June 13th, 14th, 15th & 16th (Wednesday through Saturday) at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island

Problems at home? Boss treating you badly? Get away from it all, with a stay at the Canadian Foreign Legion, where all your troubles will become but a misty memory. Fight for Team Brawn, or join Team Brains, and outwit your enemy. Enjoy a leisurely stroll through the woods. But whatever you do, keep the North Gate locked …

Click to BUY TICKETS!

Our 24th Broadway Chorus production features songs from a multitude of talented composers, from the great Sondheim himself (songs from Follies, Gypsy, and Sunday in the Park With George) to pop icons like Cee Lo Green and Bruno Mars.

Look for me in a couple of choice comic moments, one musical solo, AND a surprise “celebrity” appearance as… well, it requires a British accent but that’s all I’ll say!

The Waterfront Theatre is located next to the Kid’s Market on Granville Island. Parking is free on the Island after 7:00pm (even in parkades!)

Performance Schedule

Wednesday – Saturday @ 8pm

Show Dates

Opening 13 June 2012
Closing 16 June 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhn8UiolNGw

I had the pleasure of knowing Barbara Clague via our mutual participation in The Broadway Chorus some years back. She was a delightful person to know and I kept in touch with her even after we were no longer performing show tunes together. I send this out with the possibility that some of you on my mailing list may not be aware of the recent developments and Barbara’s passing, and may wish to join me on Monday afternoon.

- Adam

The following was written by Barbara’s daughter Ellen.

On March 18th, the sun rose, glistening on the snow-topped mountains, warming the earth and scenting the air with hints of spring. Barbara awoke to this beauty and then gently, peacefully passed on. Born in North Bay, Ontario and a graduate of Queen’s, Barbara’s early love of the arts saw her pursue ballet, tap, figure skating, piano, and singing. In 1962, while working at the United Nations Association in Toronto, Ontario, she met the love of her life, Michael Clague. They were married 18 July 1964. Barbara lived her life with curiosity, joy and a passion for the arts, politics, social justice and for learning. Most of all, Barbara loved people. She touched the lives of so many with her warmth, friendship, humour, and her genuine concern for their well-being. Barbara’s deep love for her family was an integral part of her, it emanated from her and it touched many; her love will continue to shine through all the hearts of those who knew her and loved her. Barbara is survived by husband Michael, daughters, Ellen (Michael) Lindsay (Kevin), and grandchildren, Lucas, Lila, Lauryn, Caitlin, and Ivy. May her spirit of love, joy and kindness stay in our hearts forever.

A memorial service will be held at 1PM on Monday, 26 March at The Unitarian Church of Vancouver, 949 W. 49 Avenue.

Link to Google Map of the church.

In lieu of flowers, a Barbara Clague Memorial Scholarship (Voice) is being created in her name through the Vancouver Academy of Music. To donate, please email: executivedirector@vam.ca.

I sometimes have wished I could turn on closed captioning on my TV – for example when I’ve had visitors (like Christy’s Mom and Dad) whose hearing isn’t 100% and could have benefited from it. Years ago, on my trusty old tube TV and cable box, I simply hit a “caption” button on the TV remote and voila, there it was. My new “improved” setup of an HD set and a digital cable box meant of course that it was now an arcane procedure. In fact, I couldn’t figure it out at all. I pored over every menu I could find on the Shaw cable box, but captions were simply nowhere to be found.

I called Shaw tech support and reached a friendly woman who explained that it was a tricky combination of hitting the “power” and “cable” buttons in rapid succession to bring up a sort of “secret menu”. She warned me that it wasn’t easy to get it right.

I gave it a try, several times over the next day or so, but it never worked. Pressing “power” first simply turned off the cable box, no matter how quickly I hit the next button.

Then, this morning, Max was playing with the remote. At a year and two months, he doesn’t really use it in a very sophisticated manner. But suddenly on the TV I saw what looked like a service menu. It looked totally different from the slick Shaw digital menu, just black text in a computer font on a white screen. I actually watched for a moment to confirm it wasn’t just something on a TV station. Then it disappeared.

Max had discovered the secret menu! But… how’d he do it?

He wouldn’t tell me so I had to try myself. But I had new hope. I still reached a dead end though.

Finally I trawled the Web looking for the answer – though I’d done this before unsuccessfully. And – among several wrong versions of the instructions – I found it.

Turns out I had to turn OFF the cable box first… making sure the TV was on… and THEN, aiming at the cable box, hit the “Settings” (aka “Menu”) button. And there it was! The simple, geeky-looking menu. The arrow keys worked to navigate up and down it, and there was a Captions option which I was able to turn on. Then I turned on the cable box with the Power button… and captions flowed down my screen!

I think a couple of things threw me off track. As you can see in the image above, the Settings button is also labeled “Menu” just above it, but to me that seemed like a label for that entire section of three buttons; of course that’s wrong, it is indeed an alternate label for the Settings button. And more to the point, the idea that you would send any command to the cable box while it was off was counterintuitive. Yet that’s how this function works!

