You are here: Home / Archives for Travel / Canada

The Reviews are Rolling in for Victor Victoria at the Metro Theatre

March 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

With our contest closing at midnight for tickets to Victor Victoria at the Metro Theatre, I thought I’d share some of the reviews rolling in for Vancouver’s Premiere of this entertaining musical and the return of Jeff Hyslop to the Vancouver stage.  But first, be sure that you enter to win a pair of tickets to the musical:

  • Here on Being Emme (contest closes at midnight TONIGHT, March 18th, 2012), and
  • Roamancing (contest closes at midnight on Wednesday March 21st, 2012).

 

Victor Victoria plays at Vancouver's Metro Theatre, March 17th – April 7, 2012.

 

The Interviews …

What do you do when you’ve done it all? If you’re triple threat Jeff Hyslop you look for projects that excite you, like Metro Theatre’s upcoming production of Victor/Victoria.  And if you’re director Mark Carter, you realize size sometimes does matter.

“It’s all about the script and this is a quality script.  I didn’t hesitate,” explained Hyslop (pictured right with director Mark Carter).  “It was perfect timing too as I was moving back to Vancouver and it wasn’t a starring role so the weight of show wasn’t going to rest on my shoulders.”

What does one limit themselves to asking when doing an interview with one of the most prolific and successful Canadian Triple Threats, actor, singer, dancer, the notable Jeff Hyslop? (Actually, “Quadruple” as he is also a director.) My challenge was to direct the myriad questions I had and the stories he had into the short, but time-stopping two hours we shared. Publicist Cheryl Hutcherson set the scene comfortably and we soon sailed into the creative, exciting, rich world of Jeff Hyslop.

 

Opening Night Reviews …

With Opening Night, just last night, the Reviews are only just coming in, so I will be updating this section, as I see more.

It’s always a full house when the yearly musical is presented at Metro, and the cast and crew deserved the proplonged standing ovation on opening night.

Filling in for an injured Jeff Hyslop, understudy Seth Little was opening night’s highlight as Metro Theatre presents the stage musicalVictor/Victoria. …  Almost at par with Little’s wonderful performance Saturday night was the scene-stealing Karin Inghammar as Norma Cassidy who milks every ounce of fun from the ditzy blonde moll as she drops malapropisms like bonbons across the stage.

 

Catch Victor Victoria at the Metro Theatre in Vancouver from March 17th – April 7, 2012, with performances on Wednesdays to Saturdays at 8pm and two Sunday Matinees on March 25 & April 1 at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased here.

 

Filed Under: All the Gossip, BC, Canada, Events, Perfect Dates, relationships, Theatre, Travel, Vancouver Events Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Win a Perfect Vancouver Date Night at Victor Victoria at the Metro Theatre

March 12, 2012 By 10 Comments

One of the downfalls of having been on the road these past few months has been having to turn down all of the lovely Vancouver Theatre tickets.  Fortunately Alyzee Lakhani has been able to attend in my stead and I’ve been able to experience all the great theatre I’ve been missing through her prose, or at least I was until she hit the road too (she’s in Mozambique, so stay tuned for her tales from there on Roamancing). Our loss, however, is your gain, as we’ve asked that our tickets be given to a lucky reader here and on Roamancing.  And a loss it is for us, as this next musical would have very much tickled my fancies.

So what is the musical you ask?  Victor Victoria at the Metro Theatre, based on the 1982 musical comedy film by Blake Edwards (adapted from the 1933 script of a German film by Reinhold Schünzel), which I am sure there are a few in Vancouver’s Arts Community that could relate to the premise behind this story.  You see Victoria (played by Sylvia Zaradic) is a struggling performer looking for her big break. On the advice of Toddy, a middle-aged gay performer, Victoria takes on the real life role of Count Victor Grazinski, a gay Polish female impersonator.  Why you ask (or at least so you asked in my head)?  To get an agent and her big break, of course, and that is exactly what she does.  Only, as I am sure you can imagine, it is not all that smooth sailing playing the part of a man, when you become the bed ‘fellow’ of a known gangster.  Bring on the conundrums, misunderstandings and delightfully ridiculous!

