Royal City Musical Theatre is tops yet again.
The company’s production of Fiddler on the Roof, which ran at the Massey Theatre last spring, emerged triumphant at Sunday night’s Ovation Awards, which recognize the best musical theatre in the region.
The production earned Outstanding Community Production (Large Theatre) honours, beating out offerings from Theatre Under the Stars, Exit 22, Align Entertainment and URP Productions.
Another local win came from Suzanne Ouellette, who earned Outstanding Choreography honours for her work on Gateway Theatre’s The Music Man.
Congratulations to all involved.
For a full list of Ovation Award winners, see www.tinyurl.com/OvationAwards2017.
GHOST HAUNTS SHAW SHOW?
Your chance to enjoy a night of Shavian theatre might just also be your chance to have a run-in with the Galbraith House ghost.
City Stage New West is currently showing Shaw Shorts! at the historic home, and City Stage’s artistic director wrote to let us know about a possible encounter with the legendary spook who haunts the home.
Renee Bucciarelli, who’s also onstage as one of the actors, tells it like this:
It was during a promotional photo shoot for the play that Damon Calderwood, who was taking shots of the three actors, encountered a strange shadow. He took more than 200 photos, and at around his 90th shot, he said, “Wait guys, I’m getting some really weird shadow in these last few pictures.”
He checked the lights, but nothing had changed. And yet, in a series of four to five photos, there’s a distinct “shadow” in the upper right corner that can’t be accounted for by anything in the shot.
Bucciarelli reports that it went away as mysteriously as it came, without any lighting changes.
“We were left concluding that possibly Someone wanted to be in that picture!?” writes Bucciarelli.
See for yourself in the photo attached above. Or better yet, just head down to see Shaw Shorts!, which includes George Bernard Shaw’s one-act play How He Lied To Her Husband, plus a theatrical reworking of Shaw’s love letters to Beatrice Stella Campbell.
See www.citystagenewwest.org for all the details.
GO UNDER THE SEA
New West actors are taking to the stage in a Burnaby production of The Little Mermaid.
Align Entertainment is staging the musical – based on the popular Disney film – from Feb. 3 to 18 at the Michael J. Fox Theatre.
Robin Sukorokoff and Bronwyn Williams are part of the cast for the family-friendly show, which features the popular songs from the movie – Under the Sea, Kiss the Girl, Part of Your World and more – plus extras for the stage version.
Young and old alike will enjoy the story of Ariel, the mermaid princess who becomes a human girl to seek adventure and love above the water. It stars Elyse Maloway as Ariel, with Colton Fyfe as Prince Eric, Damon Calderwood as King Triton, Erin Matchette as Ursula, Julio Fuentes as Sebastien and Chris Adams as Scuttle.
The theatre is at 7373 MacPherson Ave., Burnaby. For more information, see www.alignentertainment.ca.
SYMPHONY FOR SMALL PEOPLE
Are there small people in your house who love music? Don’t forget about the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s Tiny Tots series, which makes a return to the Anvil Centre Theatre on Feb. 4.
Let Your Music Shine! With Lisa and Linda (a.k.a. Lisa Grace and Linda Sebenius) returns to the stage for the concert, which runs twice: at 10 a.m. and at 11:30 a.m.
The Mother Goose Goes To the Symphony concert will combine favourite symphony classics with favourite rhymes – all accompanied by a brass trio.
The concerts are aimed at the toddler and preschooler set, with a caregiver.
Tickets are $15 for adults, $7 for children and $2 for babies. Buy through www.ticketsnw.ca.
The Anvil Centre is at 777 Columbia St.
LOCAL ACTORS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Local performers are front and centre in a new production by the White Rock Players’ Club.
The club is presenting The Graduate, onstage at the Coast Capital Playhouse from Feb. 10 to 25 (with previews Feb. 8 and 9).
The play, adapted for the stage by Terry Johnson, is based on the book by Charles Webb and on the classic 1967 film. The movie version, of course, stars Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft as the aimless young college grad Benjamin Braddock and the older woman – yes, Mrs. Robinson – who seduces him.
Starring as Mrs. Robinson is a performer who’ll be familiar to New West folks – former school trustee Lori Watt (now a resident of Burnaby). She’s joined by New West resident Katherine Morris as Mrs. Braddock.
Thomas Gage stars as Benjamin, with Janine Guy as Elaine, Kerry Van Sickle as Mr. Braddock and Kimball Finigan as Mr. Robinson.
Tickets are $22, or $19 for students and seniors, with $10 tickets on preview nights.
Check out www.whiterockplayers.ca for all the details and ticket information.
Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment ideas to Julie, [email protected], or find her on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
