East Van Panto: Beauty and the Beast — such a beauty

East Van Panto: Beauty and the Beast — such a beauty

(Photo by Emily Cooper) Year after year, almost without fail, Theatre Replacement’s East Van Pantos are some of the most innovative, entertaining productions we see all season. Beauty and the Beast is one of the best. Co-writers Jivesh Parasram and Christine Quintana...
A Doll’s House, Part 2: I got plenty and wanted more

A Doll’s House, Part 2: I got plenty and wanted more

(Photo of Melissa Oei and Tom McBeath by Javier Sotres) There’s a knock on the door. How else could it start? In Henrik Ibsen’s 1879 script A Doll’s House, Nora, the heroine, leaves her suffocating marriage, her husband Torvald, her three young children, and her...
Elf, the Musical: hits within a miss

Elf, the Musical: hits within a miss

Can’t get enough of this guy: Andrew McNee as Buddy (Costume by Christine Reimer, photo by David Cooper) This might sound weird but Andrew McNee is playing Buddy the elf in this production and, when I was watching him, I had a sudden — glorious — flash of his...
The Wizard of Oz — again, but well done

The Wizard of Oz — again, but well done

Don’t make me cry, you two, I’m going to rust. (Photo of Preston Wilder and Camryn Macdonald by Canna Zhou) I’ve seen The Wizard of Oz approximately one million times, so there weren’t a lot of surprises for me in this CTORA Theatre production. But CTORA...
How Black Mothers Say I Love You: slowly

How Black Mothers Say I Love You: slowly

Kerën Burkett and Alisha Davidson deliver solid performances. (Photo: Kimberly Ho) Playwright Trey Anthony’s How Black Mothers Say I Love You is about the experiences of three Black women — four if you count the ghost. More specifically, it’s about immigration. I’m a...