 

Sylvia Zaradic and Jeff Hyslop, as Victoria / Victor and Toddy

 

Now, if this hasn’t perked your curiosity, just wait until you hear who is playing Toddy!  None other than Jeff Hyslop, the quintessential Phantom of the Opera from the traveling Canadian Production!  Also known, by those of you close in age to me, as Jeff the mannequin in the children’s show Today’s Special.  The Metro Theatre puts on great musicals, but with Jeff Hyslop in the cast, this is one musical not to miss.

So how do you win the tickets?  We have a pair of tickets to giveaway here and a pair to giveaway on Roamancing (stay tuned for that giveaway in a day or two) with your choice of Wednesday March 28 or April 4th.  To enter:

  • Comment below with something crazy you have or would do for your dream job;
  • The Deadline to enter is Sunday March 18th, 2012 at midnight PST.

To be entered a second, third and fourth time:

  • Tweet this post with me, @EmmeRogers, @MetroTheatre and #VancouverTheatre somewhere in the tweet, so I see the tweet;
  • Share this post on facebook and include @Roamancing in the text when you post it (this should link Roamancing’s facebook page, so I’ll see the post); and/or
  • Share this post on G+ and include @Emme Rogers in the text when you post it (this should alert me on G+ of your post).

I shall pull the name of one lucky winner from commenters, tweeters, facebookers and G+ers, and announce the winner on Monday March 19th.  Very much looking forward to making somebody happy!

Oh, and if sadly you don’t win, the play is running at the Metro Theatre in Vancouver from March 17th – April 7, 2012, with performances on Wednesdays to Saturdays at 8pm and two Sunday Matinees on March 25 & April 1 at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased here.

Kisses,

Emme xoxo

Filed Under: All the Gossip, BC, Canada, Contests, Events, Perfect Dates, relationships, Theatre, Travel, Vancouver Events Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ross Neilsen Singing the Solo Blues in Ontario

March 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

For those of you reading along here and on Roamancing, you’ll know that over the past few months I have crossed paths a few time with Ross Neilsen and taken a bit of a fancy to his music.  He’s none to shabby either.  What kind of gal would I be after all to turn my back on a dark and mysterious stranger that gives damn fine hugs. I certainly wasn’t brought up that way.  The more hugs the merrier!

So given that I’m in Ontario and he’s in Ontario this month, I’ll just have to stalk him for more hugs.  I encourage others to do the same, as really who wouldn’t want to hug this man (especially after listening to the last song in this set)?

 

 

So how does one find him?  Just follow this schedule, and stay the Hell out of my way when I go to hug him at the Casabah in Hamilton (I introduced him to you, so I get to hug him first … so there!):

 

Ross RAWKS the Casbah

 

Who wouldn't want to hug a man with such cool boots?

 

Filed Under: All the Gossip, Canada, Events, Jammin', Music Scene, Ontario, The Tube, Travel Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Great End to a Great Week!

February 5, 2012 By 1 Comment

Jesse Roper playing at the IBC Canadian Showcase

As far as week’s go, this past week has been pretty damn fantastic ~ enjoying my first music pilgrimage into the history of Rock & Roll and the Blues in Memphis, discovering some bloody fantastic Blues talent at the International Blues Challenge, cheering Canadian Ross Neilsen on in the Semi-Finals of the International Blues Challenge, and coming home to discover some simply beautiful music that Chris Blake has written for Roamancing.  Now to top it all off, I went to pull the name of a winner for Studio 58‘s Julius Caesar tickets and was thrilled to pull Kelly Lui’s name, who interned with Ahimsa Media this past summer.  To make this especially fantastic, I went to congratulate Kelly and discovered it was her birthday!  Happy Birthday Kelly!