Not only was I given inaccurate (or badly communicated) information by tech support, but even out on the Web there are multiple versions of how to do this. If you’re on Shaw Cable, this is The Way. I don’t know if this method works on all other cable systems that use the pictured remote (my Mom in Oakland has Comcast cable with the same unit), but it’s sure worth a try. If this tip can prevent even one person from going through the frustration that I experienced, it’ll be worth it!

Ultimately I have to thank Max. Looks like he’s a chip off the old block, even besting his Dad at tech support!

Exciting news – I’m in a play, The Trouble With Richard! My first non-musical is a very funny romantic comedy. And although I’m the lead, I’m very much in the eye of a comedic storm, surrounded by a bunch of outsize characters who keep the hilarity rolling along. Here’s the synopsis:

For a quiet guy, Richard’s life is getting complicated. He wants to propose to the girl he loves but he has to get his best buddy Jack off the couch first. As he struggles to get everything just right, Willie, the Scottish superintendent, wrestles with the plumbing, and his infatuated neighbour Andrew constantly hounds him. Will Richard be able to get the mood just right and win the girl of his dreams?

The Trouble With Richard features Greg Bosworth (Jack), Angela Martin (Gwyneth), Barry Walker (Willie), Tracy Labrosse (Veronica) and Paul Tourneur (Andrew).

This is really a great show – full of funny characters, great one-liners, and hilarious situations, as well as some truly touching moments. And our director, Clive Sanders, is helping make every little detail as good as it can be. It’s really going to be fun. I hope you can come and see it!

Preview: Feb. 9. Show runs Feb. 10-11, 15-18 and 22-25.

Location: Hendry Hall, 815 East 11th St., North Vancouver. View Map.

For tickets, call (604) 983-2633 or order online!

For maybe two months now, “The Artist” has been on my  must-see list. As someone who already loves silent movies – and has even successfully turned on some non-fans to the delights of Keaton and Chaplin – the mere idea of a brand-new, black-and-white silent film was almost too wonderful to believe.

I even clipped out and saved reviews – unread – to savour after I’d seen it, so as not to reveal even the smallest plot detail beforehand and keep my first viewing truly fresh.

However, my new, less-spontaneous life, where a babysitter is a necessity for any grown-up moviegoing, delayed my viewing of the film until just last weekend. Now I have some thoughts.

Like most things that get a huge buildup of anticipation, I found “The Artist” to be not without its flaws, but overall I enjoyed it very much.

It starts with a bang, as we enjoy a high-energy adventure film along with the 1925 opening-night audience assembled at a grand movie palace. We also get one of several knowing nods to the whole exercise, as our film-within-a-film’s hero, the silent star George Valentin, bound and about to be tortured for information, exclaims (in title cards of course), “I won’t talk! I won’t say a word!”

The rest of the opening packs in plenty of laughs and entertainment, with an engaging star who keeps wringing a little more time in front of his adoring audience, a jealous co-star, a gruff studio chief - even a dog who charms us with his perfectly-timed routines.

From there, we are plunged into the meticulously recreated world of 1920′s moviemaking. From the camera angles to the newsboys, it really feels like the filmmakers went back in time.

There are also some wonderful moments of visual storytelling – like the infatuated starlet Peppy Miller inserting her arm into Valentin’s unattended jacket, bringing it “to life” so it embraces her. Or a later scene of Valentin after his fortunes have fallen, gazing at his reflection in a shop window in which he seems to be dressed in the tuxedo on display.

But at some point I started to have problems. The characters were archetypes, not real living breathing characters I could truly care about. A romance is suggested as developing between the silent star and his protege, but we never really see it develop in any way. It’s over before it really begins.

He’s also married to a long-suffering wife, but their relationship is even less fleshed out – they mostly just glare at each other.

The lack of emotional connection means that as Valentin slides toward bankruptcy and oblivion, we aren’t really invested in his fate. I watched more with intrigued interest at scenes that were clearly intended to pull at my emotions.

Silent films were, of course, not truly silent – there was always music. And the music in “The Artist” is very well done. It’s a lovely score, and is complemented by some selections of period music.

At one point, though, the love theme from “Vertigo” – possibly my favourite film of all time – suddenly began to play under a later, suspenseful scene. I was startled but rather pleased – I always welcome the appearance of Bernard Herrmann’s haunting music. But it also bothered me, as the emotional beats in that piece didn’t really match what was happening on screen.

Ultimately, I found myself wondering if I would be giving this film high marks simply as a film - in other words, if this was a genuine old silent film, would I find it engaging and involving enough to consider a good film in its own right? Sadly, I would have to say no.

