School’s out, summer’s here, and The Arts Club Theatre Company’s production of Les Misérables is on stage this July and August. Too hot out? Rainy (let’s hope)? Escape to the lovely neoclassical Stanley Theatre to enjoy Victor Hugo’s tale again, or for the first time.
Photo credit: Ross den Otter for The Arts Club.
I have seen Les Misérables four times on stage now and I, along with my niece who came with me to a matinée this week and had only seen the recent film version, thoroughly enjoyed The Arts Club’s production.
For those that know the story, you’ll be able to follow along quite well and if you’re unfamiliar with the theatrical adaptation (music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, original lyrics by Alain Boublil, based on the novel by Victor Hugo) then you can pick up “Bill’s Notes” in the lobby. A play on Cliff’s Notes/Coles Notes, this comprehensive guide (with spoiler alerts) is penned by Artistic Managing Director Bill Millerd and contains insights about the story, the production, and a hearty history lesson about 19th century France.
Once the lights go out, prepare to be captivated. The ensemble was one of the strongest I’ve ever heard from The Arts Club, and performances by Keiran Martin Murphy (Jean Valjean), Warren Kimmel (Javert), and Jennie Neumann (Eponine) were standouts for me, the best portrayals of those characters I have seen to date.
The Thénardiers, thieving, scheming and absurdly amusing pair played by Nicola Lipman and Andrew Wheeler, relax the audience of this heavy historical drama with their raunchy comic relief. The costumes, from rags to stain ballgowns, bows and bonnets were impeccable, along with the set these creative elements were both of the quality and calibre you would expect from the professional and award-winning teams at The Arts Club. But it was those voices that stole the show.
Photo credit: Ross den Otter for The Arts Club.
The children, Jaime Olivia MacLean as Young Cossette and Cameron Andres as Gavroche, both with years of performing arts experience proved that they are already bright shining stars in the Vancouver theatre community. This production is captivating, enthralling, and I got goosebumps several times — and it wasn’t from the cool stream of air flowing from the temperature-controlled theatre.
Les Misérables will be live at The Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, for 2:00pm, 7:30pm or 8:00pm shows on select days through to August 16, 2015. Tickets are available online from $39 including same-day student rush tickets (sponsored by TD) available online as well.
Win Tickets to The Arts Club’s Les Miserables
I have a pair of tickets to give away to Les Misérables this summer, courtesy of The Arts Club. Here’s how you can enter to win:
Leave a comment naming a character or song from Les Misérables (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win tickets to #ACTCLesMiz from @TheArtsClub @Miss604 http://ow.ly/PHIQg
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Friday, July 24, 2015. Saturday performances excluded. Follow The Arts Club on Facebook and Twitter for more information about their productions.
We’re so fortunate to have an amazing gem like Stanley Park right outside our door in Downtown Vancouver and it’s our favourite place for an afternoon stroll. Avoiding the busy Sea Wall, John and I love walking the forest trails either on our way to a destination in the park (like the Prospect Point Cafe) or to have a mini urban forest adventure while enjoying the shade of the canopy. Lush, green ferns blanket the ground, wild berries flourish, and ancient cedars– that have not yet fallen victim to windstorms– tower above. There are over 25km of trails inside the park, not including the Sea Wall. I previously featured the Cathedral Trail, Lovers Walk, Beaver Lake, Avison Trail, and Merilees Trail last summer so it’s about time to share 4 More Stanley Park Trails to Explore:
6. Tatlow Walk
Named after R.G. Tatlow, Park Commissioner from 1888-1905, Tatlow is a great path to take you from Downtown Vancouver directly through the park and out the other side to its sandy beaches. Loop around the north side of Lost Lagoon and enter on the Tatlow Trail, cutting through the bottom third of the park, and you’ll wind up right at Third Beach.
The Prospect Point Trail is the end of the Bridle Path, which starts out near Second Beach and cuts directly up the park, north to south, all the way up to Prospect Point.