For those that entered, but didn’t win, we are entering you for a second chance at the tickets on Roamancing’s site.  For anyone unaware of the contest, that wishes they’d entered, you can still do that on Roamancing’s site until midnight.  Just drop us a comment with which Shakespeare play you would most love to see as a gender bender (ie. with men and women playing opposite gender role). Here’s a little of what you can expect from the play:

 

 

Catch this gender bender of a Julius Caesar at Studio 58 in Vancouver, February 2nd – 26th, Tuesdays – Saturdays at 8 pm and Saturdays & Sundays at 3 pm. Tickets can be purchased here.

Filed Under: All the Gossip, BC, Canada, Contests, Events, Music Scene, The Tube, Theatre, Travel, US, Vancouver Events Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Vancouver Theatre Giveaway: Julius Caesar at Studio 58

January 27, 2012 By 9 Comments

For those of you that have been reading here for awhile, you’ll know that we have a huge love of the theatre, and that when I’m not attending the latest piece of theatre in Vancouver, Alyzee Lakhani is. One of our favourite ways to spend an evening! Well, for the last week, we’ve been regrettably having to turn down all of those lovely theatre invites, with Alyzee in Mozambique and me (hopefully) road tripping to Savannah, Georgia.

The upswing of Alyzee and I missing out is that Langara College’s Studio 58 has decided to extend our two tickets to you delightful people in a little theater giveaway for their latest play.  I’ll get to that in a minute, as first I’ll fill you in on the play.

 

Photographer: David Cooper

The play is Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, but Julius Caesar with a twist, a Julius Caesar gender bender.  You see, when casting for the play, Director Scott Bellis decided to break with tradition and offer the parts of Caesar, Brutus, Cassius and Octavius to women.  I must say this very much tickles my fancies, as traditionally the parts of women in Shakespeare’s play would have been played by men.

For those of you not familiar with Julius Caesar, it is Shakespeare’s masterpiece of political power-play and manipulation, examining the conflict between one person’s ambition and the good of the state, all set in a life-and-death struggle for control of Rome. As Director Scott Bellis puts it, this is very much a tale involving traditional male roles and a story of ‘honourable men’. “In this alternate telling, we are discovering what it means for a male Mark Antony to avenge a female Caesar; what a same-sex marriage looks like in the house of Brutus;  and how being a ‘man’ can say more about your social status than your gender in this very different vision of Rome.”  Sounds fascinating!  Would love to see how all of this unfolds.

And if you are curious about Studio 58, you can read of Alyzee Lakhani’s most recent experience there with The 13th Chair.

So the Giveaway.  We have a pair of tickets to giveaway here and a pair to giveaway on Roamancing (stay tuned for that giveaway in a day or two) with your choice of Wednesday February 8th at 8 pm, Thursday February 9th at 8 pm or Saturday February 11th at 3 pm.  For the giveaway here, to enter:

  • Comment below with which Shakespeare character, of the opposite sex from you, you would love to play;
  • Deadline Thursday February 2nd at midnight PST.

To be entered a second, third and fourth time:

  • Tweet this post with me, @EmmeRogers and #VancouverTheatre somewhere in the tweet, so I see the tweet;
  • Share this post on facebook and include @Roamancing in the text when you post it (this should link Roamancing’s facebook page, so I’ll see the post); and/or
  • Share this post on G+ and include @Emme Rogers in the text when you post it (this should alert me on G+ of your post).

I shall pull the name of one lucky winner from commenters, tweeters, facebookers and G+ers, and announce the winner on Friday February 3rd.  Very much looking forward to making somebody happy!

Oh, and if sadly you don’t win, the play is running at Studio 58 February 2nd – 26th, Tuesdays – Saturdays at 8 pm and Saturdays & Sundays at 3 pm, and tickets can be purchased here.

Kisses,

Emme xoxo

Filed Under: All the Gossip, BC, Canada, Contests, Events, Perfect Dates, Theatre, Travel, Vancouver Events Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts