"With sharp, interesting choreography, an engaging story line, and cool theatrical elements, this was a highly entertaining work."

Stage Review

Chutzpah! Festival 2012

Show: Monger and Thank You, You’re Not Welcome

Companies: BODYTRAFFIC, Compagnie Vision Selective

Choreography: Barak Marshall, Noam Gagnon

Dancers: Lillian Barbeito, Tina Finkelman Berkett, Melissa Bourkas, Andrew Cowan, Merett Miller, Leslie Curtis, Miguel Perez, Andrew Wojtal, Noam Gagnon

Venue: Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre

Run: Feb 23-26 2012

Reviewed by: Tessa Perkins

The two works featured on this program were extremely different from each other, and while the audience seemed to really enjoy the first half of the show, some of them got up and left during the second half. The LA-based dance company BODYTRAFFIC performed Barak Marshall’s Monger, and Noam Gagnon performed his own work that was created with the help of Dramaturg James Fagan Tait. I suppose both works involved elements of physical theatre, but I think the similarities stop there.

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"The talents of Donald Sales and Cherice Barton as both dancers and choreographers were on display in this show as they performed a duet created by Cherice’s sister, Azure, and they choreographed Leaving Grit for seven brilliant dancers."

Stage Review

Show: Chapter 3:Collaboration and Leaving Grit

Choreography: Aszure Barton, Donald Sales, Cherice Barton

Music: Donald Sales, Lev Zhurbin, Ljova and the Kontraband, Alessandro Scarlatti

Dancers: Donald Sales, Cherice Barton, Lara Barclay, Davon Rainey, Cori Caulfield, Jennifer Welsman, Kevin Tookey, Léon Feizo-Gas, Jeffrey Mortensen

Venue: Norman and Annette Rothstein Theatre

Run: Feb 19-21 2012

Reviewed by: Tessa Perkins

The talents of Donald Sales and Cherice Barton as both dancers and choreographers were on display in this show as they performed a duet created by Cherice’s sister, Azure, and they choreographed Leaving Grit for seven brilliant dancers. Both pieces had a certain unique sense of humour about them, and the choreography was very creative.

For their duet, Sales and Barton danced on and around a large wooden table. The piece began with Sales laying on the table and Barton shimmying around it repetitively. Then they both began to move around the table, one way then the other and Sales jumped swiftly onto the table and just as quickly returned to the floor. It was interesting to see how the table between them created a sense of conflict, and both of them on one side of the table evoked a more loving relationship.

They flipped the table on its side and then danced on either side of it as if it was a wall separating them. The table was also turned upside down and Barton sat in it rowing as if it was a boat and she was travelling through an enchanted lagoon. I found the section that didn’t involve the table to be more engaging as they danced to tango music and their natural chemistry showed.

The music for this piece was a bit of a patchwork as it included tango, a violin based piece, and a track with a heavy base line among others. The sudden switch to very different music was quite effective. While I’m not sure I quite understood the meaning behind everything in this piece and I felt a bit like I was watching something about a lengthy inside joke, the dancing was beautiful and Sales and Barton form a captivating duo.

The second part of the evening was a much longer piece by Sales and Barton that was set in the old west and featured four cowboys and three cowgirls. They danced in various settings such as in the saloon, and there was plenty of flirting and provocative dancing from the women. On part of the dance had the cowboys all sitting in various spots on the stage as if they were waiting for something, making minimal movements until a fly was heard buzzing around and one of them pretends to kill and eat it. This was quite a funny scene.

Another funny section was when the cowboys came on stage riding wooden wheeled stools meant to be their horses. They danced while sitting on the stools, rolling around the stage and acting like they were all riding together. I loved this piece of choreography. Another one of my favourite parts was a solo by So You Think You Can Dance Canada contestant Jeffrey Mortensen. He danced to “King of the Road” and with his beautiful gymnastics infused dancing it was stunning. There was also a great fight scene between Mortensen and Kevin Tookey which was probably some of the best fight choreography I’ve seen.  

