Get a measure of Mom medicine this weekend

The delight that mother and son Ravi and Asha Jain take in each other makes A Brimful of Asha an infectious good time

I  highly recommend two shows in the world of Vancouver theatre this weekend: Asha and Ravi Jain’s A Brimful of Asha and TJ Dawe’s Medicine. I’ve also got high hopes for director Kevin Bennett’s take on Measure for Measure, which opens at Pacific Theatre tonight. 

A Brimful of Asha

In A Brimful of Asha, the mother-and-son team of Asha and Ravi Jain tell the true story of what happened in 2007 when 27-year-old Ravi’s parents decided to arrange a marriage for him. Asha’s not a trained performer, but she is as charming as a happy cat. Brimful is on at the Revue Stage until February 8 as part of PuSh.

Medicine

Medicine, which is about Dawe’s experience with the hallucinogen ayahuasca, is a generous and moving monologue about coming to terms with childhood pain. The remount is up at the Firehall until January 25. Some nights, Dawe’s pushy mentor, Gabor Maté, joins him on-stage for a post-show discussion.

Measure for Measure

We’ll see what happens with Bennett’s Measure for Measure, but the odds of success are good. Bennett and Shakespeare get along: witness his startling Hamlet and touching Lear. The play itself is wonderfully pervy. And the leads, the virginal Isabella and lecherous Angelo, are being played by Julie McIsaac and Simon Webb. ‘Nuff said.