These April showers are getting tedious so let’s amuse ourselves some entertaining picks of the week.
Tastes: Tonight, Vancouver Foodster and Tasting Plates YVR take patrons on an exploration of flavours around Vancouver on the Asian Eats Tasting Tour.
Trailblazer: There’s still a few days left to see Gateway Theatre’s presentation of the critically-acclaimed musical Hey Viola! starring Krystle Dos Santos as Canadian civil rights icon Viola Desmond before it closes April 22.
Bloom: The Fraser Valley’s annual burst of spring colour returns today, Wednesday, April 19 with the 17th annual edition of the Chilliwack Tulip Festival bursting into bloom for the next few weeks.
Festival: Continuing until May 28th, Urban Ink and The Cultch welcome new works and past favourites to a free, all-digital TRANSFORM Cabaret Festival focuses on empowering Indigenous artists and encouraging collaboration with non-Indigenous artists.
Cabaret: At The Arts Club Granville Island Stage, until April 30, Rubaboo is a theatrical indigenous cabaret, guided by powerhouse Métis performer Andrea Menard, an acclaimed singer-songwriter and actor. Featuring the sounds of drums and guitar, this grand musical feast includes songs of reconciliation, unity, love, frustration, and resilience.
Improvise: The Improv Centre on Granville Island debuts its spring show, Bring Back The ‘90s!, on Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm from April 21 to May 27, with a special opening night on Thursday, April 20 at 7:30pm.
Concert: Friday at Christ Church Cathedral, Early Music Vancouver presents La Rêveuse in The Birds Concert, an association of birdsong with the music of the 17th and 18th centuries
Dance: The April edition of The Dance Centre’s Discover Dance! series features Lamondance in a double bill of vibrant contemporary works on Thursday April 20th at 12 noon Scotiabank Dance Centre
Laughs: Deconstructing a chef’s journey from food to comedy, Canadian Comedian Ali Hassan is bringing his hilarious show titled Does This Taste Funny? to Anvil Theatre in New Westminster, April 19.
Exhibition: From this Saturday, April 22 to June 11, Richmond Art Gallery, in partnership with the Richmond Public Library, presents A Small but Comfy House and Maybe a Dog the first major solo exhibition by Amy Ching-Yan Lam, guest curated by Su-Ying Lee, featuring sculptures made in collaboration with HaeAhn Woo Kwon, with objects from the collections of the Gallery and the neighbouring Richmond Public Library.
Femme: The Cultch’s sixth annual Femme Festival features seven performances from women in music, theatre, dance, comedy, and circus, on its three stages continuing until May 14, 2023.
Gallery: On display until May 14, Polygon Gallery presents As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic Curated by Elliott Ramsey, the exhibition is organized by Aperture and features more than 100 photographs from the Wedge Collection — Canada’s largest privately owned collection committed to championing Black artists.
Comedy: Running to May 7, The Firehall Arts Centre and Savage Society present the remount of Taran Kootenhayoo’s White Noise, a comedy about two families who have dinner together for the first time during Truth and Reconciliation week.
Photography: Keep your eyes open until April 30 for the the Capture Photography Festival, Western Canada’s largest lens-based art festival, pops up at dozens of galleries and other venues throughout Metro Vancouver, also including an extensive Public Art Program, an Events Program including tours, films, artist talks, and community events as well as an educational partnership with Emily Carr University.
Hawaii: You only have until April 23rd to take off to the sun as Hawaii From Above takes flight at Fly Over Canada, bringing its lush forests and flowing waterfalls to sandy beaches and dazzling shorelines to the Canada Place attraction
Last night of the play,”-Hey, Viola!” At the Gateway Theartre. I would highly recommend it as it offers a mix of great old tunes belted out by Krystle Dos Santos while she brings an important Canadian Black Historical figure to life.