There is a change in elevation — just think about how close the Sea Wall is to the park at English Bay then about the cliffs at Prospect Point — so be prepared for some steady inclines. Once you’ve connected to Bridle Path, from its start at Second Beach or after turning onto it from Tatlow, head north. I mention the Prospect Point Trail specifically as you might want to veer off Bridle when you get to the baseball diamonds or parking lot, but keep going. You’ll briefly connect with Stanley Park Drive on your left but continue right, past one of my favourite trees that grows at a 90 degree angle (photo below) and you’ll pop out again at the Prospect Point Cafe. This is also part of the bike-friendly trail network.
My suggested route for the Brockton Oval Trail is to walk into the park from Downtown Vancouver along the Sea Wall and when you get to Avison Way, the road that will take you to the Vancouver Aquarium, cross over to the path (the one for oval and not point). This is a very quick trail, with a small hill, but it’s a nice walk with wild berries, big trees, and the historic Brockton Oval at the end. There you’ll find a track, fitnees circuit, pavilion, and plaques/markers telling of over 100 years of cricket and rugby matches.
Another path that will bring you into the forest from the Sea Wall is the Ravine Trail, from the north east side of the Sea Wall, where Beaver Lake’s waterway connects with Burrard Inlet.
You’ll turn off the Sea Wall and cross Stanley Park Drive before it intersects with Pipeline Road. There is a crosswalk that will connect you to Tunnel Trail, head south west and you’ll cross Pipeline Road at another crosswalk to connect to the Ravine Trail that dips down below the bridge into an environmentally sensitive area. This area of the park has unique vegetation, trees, and will connect you with the Beaver Lake Interpretive Trail.
You can download the trail map PDF or do a simple Google Maps search as all trails are also listed there. Bikes are allowed on several trails, such as Rawlings, Bridle (Prospect Point), Lovers, Beaver Lake, and Avison. Be sure to respect the environment and the sensitive ecosystem in the park by carting out what you bring in and NEVER smoke in Vancouver Parks.
The weekend of August 8 & 9th is shaping up to be the best weekend of music on Salt Spring Island this summer thanks to the Salt Spring Garlic & Music Festival. Featuring an international group of performers joining forces with top-notch local talent for two days of incredible entertainment, and garlicky good fun on Paradise Farm. Come and enjoy both the music and the food on a beautiful rural location with breathtaking views of the ocean.
Salt Spring Garlic and Music Festival
When Saturday, August 8 (10:30am-8:00pm) and Sunday August 9 (10:30am-7:00pm) Where Paradise Farm (255 Musgrave Rd, Salt Spring’s south end)
Featuring the sounds of BC rock royalty Chilliwack, Vancouver favourites The Boom Booms, globally renowned Ganga Giri, and Juno winners, Valdy, Shari Ulrich, Rick Scott, and Roy Forbes. Look forward to a weekend of musical entertainment and relish cooking demos, garlic tasting, and visit farm vendors on site. Over two-dozen will be selling organic produce, as well as a dozen varieties of local Salt Spring garlic.
Come hungry as you’ll find everything from locally made ice cream to kettle corn, and garlic popsicles. On the heartier side food vendors will supply pulled pork sliders, burgers, fish tacos, lamb sausages, falafels, poutine, fries and Greek food. Festival attendees can take in wine tastings and imbibe in the beer garden.
Tickets are on sale now for $30/day or $50 for a weekend pass (plus fees). Proceeds will help strengthen the local music scene, and support area farmers. Come experience a festive atmosphere, and great tunes on a picturesque, rural setting.
Enter to Win
Organizers of the Salt Spring Garlic and Music Festival want to treat a Miss604 reader to VIP weekend passes to the festival. The winner will enjoy transportation to the site and once there receive a mystery basket full of Salt Spring goodies — and yes there will be garlic!
Leave a comment naming a festival performer or vendor (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win a VIP @SSGarlic_Music prize pack from @Miss604 #SSGarlicMusicFest http://ow.ly/PC274
BONUS
Miss604 readers also have the opportunity to win two nights of luxury at one of Salt Spring’s most spectacular accommodations, the Stonehouse Bed & Breakfast.
