Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg Fight Director Jonathan Hawley Purvis Stage Manager Joanne P.B. Smith

Reviewer Elizabeth Paterson

Midsummer is almost here and magic has arrived early on the stage at Bard on the Beach with Scott Bellis' current production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. Against the backdrop of a decaying palace in the aftermath of an eastern European war, Hippolyta (Melissa Oie), every inch a warrior queen and a uniformed Theseus, Duke of Athens will soon make a political marriage. Full review

Hamilton by Lin-Manuel Miranda

When & Where 24 May – 19 June 2022, 8pm; matinees on Sat at 2pm & Sun at 1.30pm | Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 650 Hamilton Street

Director Thomas Kail Assistant Director Meg Farhall Scenic Designnic David Korin Costume Design Paul Tazewell Lighting Design Howard Binkley Sound Design Nevin Steinberg Music Director Andre Cerullo Stage Manager Steve Henry

Reviewer John Jane

Seven years after opening on Broadway’s Richard Rodgers Theater, Hamilton finally comes to Vancouver. Its popularity has been phenomenal and it’s easy to see why. Hamilton is an epic, politically inspired, biographical stage musical, with its sung-through dialogue delivered in mostly rap form. Full review

Gateway Theatre
In Wonderland by Anna Cummer

When & Where April 7 – 16, 2022 at 7.30pm except Sundays and Mondays; matinees: on Sat. April 9, Sun. April 10, and Wed. April 13 @ 2pm | Gateway Theatre, 6500 Gilbert Road, Richmond

Director Haysam Kadri Assistant Director Meg Farhall Set & Costume Design Hanne Loosen Lighting Design Alexandra Prichard Sound Design Peter Moller Projection Design Jamie Nesbitt Stage Manager Ashley Rees Assistant Stage Manager Emma Slunt Surtitle Translator Johnny Wu

Reviewer John Jane

The Alberta Theatre Projects production of In Wonderland is a stage adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s novel Alice in Wonderland. Only three actors are tasked with portraying many of characters we have come to associate with Carroll’s famous children’s story. The trio is led by the youngest performer, Filipina- Canadian multidisciplinary artist Sarah Roa, who plays Alice throughout the entire show. Full review

Pacific Theatre
How the World Began by Catherine Trieschmann

When & Where March 25 – April 16, 2022, Wed-Sat at 8pm; Saturday matinees at 2pm & Sun Apr 3 & 10 at 3pm | Pacific Theatre, 1440 W 12th Avenue, Vancouver

Director Sarah Rodgers Set Design Jessica Oostergo Lighting Design John Webber Sound Design and Composition Rick Colhoun Costume Design Stephanie Kong

Reviewer Nancie Ottem

How the World Began by Catherine Trieschmann opened at the Pacific Theatre on Friday, March 25. The play is set in Plainview, a small town in Kansas in the present day. Susan (Meghan Gardiner) is a science teacher who has come from New York to finish her qualifications for her teaching degree and finds her classroom is a converted trailer as the town has been destroyed by a tornado. Full review

Western Gold Theatre
Funny Money by Ray Cooney

When & Where March 25 – 27, 2022 at 7:30pm Friday & Saturday, and Sat & Sun matinees at 2pm | PAL Studio Theatre, 581 Cardero

Director Anna Hagan Dramaturg Production Design Glenn MacDonald Lighting Design Matthew Bissett Stage Manager Kare Chiang

Reviewer John Jane

After a two year postponement, Ray Cooney's British farce finally comes to the PAL Studio Theatre. With only a small window for rehearsals, director Anna Hagan wisely opts for a script-in-hand performance. Well executed farce requires at a minimum, quick deadpan delivery and precise comic timing and for me at least, should be halfway believable. Despite the persistent page-turning, the talented cast manage to pull off the first two elements. Full review

Boone Dog Productions
Nunsense

When & Where March 11 - 27, 2022 at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm | Metro Theatre, 1370 SW Marine Drive, Vancouver

Director Gillian Barber Music Director Shawn Henry Choreography Shelley Stewart Hunt Set Design Shel Piercy Costume Design Christina Sinosich Lighting Design Les Erskine Sound Mixing Justin Gaudio Stage Manager Ashely Vucko Set Construction/Painting John Bradbury & Meredith Fraser
Cast Meghan Anderssen, Nancy Herb, Sarah Mercier, Caitriona Murphy, and Sheryl Anne Wheaton

Reviewer Christian Steckler

A show called Nunsense sets us up for an evening of silly, probably irreverent fun, with a risk of falling on its face by being corny. Fortunately, this Boone Dog Production at our iconic Metro Theatre, treats the audience to a comedic treat, full of giggles, chuckles and out-loud laughter, thanks to the excellence of all involved. Full review

Touchstone Theatre
Ominous Sounds at the River Crossing (or, Another F*cking Dinner Party Play) by Jason Sherman

When & Where March 6 – 13, 2022 at 7:30pm | Performance Works, Granville Island

Director Roy Surette Set Design Kimira Reddy Lighting Design Itai Erdal Costume Design Christine Reimer Sound Design Alistair Wallace
Cast Angela Chu, Nicola Lipman, Allan Morgan, Monice Peter, Alex Poch-Goldin and Kerry Sandomirsky

Reviewer Nancie Ottem

It is a topsy-turvy world out there. One that has seen more change in the last fifty years, arguably, then in the previous one hundred. Jason Sherman has bitten off a large chunk of this new world in order to explore the social dynamics that these changes have wrought. Full review

Gateway Theatre
Certified created and performed by JD Derbyshire

When & Where March 8 - 20, 2022 at 8pm | Studio B, Gateway Theatre, 6500 Gilbert Road, Richmond

Director Roy Surette Lighting Design Jillian White Sound Design Dana Ayotte Stage Manager Lili Robinson

Reviewer John Jane

In her roughly one-hour, one-woman show Certified, Jan Derbyshire asks her audience to be her Mental Health Review Board and at the end of the show judge her level of sanity. Audience members are given colour-coded cards similar to those seen in use by soccer referees to caution players on the field. Full review