Along with “King of the Road” there were many other classic country songs used in this piece which added to the overall authentic feel and really created the atmosphere of an old west town. The costumes were also wonderful with the cowboy vests and hat, and the girls had a few costume changes in various skirts and even bustiers.

There was a projector screen at the back of the stage that allowed for just the dancers silhouettes to be visible at one point which created a neat effect and made the final scene even more poignant. All of these dancers gave gorgeous performances, and I loved Sales and Barton’s style of choreography that was very raw and authentic while still remaining beautiful and fluid.         

  A complex story of desire, loneliness, love, independence, and disappointment.

Stage Review

Production: Intimate Apparel

Writer: Lynn Nottage

Director: John Cooper

Starring: Anna Cummer, Lesley Ewen, Daren Herbert, Marci T. House, Marsha Regis, Jonathon Young

Running: Now – Mar. 10, 2012

Venue: Stanely Industrial Alliance Theatre

Reviewed by: Taryn Hubbard (Vancouver)

Set in a dark, smoking New York City in 1905 of boarding rooms, brothels and upscale bedrooms, the Arts Club Theatre's production of Intimate Apparel, directed by John Cooper, presents a complex story of desire, loneliness, love, independence, and disappointment.

Esther, in a beautiful performance by Marci T. House, is a 35-year-old African-American and daughter of a slave, whose nibble fingers sew gorgeous corsets in styles unseen in New York City. Every dollar she has left after paying her room and board is saved for the beauty parlor she hopes to one day open, one where African-American women can put their feet up and get pampered, an experience completely unknown to black women in America in that day.

But when Esther begins receiving letters, full of poetry, mystery, and admiration from a man working in Panama, she enjoys a romantic courtship unknown to her. Soon the man from Panama asks her to marry him, and she accepts. When John Armstrong, played by Daren Herbert, arrives in New York City, Esther’s world of self-sufficiency and independence is compromised.

Intimate Apparel is a thoughtful and striking production. The Arts Club stage is transformed into five distinct and detailed settings. The lush Fourth Avenue bedroom of Mrs. VanBuren, played by Anna Cummer, is bright and elegant, while Esther’s humble boarding room and the saloon of her friend, Mayme, played by the luminous Marsha Regis, reflect the realities of how black people were positioned in society. 

The fabrics, of satin, lace, and silk, shimmered in the light as Mr. Marks, played by Jonathan Young, shared the adventurous back stories of the finest fabric available in New York City.

The costumes are simply beautiful. The corsets Esther creates for Mrs. VanBuren are finely crafted and do a great job of creating an authentic setting to the entire production.

This show must be experienced first hand. I’ve never been to a show where the audience is so actively engaged with a performance; the audience reaction was stunning and added another dimension of intimacy to Lynn Nottage’s brilliant script.

Intimate Apparel runs at the Granville Island Stage now until March 10.

"If I ever have a chance to see this company again, I will definitely take it. For enthusiasts of traditional classical ballets, this show was a dream come true."

Stage Review

Show: Don Quixote

Company: National Ballet of Cuba

Choreographer: Alicia Alonso

Composer: Ludwig Minkus

Principal Dancers: Sadaise Arencibia, Anette Delgado, Dani Hernandez, Yanela Pinera, Viengsay Valdes, Ernesto Diaz, Jessie Dominguez, Osiel Gounod, Camilo Ramos, Amaya Rodriguez, Felix Rodriguez, Javier Sanchez

Music performed by: Vancouver Opera Orchestra

Venue: Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Run: Feb 16-18 2012

Reviewed by: Tessa Perkins

Performing their signature comic ballet, Don Quixote, this stunning company received three standing ovations and had the crowd gasping in awe of their talent. I have never seen anything quite like this, and I am so glad that David Y.H. Lui had the dream to bring this company to Vancouver and that his friend and business partner Brent Belsher continued to make it a reality after his untimely passing. The show is dedicated to Lui’s memory, and I’m sure he would have been so pleased with the performance.

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