Discover the epitome of West Coast comfort and elegance. Stonehouse offers an unparalleled Salt Spring Island experience set against a dazzling tableau of British Columbia’s Southern Gulf Islands. Over 4 acres of stunning property beckon to be explored, including tree-lined lanes, gardens, rolling hillside and the magnificent Standing Stone Circle, which renders tangible: stillness, endurance and mystery.
Adorned with a diverse collection of art and other objects that pique curiosities and start conversations, Stonehouse provides a distinctive ambiance for the discerning traveller. Graceful hospitality and myriad leisure activities allow guests to relax in their home-away-from-home, while gourmet breakfasts featuring the amazing bounty of local producers tantalize the senses.
The Stonehouse winner will have to claim their prize any weekend from October 1 to April 15, 2016, based on availability of accommodation. Blackout in effect during long weekends. The winner will also agree to be disclosed and do any follow-ups via social media.
I will draw two winners (one for the VIP festival prize pack + one for Stonehouse) at 10:00pm on Thursday, July 23, 2015. Follow the Salt Spring Garlic and Music Festival on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
Miss604 is a proud sponsor of the Salt Spring Garlic and Music Festival
Update The winner of the tickets is Doreen! The winner of the stay at Stonehouse is Mark Linden O’Meara!
Vancouver, with several new and old architectural gems, used to have a handful of stunning buildings that have since been demolished, much to the chagrin of citizens at the time. The Second Hotel Vancouver, the Georgia Medical-Dental Building, and the old Birks Building come to mind. The latter, which was located at Granville and Georgia until it was demolished to make way for the Scotia Tower in the 1970s, is the focus of today’s photo roundup.
Birks Building
June, 1946. Birks Building on Georgia and Granville. Photographer: Don Coltman. Archives# CVA 586-4399.
Built between 1912 and 1913, across the street from the site of the original and second Hotel Vancouver, the Birks Building was “an 11-storey Edwardian masterpiece with an elegant terra cotta facade and a graceful curved corner,” according to the Vancouver Sun. “The corner of Georgia and Granville was rounded glass windows all the way up. It was quite spectacular. That’s where the Birks clock was for years and years. It was a familiar meeting place: ‘Meet you at the Birks clock, Georgia and Granville.’”
Construction of Birks Building GIF
September 1912 to March 1913. Vancouver Archives# M-14-30 to M-14-51.
“Inside, sparkling jewelry, silver and fine china attracted the most demanding, and wealthy, clientele,” notes Canadian Encyclopedia.
1922: Looking south on Granville, Birks Building on the left. Archives# CVA 371-825.
1939: Birks Building on the left, followed by the Second Hotel Vancouver and the Third (current) Hotel Vancouver. Leonard Frank Photo. Archives# CVA 586-4615.
The Birks building was torn down in 1974 but not without furious opposition from the general public, which was shocked that one of Vancouver’s signature buildings was being demolished. According to local historian and author Michael Kluckner, on March 24th, 1974 at 2:00pm there was a mock funeral for the building that marched down Georgia Street. The last wall came down in January, 1975.
The Changing Vancouver blog calls it “the saddest loss of a heritage building in the city.”
1981: Birks Building at Granville and Georgia. Archives# CVA 779-E02.17.
Today, you can find Birks at 698 West Hastings Street, in the old Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building. The Birks Clock is parked outside on the corner, just a few blocks down from its original location on Granville Street.
Lynn Canyon Park in North Vancouver opened in 1912 and has been a popular playground for locals ever since. Spanning 617 acres, it features hiking trails — from easy loops for the family to connections to the North Shore’s extensive Baden-Powell Trail — a cafe and ecology centre, the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge, forest trails and waterfall views. This beautiful park, with emerald waters and ancient trees, is today’s 604 Corners photo feature:
1951: Granville and Georgia. Archives# CVA 772-7.
![Into the woods [Explored]](https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8107/8480465633_00b79bc91e_z.jpg)
