This week, Vancouver Opera presents the last three performances of Die Fledermaus (The Bat), the Austrian operetta composed by Johann Strauss Jr., adapted by UBC’s Nancy Hermiston to include theatrical dialogue in English with timely or local references.
Eisenstein (Roger Honeywell) is dismayed to find that a disguised Rosalinde (Joyce El-Khoury) has his watch. Photo by Tim Matheson
Set it old Vienna, chambermaid Adele (Suzanne Ridgen) has received word that her ballerina sister has been invited to attend a lavish ball hosted by Prince Orlovsky (Julie Boulianne) and wants her to come. Meanwhile, her employer, Gabriel von Eisenstein (Roger Honeywell) is due to go to prison when his friend, Dr. Faulk (Hugh Russell), convinces him to attend the same ball before he turns himself in. His wife, Rosalinde (Joyce El-Khoury), who being pursued by her former Italian lover Alfred (David Pomeroy), gets word off her husbands plan and decides to attend the ball in disguise as a Hungarian countess to catch him red handed in his philandering ways. What follows is a story about mistaken identities, love, and celebration–all to the music Johann Strauss, Jr., AKA the “The Waltz King.”
What makes this production unique is that it’s a musical-theatrical hybrid. Most of the time, I found the modern-day English helpful to understand the plot as it can be confusing (after all, it’s a story about an elaborate prank and I don’t understand German); however, sometimes I felt the dialogue interrupted the musicality of the performance. For instance, Christopher Gaze, Artistic Director of Bard on the Beach, a great actor in his own right, has a massive monologue at the beginning of Act III, poking fun at his own public personae as “Mr. Shakespeare” in town. I felt this went on too long and became tired of the joke. This is no fault of Mr. Gaze, but of the writing, which I felt was sometimes too on the nose.
The performances, however, were phenomenal. A performer would be singing the most exquisite aria in one moment, and then transform into a powerful stage actor (I wondered if they got tips from Mr. Gaze?) the next. All in all, it was an impressive and highly-entertaining evening and left me amazed because who knew opera could be this light-hearted and funny?
Catch Die Fledermaus at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on March 5th, March 7th, and a matinée on March 8th. Follow Vancouver Opera on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
The fourth Macaron Day in Vancouver is coming up on March 20th, joining bakeries, cafes and bistros around the world to support local causes, one sweet treat at a time.
Macaron Day
Macaron Day was founded in France (le jour du macaron) by Pierre Hermé years ago. It’s a day to celebrate the colours of spring with a bright palette of treats. Macaron Day events will be happening overseas, in New York, and in Toronto. Over the last few years it has become a Vancouver tradition as well.
Macarons (not to be confused with macaroons) are meringue-based confections commonly filled with buttercream or jam with a delicate soft and crunchy outer shell. All you need to do is visit a participating “Macaron Day” bakery or cafe on March 20th and you’ll be given a macaron and be invited to make a donation their chosen charity.
Participants and Causes
Faubourg‘s three locations will all be participating: Kerrisdale (2156 West 41st Avenue), Downtown Vancouver (769 Hornby Street) and West Vancouver (792 Main Street, Park Royal South). They will all offer signature Parisian-style macarons for $1 each (half off the regular price), match every dollar of macaron sales, and donate 100% of gross proceeds to the Canadian Cancer Society.
Faubourg’s current macaron selection includes: White Chocolate & Passion Fruit *Faubourg Signature, Cappuccino, Salted Butter Caramel, Strawberry Black Pepper, Lavender Earl Grey, Dark Chocolate, Tahitian Vanilla Bean, Raspberry Rose.
French Made Baking at 81 Kingsway (at Broadway) in Vancouver is participating again this year, supporting the BC Children’s Hospital. Everyone who mentions Macaron Day in the store will receive a macaron and will be invited to make a donation (while supplies last, suggested donation is $2). Part of all macarons sales will be donated to the Foundation as well. French Made Baking will have about 15 different flavours available at the beginning of the day and they’ll be open from 8:00am to 6:00pm.
Soirette, located at 1433 W Pender Street in Vancouver, is also participating again this year in support of Make a Wish in BC.
