February 2015

This is an odd confession to make for a theatre and restaurant reviewer who has lived in North America for 40 years. But the first time ever I visited Las Vegas (A.K.A. Entertainment Capital of the World) was a year ago, when I went there for a dance competition. It's a trifle surprising that I had not made it there before since entertainment is what I write about in ReviewFromTheSeat

Dance shoes! Whether out for a night of social dancing or taking a class, a common topic of discussion among woman dancers is the difficulty of finding the perfect dance shoe.  Few people have feet that perfectly fit every shoe manufacturer's regular lasts, so it really is a lot of trial and error to find a shoe in which one can comfortably dance for a couple of hours.

Reversing aging - and bath-time luxury. How could these two concepts fail to capture my attention.

First the bath-time luxury. The Essence Naturals Cupcake Bath Bomb is a brilliant way of packaging bath and body products. Comprised of natural fragrances, essential oils and  flower essences, the Bath Bombs are designed to provide a moisturising bath and body spa experience.

Vancouver, BC:  I saw The Bacchae 2.1 on the closing night of the show, and this production is one I will remember as much for its striking visual effects as for the awesome performances. The costume designs by Kiara Lawson were stunning as the examples in the photos show.  Great animal mask too.

The 2015 Wellness Show at the Vancouver Convention Centre as usual had a plethora of interesting booths and exhibits. I was quite hungry when I arrived after two hours of dance lessons, an hour working through Franklin Method techniques and then a walk down to the Convention Centre.

Vancouver, BC: I was really happy that I got to see one of the PUSH Festival performances of The Road Forward as this show only ran for three nights. Described as a "multi-media rock musical inspired by BC's ground-breaking  newspaper Native Voice", The Road Forward chronicles significant events and landmarks in the recent history of the native peoples of British Columbia, traced through newspaper articles and photos from the 80 year archives of Native Voice.

Vancouver, BC:  Theatre is an evanescent art. Unlike the static permanent nature of a filmed performance, each live performance of a play exists only as a moment in time, a unique connection between actors and audience that remains only as a memory in the minds of the participants. This Staircase Theatre production of Love Letters  amplified the singular nature of live performance by featuring a different local theatre couple in the play each night of the four night run.

With four of our SASSYs out of town, checking out the gorillas tribes in Ruanda, enjoying sunshine in Maui or cuddling a new grandson in Alberta, five of us gathered together to taste wine and new cheeses, and try out a fun board game I found during my Christmas gift buying explorations.

Vancouver, BC:  One Man Two Guvnors is an English adaption by UK playwright Richard Bean, of  Carlo Goldoni's 1743 play, The Servant of Two Masters, with the setting transposed to the seaside resort town of Brighton in 1963. Derived from the early Italian performing practices of commedia dell' arte, the play is packed with physical comedy with improvisation and key stock characters. The prototypical rascally Arlecchino servant to whom the title refers, is represented here by Francis Henshall,  brilliantly played by Andrew McNee.

On an cold snowy night five people check in to a small town motel, just off a provincial highway. Stephen (David Bloom) and Simone (Jennifer Lines) are a married couple, with memories of a previous stay  at this motel years before. Matthew (Scott Bellis) is a tormented man, estranged from his wife and son,  who just wants to end it all.  Stephanie (Dawn Petten) has come to party with  Simon (Chirag Naik), who she picked up after attending the lecture he was giving about his message-in-a-bottle project.  She has only one thing in mind - adultery - but he can't stop talking about his work.

American Dance: The Complete Illustrated History is a visually seductive, engagingly written, encyclopedic review of dance in America. From the ritual tribal dances of 16th century Native Americans to the present day boom in popularity of dance fueled by shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars, Fuhrer traces the growth and development of Tap, Ballet, Modern and Post- Modern dance highlighting the ideas and achievements of iconic performers and choreographers.