Sex, shame, and land claims

Robert Salvador, Alexa Devine, Allan Morgan, and Manami Hara get clear about shame in This Stays in the Room

This weekend, I highly recommend two shows.

This Stays in the Room (Horseshoes & Hand Grenades Theatre at the Gallery Gachet, 88 East Cordova) is based on true stories about shame and forgiveness. Mindy Parfitt’s direction is fantastically resourceful. And the show’s got a stellar cast (Alexa Devine, Manami Hara, Allan Morgan, and Robert Salvador). This Stays in the Room closes March 30, so book now.

And Mies Julie, writer and director Yaël Farber’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s flawed classic, Miss Julie, is as huge and elemental as a thunderstorm. Great music. And Excellent performances all round, especially from Bongile Mantsai, who plays John, the black servant who has sex with the title character, the daughter of a Boer landowner, who is also John’s boss.

In Mies Julie, Farber delves into issues of land title, which makes it particularly relevant here in BC.

Mies Julie runs until April 19, but don’t let that lull you into complacency. When word starts to get around, it’s going to sell out.

Bongile Mantsai and Hilda Cronje deliver fearless performances in Mies Julie