Update: L’Epicerie Gourmande at the Granville Island Public Market (1689 Johnston Street) will also participate. On Macaron Day, L’Epicerie Gourmande will donate 30 percent of regular macaron sales to BC Children’s Hospital. The scrumptious two-bite morsels are priced at $2 each and are available individually or in boxes by the dozen for gifting.
Property damage caused by the explosion. Archives# CVA 586-3598. Photographer: Don Coltman.
March 6, 1945
“If you were here on March 6, 1945 you will remember the waterfront explosion of the 10,000-ton freighter Greenhill Park, easily the most spectacular and disastrous event in the port’s history,” wrote historian Chuck Davis in his History of Metropolitan Vancouver.
March 9, 1870
Debate began on the “admission” of British Columbia into Canadian Confederation.
March 10, 1870
On this day the settlement know locally as Gastown was given its official name: Granville Townsite. Lord Granville was the Colonial Secretary at the time and the Granville Townsite was selected as the terminus for the Canadian Pacific Railway. It wasn’t until 1886 that the townsite was renamed, when it incorporated, as the City of Vancouver.
The Main Post Office opened on Georgia Street. The 5-storey structure—capped with an oblong 3-storey slab—covers an entire city block (1.2 hectares) and encloses a total floor area of almost 16 acres (686,000sq ft). Designed by the firm McCarter Nairne & Partners, the building used state of the art technology, and contains numerous commissioned artworks [source]. In 2012 and 2013, the building was listed as one of Heritage Vancouver’s Top 10 Endangered Heritage Sites.
March 15, 1930
A group of people gathered in Green Timbers Urban Forest to plant more than 120 baby trees in BC’s first “forest plantation”. Today, Green Timbers Urban Forest is a vital part of Surrey’s major park systems.
It’s only March but everyone’s been talking about summer in Vancouver, since we’ve been having such spectacular weather lately, and summer in Vancouver means fireworks nights. The Honda Celebration of Light announced its dates this morning along with a renewed partnership with Honda and even more entertainment options this season.
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Honda Celebration of Light will take place July 25th, July 29th, and August 1st in 2015. In this morning’s press release, it was announced that on top of one of the greatest fireworks displays on earth, fans will also be able to enjoy three days of cultural programming, sponsor activities and Canadian music at English Bay and Sunset Beach.
In addition to The Keg Lounge and licensed seating at the YVR Observation deck, another VIP Lounge is being offered on the Inukshuk Peninsula and families are invited to enjoy food trucks and a licensed area in Sunset Beach this year.
Competing countries for the 2015 event will be announced at the end of March and tickets will go on sale for all VIP viewing areas on April 1st. Follow the Honda Celebration of Light on Twitter and Facebook for more information.
Update on March 31, 2015
The participating countries are:
Saturday, July 25 – China; Team Lidu
Wednesday, July 29 – Brazil; Group Vision Show
Saturday, August 1 – Canada; Archangel Fireworks
Formed on CelticFest’s stage in 2006, Delhi 2 Dublin is one of Canada’s most buzzed-about bands and they’ll be returning to CelticFest Vancouver on March 15th.
Who: Delhi 2 Dublin with special guest Troy MacGillivray and Mairi Rankin When: Sunday, March 15, 2015 at 8:00pm Where: Imperial, 319 Main Street, Vancouver Tickets: $25 in advance online, $30 at the door, must be 19+
I first heard the Bhangra / Celtic sound of Delhi 2 Dublin when strolling down Granville during Juno Fest 2009. The distinct pulsating melodies mixed with Dub Reggae and Electronica caught everyone’s attention as the tent hosting the group had the crowd spilling out from the street and onto the sidewalk.
I saw them again at the Commodore in 2010, where the audience threw up their hands and pogo’ed up and down while chanting for D2D. Sitar music blended with wicked violin as kilts and saris twirled on stage. Beats made the crowd bounce as the energy was contagious — everyone was having a blast.
Win Tickets to Delhi 2 Dublin at CelticFest Vancouver
Over the last few years they have topped world music charts in Canada, toured extensively in Canada, the UK and the USA, and made their way around the Pacific Rim and Europe. Catch them at home in Vancouver by entering to win two tickets from Miss604 and CelticFest:
Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
RT to enter to win tickets to see @Delhi2Dublin at @CelticFestVan from @Miss604 http://ow.ly/JQqPh
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, March 10, 2015. Follow CelticFest Vancouver on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
