Broadway Across Canada presents West Side Story in Vancouver at the QE Theatre from February 4th to 9th, 2014 and today you can get a head-start on your ticket purchase.
Photo credit © Carol Rosegg. Courtesy of Broadway Across Canada
More than fifty years ago one musical changed theater forever. Now it’s back and mesmerizing audiences once again. From the first note to the final breath, West Side Story soars as the greatest love story of all time. This revival, based on Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents’ Broadway direction, remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The Bernstein and Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway’s finest and features such classics of the American musical theatre as “Something’s Coming,” “Tonight,” “America,” “I Feel Pretty” and “Somewhere.” As the Associated Press says, “West Side Story remains Broadway’s best dance-driven musical. Five decades have not dimmed the extraordinary choreography or the score that pulsates throughout.”
Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents’ Broadway direction is recreated for the tour by David Saint, the Associate Director on Broadway. The original Jerome Robbins choreography is reproduced by Tony Award-nominee Joey McKneely (The Boy from Oz, The Life).
West Side Story Vancouver Pre-Sale
Tickets for the West Side Story pre-sale go on sale at 10:00am today (Friday, December 6, 2013) using this pre-sale link and this code: JETS.
The pre-sale will end on Sunday, December 8, 2013 and the general public can purchase tickets starting at 10:00 Monday, December 9, 2013 via Ticketmaster online of by calling 1-855-985-5000. Groups of 10 or more can access discounts at 1.800.889.8457.
Give the gift of a theatre experience this season or plan your own night out in downtown Vancouver. Follow Broadway Across Canada on Twitter and Facebook for more information about their shows this season.
The 2014 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic will take place Sunday, March 2, 2014 at BC Place as the Vancouver Canucks take on the Ottawa Senators in an open-roof stadium match. The teams’ official jerseys were unveiled last week and today, the NHL hosted a media kick-off event at BC Place with special guests.
In attendance today: John Collins/NHL Chief Operating Officer; Michael D. Gillis/Vancouver Canucks President & General Manager; Bill Moir/Tim Horton’s Chief Brand & Marketing Officer and President of the Tim Horton Children’s Foundation; Jeffrey Orridge/CBC Executive Director of Sports Properties and General Manager of Olympics Sports Properties; George Stroumboulopoulos/CBC; Julie Bristow/NHL Revealed™ Executive Producer; Dana Hayden/BC Pavilion Corporation President & CEO; Steve Webb/NHLPA Divisional Representative; Canucks players Ryan Kesler, Kevin Bieksa, and Daniel Sedin.
Vancouver’s Mayor Gregor Robertson took the opportunity to reference the Vancouver Millionaires defeating the Senators to win the Stanley Cup at Denman Arena in Vancouver in 1915. The Heritage Classic in March will be just shy of the 99th anniversary of that event.
Following a sit-down chat with all parties involved, the Vancouver Canucks players in attendance headed to centre field to see if they could launch a puck through the uprights at BC Place. The record was held by Sidney Crosby, however today it was shattered by Kevin Bieksa.
The NHL also took this opportunity to promote the NHL Revealed series that will go behind the scenes this season to five outdoor games (featuring nine different NHL teams) and the NHL’s participation in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. NHL Revealed: A Season Like No Other, in the spirit of HBO’s 24/7: Road to the Winter Classic, will debuts January 22, 2014 on NBCSN and January 23, 2014 on CBC (with a re-air January 26th on Sportsnet in Canada). Sportsnet will provide additional viewing opportunities on January 26th, February 2nd, February 23rd, March 2nd (two hours), March 9th and March 16th.
Rendering of the Heritage Classic in Vancouver at BC Place. Image courtesy of the NHL.
I have to admit that at first I wasn’t sold with the idea of and indoor/outdoor hockey game at BC Place but being there today with the sun beaming down and the frigid cross winds pinching my nose, I looked up at the stands and imagined them filled with over 50,000 hockey fans. My pond hockey-playing, toque-wearing, maple syrup-loving Canadian heart just melted and I found myself extremely excited for the upcoming match.
NHL Heritage Classic Tickets on Sale Now
Tickets went on sale to the public today via Ticketmaster.ca/NHL and 1-855-985-5000. The game will be broadcast live on CBC and RDS in Canada and NBCSN in the U.S. beginning at 1:00pm (Pacific) on Sunday, March 2, 2014.
As a supporter of the 2014 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, the 37 downtown hotel members of the Vancouver Hotel Destination Association will be featuring great prices on their booking site at BeVancouver.com. Official fan packages for all NHL signature events will be available from Global Event Forum, the Official NHL Events™ Fan Package Partner.
Take the train to Vancouver and back for holiday festivities and shopping over the next two Saturdays. The West Coast Express Santa Train is back on track, providing same day return trips in exchange for your donations to local causes.
