On stage in November and December

From the popular humourist David Sedaris comes this merrily wicked tale of his tour of duty as an elf at Macy’s Santaland. From posts as Vomit Corner Elf to Water Cooler Elf to Cash Register Elf, Sedaris worked his way up the candy-cane ladder and lived to share his hysterical, behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Both outlandish and illuminating, this sardonically witty one-man show showcases the comic brilliance of the multi-talented Ryan Beil in what is sure to be an elfin good time!  Visit http://www.artsclub.com for tickets and information.

George Bailey has a lovely wife and family, and performs countless good deeds for friends and townsfolk in Bedford Falls. Yet all that seems to count for naught when he faces financial adversity and a nemesis. At George’s most woeful moment, his guardian angel, Clarence Oddbody, swoops in to remind him that faith, hope, and family make life truly wonderful. Visit http://artsclub.com for tickets and information.

Make your days merry and bright by warming to this unforgettable musical about love and friendship. Based on the classic film, this tap-dancing delight brims with tunes—including “Sisters” and the ever-popular “White Christmas”—that will fill you with the joy of the season. Visit http://artsclub.com for tickets and information.

Pinocchio the puppet is brought to life and wants to become a real boy. He must battle the evil Puppet Master and his henchmen Fox and Cat, survive being swallowed by a whale, rescue his beloved Isabella, and endure the company of the overbearing Miss Ann Thrope, Isabella’s aunt. Will Pinocchio prove himself faithful, brave and true?  Visit http://www.whiterockplayers.ca for tickets and information.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Pacific Theatre
5 – 15 December 2012

A dream so beautiful you remember it all your life, always wishing you could get back into that dream again. Peter and Lucy Pevensie may be adults now, but a regular life in London cannot compare to their adventures in the land of Narnia. When they revisit The Wardrobe, it doesn’t take long for them to get caught up in their reminiscence and relive their journey through the land where it was always winter and never Christmas.  Visit http://www.pacifictheatre.org for tickets and information.

Leo

The laws of gravity are made to be broken in this mind-boggling piece of physical theatre, reminiscent of early silent cinema films by the likes of Charlie Chaplin. Juxtaposing projected film and live performance, LEO embarks on an adventure that is triumphantly funny, witty, and full of surprises.  Visit http://thecultch.com for tickets and information.

The Life Game Vancouver

In the past, theatrical improvisation has been synonymous with comedy. The Life Game takes the traditional humour-driven improvisation and turns it on its ear, allowing an opportunity for a full array of human emotion.  The Life Game is a live biography told through improvisation that honours the guest. Visit http://www.thelifegamevancouver.com for tickets and information.

Join us as Dorothy and friends learn about courage, compassion, and the meaning of home in the beloved family musical, The Wizard of Oz. Visit http://www.carouseltheatre.ca for tickets and information.

Fiddler on the Roof
12 – 31 December 2012
Richmond Gateway Theatre

Through both comic and bittersweet moments, Tevye realizes his daughters must soon begin traditions of their own. Broadway’s most radiant, tender and humorous musical includes rousing, heartwarming songs like “If I Were A Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Matchmaker,” and “Tradition” to tell a timeless story of family values and freedom. Visit http://www.gatewaytheatre.com for tickets and information.

If you’ve ever thought there was something a little fishy about a very pregnant woman being turned away from an inn, let Ruby Slippers Theatre’s Hotel Bethlehem provide an alternate interpretation of what ACTUALLY happened that infamous silent night.  Farce meets satire meets holiday fare in this entertaining and fun Christmas comedy.  Visit http://www.firehallartscentre.ca for tickets and information.

Don Juan

Heretic. Swordsman. Seducer. Don Juan. Blackbird Theatre presents a daring new adaptation of Molière’s most scandalous comedy. Three songs, two duels and a trip to Hell — an evening with comedy’s great master playwright, Molière. Visit http://www.blackbirdtheatre.ca for more information.

The story of Scrooge is so beloved and evokes strong memories for so many, we had to put our spin on it. Leaping Thespians’ Crooge has the classic ‘humbug’ issues and the added burden of being completely in denial that she is lesbian.  This is parody mixed with sketch comedy in Leaping Thespians’ audience pleasing style. And we have five songs and a few things to say about bullying!  Visit http://www.leapingthespians.ca for tickets and information.

Composer and Lyricist Stephen Dolginoff provides a creepy two man musical about Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, the world’s first thrill killers. When arson and petty crime isn’t enough the self-titled Nitzche “supermen” decide to commit the perfect crime by kidnapping and murdering a 10 year old boy. What happens next is just the beginning as their relationship and motives are called into question and as both men face the ultimate fate. Visit http://www.fightingchanceproductions.ca for tickets and information.