Some of what I’d read about “The Artist” seemed to imply that it went into “meta” territory, commenting on the nature of why we go to movies or the nature of silent vs. sound films. Nothing I saw really bore this out. There is one unique dream sequence which makes unexpected and clever use of realistic sound effects, but it’s the only time we see anything unexpected that really plays with the medium.

Unfortunately, in the end, “The Artist” perpetuates the idea that silent films could only tell simplistic, clichéd stories, which was hardly the case – silents could be as rich in characterization and rife with subplots as any sound film.

There is much to enjoy in “The Artist”, but in the end it is more a loving pastiche than a truly successful film in itself.

At this time of year, we all receive many worthy pleas for support of various causes, and understandably, it’s usually a donation that’s requested. Well, here’s an opportunity to support a great cause, and all I ask of you is your voice! Yes, it’s time for my annual Holiday Sing-Along and Fundraiser for Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter!

Each year, VRRWS helps hundreds of women and their children who are escaping violence by offering them a safe haven and many kinds of assistance.

As many of you know, I volunteer – in a fundraising capacity – for this organization. Each month, I participate in a street fundraising event to solicit contributions from the community to help keep the shelter operating. I started the “Musical Holiday Version” of this event in 2005, and it’s always a fun and extra-festive afternoon. Especially if you’re going to be in the downtown area doing some holiday shopping, I hope you can drop by and lend your voice for a little while. (Songbooks will be provided!)

DAY: This Saturday, December 17, between 10:15 and 4pm

LOCATION: Georgia and Granville (Either in front of The Bay or London Drugs – look for our yellow placards!)

TIME FRAME: I’ll be on the street from 10am-12:30 and 1:30-4, approximately. Two women from Rape Relief will be present while I’m at lunch, so feel free to show up anytime between 10-ish and 4, and stay as long as you like!

It’s lots of fun for a great cause – and the more, the merrier. So feel free to pass this message along to friends, family, co-workers etc.

I hope to see you there!

Adam

PS – And though your voice is all I ask, donations are of course gratefully accepted if you so desire!

Location:
Studio 1398 on Granville Island
(see directions below) 

Showtimes:
8:00pm Wed-Sat, plus 4pm matinees Saturday and Sunday

Just what the world needs … another elfing musical! Yup, the Broadway Chorus returns to its roots with a Christmas-themed extravaganza, telling the heartwarming tale of young snow elves looking for fame and fortune at the North Pole. Come revel in the yuletide glory of it all, the rich panoply of holiday festivities, and the socks. Yes, there will be socks, for what is Christmas without socks?

This show is particularly special in that it features narration from a genuine Hollywood star (seriously, no kidding!) who was kind enough to do a favour for a friend. We don’t know if he wants to be thanked by name, so I’ll just hint for now… but if any Desperate Housewives find a Firefly in their Castle they can probably guess who it is!

And of course there’s music, including songs from current hits like Sister Act, flops you’ve never heard of like 9 to 5 (sure, you know the movie, but the Broadway version only eked out 148 performances), rarely-performed golden age shows like The Boys from Syracuse, and many, many more!

As for myself, I’m featured in a key supporting part as a “Mad Men” style ad exec. As you know if you’ve seen this, it’s a role I’m delighted to play! Oh, and I also get to sing my lowest bass note ever in a brief solo. How low can I go? See the show and find out!

To reserve tickets e-mail ashley.lm@ubc.ca or call 778-322-7182 (and we’ll return your e-mail or phone call with a confirmation). OR…

Click here to order tickets online!

Tickets are $15, or $12 for seniors, students, and children.

Studio 1398 is located two buildings east of the Kid’s Market on Granville Island. Parking is free on the Island after 7:00pm (even in parkades!)

Turns out they have a big performance, one of only two a year, coming up on Saturday, Dec. 10th at 7:30 pm at the Michael J. Fox Theatre in Burnaby.

If you want your spirits lifted, I’d say you should definitely check it out!

More info at www.citysoulchoir.com (where you can also hear some audio samples).

Early this summer, I finally gave in to my curiosity and headed up the steps of the BC Lung Association building at 2675 Oak Street, which I’d passed by many times since moving to the neighbourhood. I was glad I did. I expressed my interest in the building’s history, met with some of the staff, and eventually, on a return visit, I was given a “grand tour” of the interior – as well as the opportunity to take some great photos. I’m happy to share them with you here!

The building was constructed in 1928 as Vancouver’s first Jewish Community Centre, and filled that role until the new centre was built in 1962. However, although the inside, all dark wood and antique detail, appears to be original, it turns out that the interior had to be virtually gutted when the restoration was done in the mid-1980′s. The building at that time was in such a sorry state that only the exterior could be truly restored.

At any rate, the restoration – or “rehabilitation” as it is probably more accurately called – was so well done that the building received an award from the City of Vancouver’s Heritage Advisory Committee, which is prominently displayed in the lobby.

Click here for the slide show.