West Coast Express Santa Train Toy Drive
On Saturday, December 7th and Saturday, December 14th, 2013 customers will receive a return ticket for the day in exchange for a new, unwrapped toy.
Santa Trains will be departing Mission City at 10:00am, stopping at all stations before arriving at Waterfront Station at approximately 11:15 am. Once in Vancouver, you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the holiday season before returning home from Waterfront Station at 4:00pm.
Santa will be onboard the westbound trip in the morning to say hello to travelers young and old. In the afternoon, our North Pole Station (at Waterfront) will be open at 3:00pm, so you can come back early to enjoy some music, fun activities and photo opportunities with Santa.
All donations support the Christmas Bureau in Mission, the MRPM Hamper Society and the Share Society of the Tri-Cities.
West Coast Express Santa Train Food Drive
Because the Santa Train has grown in popularity and has been very successful over the years, it expanded beyond its traditional toy drive role in 2010 as a way of providing even more help to those in need. As a result, between December 7th and 14th canned goods and non-perishable food items will be accepted; they can be dropped off at the food collection bins located at Waterfront Station.
*Though donations of canned food will be especially appreciated, to hop onboard the Santa Train riders will still need to bring a new unwrapped toy. This means that we will not be able to exchange a Santa Train ticket for a food donation; it is, however, a wonderful gesture of added generosity.
Donation drop-off locations and exact train times are listed online.
Aunt Leah’s Christmas Tree Lots are now open in several locations around Metro Vancouver. What sets these lots apart is that they are a major annual fundraiser for Aunt Leah’s Place, which helps make a difference in the lives of foster kids, mothers, and babies.
It is estimated that half of BC foster youth will experience homelessness. Aunt Leah’s Society is perhaps the only organization providing programs and support specifically for foster youth transitioning out of government care in BC. Aunt Leah’s provides supported housing, job training, and coaching on essential life skills to foster youth before and after they “age out” of government care at age 19. Aunt Leah’s Tree Lots are the society’s biggest fundraiser each year. Last year, they raised close to $80,000 for Aunt Leah’s unique, targeted programs.
Aunt Leah’s Tree Lot locations for Christmas 2013
Aunt Leah’s has 17 years of experience in tree sales and four locations:
Vancouver Christmas Tree Lot
Location: St. Stephen’s United Church at 54th and Granville Street
Hours: 7 days a week from 10:00am to 9:00pm
Burnaby Christmas Tree Lot
Location: All Saints Anglican Church at Royal Oak and Rumble
Hours: Monday to Thursday from 1:00pm to 9:00pm
Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 10:00am to 9:00pm
Coquitlam Christmas Tree Lot
Location: Eagle Ridge United Church at 2813 Glen Drive
Hours: Friday, Saturday, Sunday from 10:00am to 9:00pm
North Vancouver Christmas Tree Lot
Location: Lonsdale Quay – East Plaza 123 Carrie Cates Court
Hours: Monday, Thursday, Friday from 12:00pm to 8:00pm
Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am to 6:00pm
One hundred percent of the profits from Aunt Leah’s Christmas Tree sales go to pay for housing and programs to support vulnerable new moms and other youths who are aging out of the foster-care system.
Wreath Giveaway
There are seven different types of trees along with stands, wreaths, ornaments and other greenery available for purchase as well. Last year I partnered with Aunt Leah’s for a giveaway and they have graciously offered up a beautiful wreath once again (value $40). Here’s how you can enter to win:
- Leave a comment on this post (1 entry)
- Post the following on Twitter (1 entry)
I will draw one winner at random from all entries at 12:00pm on Tuesday, December 10, 2013. Follow Aunt Leah’s on Twitter and Facebook for news and updates.
Update The winner is @jessbailey7!
It’s always interesting to take a look at how much Vancouver has changed throughout the years. One destination that is constantly evolving is Granville Street. With its bright lights and big signs, there are glimpses of the past that remain today, see if you can spot them this collection from the City of Vancouver Archives:
1965: Theatre Row / Granville Street in Vancouver. Archives# CVA 780-57.
1968 & 1969: Theatre Row / Granville Street in Vancouver. Archives# CVA 780-52 & CVA 780-23.
1965: Theatre Row / Granville Street in Vancouver. Archives# CVA 780-50.
1969: Theatre Row / Granville Street in Vancouver. Archives# CVA 780-24 & CVA 780-27.
1969 & 1965: Theatre Row / Granville Street in Vancouver. Archives# 2009-001.060 & CVA 780-25.
1965: Theatre Row / Granville Street in Vancouver. Archives# CVA 780-53.
1959: Theatre Row / Granville Street in Vancouver. BC Jennings Photographer. Archives# CVA 672-1.
If you enjoy the photography featured in this post and any of the “Archive Photos of the Day” you can visit the City of Vancouver Archives to purchase prints. They would make a fantastic Vancouver-themed gift this season.