A provincial village is thrown into a Marx Brothers-like world of panic, greed and silliness when its bumbling elected officials learn that a government inspector is paying a visit. Visit http://www.studio58.ca for tickets and information.

Winners & Losers
22 November – 1 December 2012
Richmond Gateway Theatre

Marcus and James, the show’s creators, sit at a table playing a game they’ve made up: Winners and Losers. They name people, places or things—Tom Cruise, microwave ovens, their fathers, rainforests, Druids, etc.—and debate whether they are winners or losers. In pursuit of victory, they turn the game on each other, ruthlessly dissecting intimate details of their own lives. This “staged conversation” is shockingly honest, surprisingly funny, and thoroughly unique and engaging. Visit http://www.gatewaytheatre.com for tickets and information.

With prostitution and other crimes committed by women on the rise, Constables Lurancy Harris and Minnie Miller are hired to deal with the ‘female morality question’. Social and political pressures and relationships from the past create stumbling blocks for Harris and Miller as they take on ‘The Lord of the Bawdy House’ and unravel political corruption in Vancouver.  Visit http://firehallartscentre.ca for tickets and information.

The Underpants
16 November – 1 December 2012
Havana Theatre

That Other Theatre Company is thrilled to present Steve Martin’s hilarious version of The Underpants, a classic farce written by Carl Sternheim in 1910. Scheduled to open in Germany in 1911, the play was initially banned because “its subject matter was too indelicate.” Come see what all the fuss was about, and laugh all the way home!  Visit http://www.thatothertheatrecompany.com for tickets and information.

Celebrating the bi-centenary of Charles Dickens, Miriam Margolyes brings her Olivier Award-nominated production to The Cultch as part of its world tour.  Margolyes portrays over 23 of Dickens’ best-loved characters, setting out to discover the man himself, revealing everything from the raucous humour of his characterisations to the darker, more sinister, aspects of his life and work.  Visit http://thecultch.com for tickets and information.

Set in County Donegal in 1936, this profoundly moving play is a semi-autobiographical story of playwright Brian Friel’s childhood when his aunts, the five Mundy sisters, all lived under the same roof. Friel appears in the character of five-year-old love child Michael, making his origins a terrific scandal for the period, and the five spirited sisters themselves are a challenge to the conventions of the community. Visit http://theatre.ubc.ca for tickets and information.

Plot synopsis? No need. The classic, hilariously corny storyline – first love, teenaged cliques, fast friends and faster cars – will be familiar to many… and so will the 50s-style pop/rock soundtrack, jam-packed with beloved hits. Visit http://www.footlight.ca for tickets and information.

She Stoops To Conquer
Arts Club Stanley Theatre
Through 18 November 2012

Romantic tomfoolery and mistaken identities abound in She Stoops to Conquer, Oliver Goldsmith’s classic comedy of manners. When shy-with-the ladies Charles Marlow sets off to the country to meet his blind date, Kate Hardcastle, a practical joke convinces him that Hardcastle manor is a luxury inn. Treating one’s prospective in-laws as hired help is hardly advisable, but when it appears that Charles is quite a charmer with women of a lesser station, mayhem ensues and love blossoms. Visit http://artsclub.com for tickets and information.

The Number 14
Through 18 November 2012
Waterfront Theatre

The wacky, zany, side-splitting world-renowned show The Number 14 is making its final stop. This is your last chance to catch the bus as The Number 14 kicks off its farewell tour of this ever popular crowd pleaser. Visit http://www.axistheatre.com for more information.

Pants on Fire
11 October – 17 November 2012
The Improv Centre, Granville Island

Pants On Fire combines all the best parts of a talk show, a tabloid, and short-form improv comedy. Each night, a special guest takes the stage to tell tall tales. Whether they’re true or false… who knows? Along with the help of a suspicious show host and the lie detecting senses of the audience, the VTSL ensemble will sleuth their way to the truth and see if our special guest can swear to a goddess, or has a nose like Pinocchio. Visit http://www.vtsl.com for tickets and information.

Play With Monsters
Performance Works, Granville Island
9 – 18 November 2012

What happens when your parents turn into zombies? Or when your girlfriend’s father is actually a ninja? In Play with Monsters, we meet Drew- a charming, tattooed 40-something who uses his imagination to deal with memories of his less-than-perfect parental relationships. His parents continue to haunt him, but while on a father-son wine-tasting trip to France, Drew discovers that he does have the ability to fight his personal monsters and live the life he chooses. Hope, forgiveness and love abound in this incredibly warm-hearted story about the parental issues that haunt every grown child.  Visit http://www.solocollective.ca for tickets and information.

Where the Wild Things Are
Presentation House
8 – 18 November 2012

You’ve read the book. You’ve seen the movie. Now Maurice Sendak’s beloved story, Where the Wild Things Are, comes to life on stage.  Where the Wild Things Are immerses the audience in Max’s make-believe world as they travel across the ocean, crash through the forest and become part of the wild rumpus as Max conquers his fears to become King of the Wild Things. Visit http://www.phtheatre.org for tickets and information.

Closer
The Cultch Culture Lab
8 – 17 November 2012

Shift Theatre presents Patrick Marber’s sharp and brutally honest play, Closer, from November 8 to 17 at The Cultch. The brilliant work, which won the 1998 Olivier award for Best New Play, grapples with the complexity of modern relationships by following the intertwining, colliding love lives of four young adults residing in London.  Visit http://shifttheatre.ca for tickets and information.

Wittenberg
Pacific Theatre
Through 10 November 2012

Hamlet, Martin Luther, and Dr. Faustus walk into a bar, and the rest is history… sort of. Pacific Theatre presents yet another extended staged reading that combines the historical, literary, and theological in David Davalos’ Wittenberg. The concept is simple: take three iconic characters, all associated with Germany’s Wittenberg University, put them together, toss in a pint or two of beer, and see what happens. Visit http://pacifictheatre.org for tickets and information.

Eternal Hydra
Studio 16
2 – 11 November 2012

Anton Piatigorsky’s fascinating, award-winning play Eternal Hydra will open Touchstone’s 2012/13 season. Sex, identity politics and the myth of genius are some of the themes tackled, as the play looks for the truth about the origins of a long lost literary masterpiece.  Visit http://www.touchstonetheatre.com for tickets and information.

Kutz & Dawgs
1 – 2 & 8 – 9 November 2012

Using Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story as inspiration, culturally and socially diverse youth cast members in collaboration with professional artists created this original hip hop and World musical. In this thought-provoking commissioned work, the young performers will portray rivaling Kutz (alley cats) and Dawgs (junkyard dogs) in a cautionary tale that explores the destructive force of gang violence. Visit http://www.miscellaneousproductions.ca for tickets and information.

Far Side of the Moon
1 – 10 November 2012
Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, SFU

One of Canada’s most revered theatre artists, Lepage’s stunning theatrical show explores one man’s search for meaning through loss and estrangement set against the backdrop of the US/Russian Moon Race. Visit https://tickets.thecultch.com for tickets and information.

The Unplugging
Arts Club Revue Stage
Through 3 November 2012

Two women seek shelter in a freezing, desolate landscape of post-apocalyptic Canada. They must rely solely on each other for survival. To their surprise, they begin to thrive, reviving the skills for living off the land that were taught to them by their elders. But their hard-won peace is interrupted by the sudden arrival of a charismatic young man, whose very presence threatens their existence.  Visit http://www.artsclub.com for tickets and information.

Debts
Roedde House Museum
Through 3 November 2012

Inspired by the classic works of Edgar Allen Poe, Debts is a unique blend of site-specific promenade theatre, haunted house, and radio play taking place at the historic Roedde House Museum in Vancouver’s Westend. Join five teenagers as they crash a wedding from hell and discover that some Debts can only be paid with their lives.  Visit http://www.itsazoo.org for tickets and information.

Before Edward and Twilight, there was the Count! Dracula is the original vampire: sexy, mesmerizing, frightening and … musical? Awkward Stage Productions presents Rick Abbot’s version of the classic Bram Stoker tale as a comedy musical with toe tapping tunes and plenty of laughs; it’s a bloody funny farce! Visit http://awkwardstageproductions.com for tickets and information.

Cozy Catastrophe
The Cultch
Through 4 November 2012

Holed up in a warehouse, the survivors must decide whether to spend their final hours praying, fighting back, or just getting to know one another in this unabashed combination of gross-out humour and harried absurdity.  Visit http://www.thecultch.com for more information.

Gold Mountain
The Cultch
Through 4 November 2012

A collaboration between Montreal’s award-winning Les Deux Mondes and Liverpool’s Unity Theatre, the epic journey from rural China, to war-torn Liverpool, and through the horrors of an Atlantic Convoy, is a story of friendship, addiction and adversity. The work’s telling is an innovative, multimedia spectacle, combining breathtaking imagery, film, and music.  Visit http://www.thecultch.com for more information.