Romeo and Juliet
Earl Marriott Theatre Company’s 35th annual production, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, comes to the stage of the school’s Wheelhouse Theatre, March 9-12 (performances at 7:30 p.m.).
Audiences are invited to dress in black and white to match the black and white theme of drama teacher/director Candace Radcliffe’s version, which emphasizes a timeless ‘old but new’ look, aided by an original digital music score by technical director Sebastian Galina, blending classical-style melodies with techno beats (choreography of fights and dances is by Carol Seitz).
The star-crossed romance of Romeo (Erik Kavanaugh) and Juliet (Marika Stanger) will be given added vibrance for modern audiences by a swift pace, multimedia presentation, a beautiful masked ball and sword fights staged throughout the auditorium.
For ticket reservations ($15, $12 seniors, $10 students) call 604-542-2181 (box office is open Monday to Friday from 11:20 to 11:55 a.m., 2:40 to 3:30 p.m.)
U Lounge music
The U Lounge at Grandview corners is offering live music every Thursday at 8 p.m. (no cover charge), presented by Magnetized Productions.
Next up in the venue’s new Lucky 7 Thursday series will be Sami Ghawi (March 10), Tay MacRae and Guest (March 17), Ben Sigston (March 24), Jacob Dryden (March 31), David Blair (April 7), David Anthony (April 14).
Cash on the line
Big River’s A Tribute To The Man In Black: Johnny Cash, comes to the Coast Capital Playhouse, 1532 Johnston Rd., this Friday (March 11) at 7:30 p.m.
Featuring Dave Pittet’s eerie evocation of Cash’s voice and mannerisms, Big River is North America’s foremost band paying tribute to the man in black. The band specializes in performing all the hits spanning five decades of his career, including such classics as I Walk The Line, Solitary Man, Get Rhythm, Folsom Prison Blues and Ring of Fire.
Opening act will be White Rock blues musician Jason Buie, well-known for his own unique blend of blues, funk, rock and soul.
For tickets ($42.50 plus service charges) call 604-536-7535, or visit www.whiterockplayers.ca
Chamber music
White Rock Chamber Music’s next recital is scheduled for for Saturday, March 12, 7:30 p.m. at the Pacific Carlton, 15366 17 Ave.
Featured performers will be pianist Christina Lo, Italian operatic baritone Silvano Gastaldo (accompanied by pianist Eric Hominick), jazz pianist Sky Leuba, soprano Sarah McNair, and the duo of harpist Kailee Price and flautist Dru Yates.
Lo, 17, a Semiahmoo Secondary student, has won eight gold medals and seven silver medals at local music festivals, won honourable mention with a 92 per cent score on her Grade 10 Conservatory piano exam, and is currently studying for her ARCT piano performance exam this summer.
Admission is by donation ($5 suggested).
Trad jazz
White Rock Traditional Jazz Society’s popular schedule of Sunday sessions continues on Sunday, March 13, 3-6 p.m. at the Royal Canadian Legion Crescent Branch 240 (2643 128 St.) with house band Red Beans & Rice.
Next up on the WRTJS roster are the New Orleans Ale Stars (March 20) and the Clam Digger Jazz Band (March 27).
For details, visit www.whiterocktradjazz.com
Three Visions
A new show of photography, Three Visions, presents the work of Dwayne Lamb, Jevon Safarik and Bob Warick, until April 1 at Semiahmoo Arts’ gallery, 90 – 1959 152 St (Windsor Square).
For more information, call 604-536-8333, or visit www.semiahmooarts.com
Ensemble Galilei
A stellar group of U.S. musicians will make their only Canadian appearance during a west coast tour 8 p.m., Friday, April 1, at First United Church, White Rock.
Ensemble Galilei brings together musicians from different worlds in anw ongoing adventure that utilizes their renowned expertise and technique to create new dimensions of music.
The ensemble features Ryan McKasson on Scottish fiddle, Jackie Moran on bodhran and tenor banjo, and Sue Richards on Celtic harp, all versed in Scottish and Irish traditions, plus violinist Ginger Hildebrand and viola da gamba player Carolyn Surrick – both with decades of experience in Renaissance and Baroque music. Tickets ($25) area available from Tapestry Music, First United Church, Surrey Arts Centre box office 604-501-5566, online at https://tickets.surrey.ca
Ladies of the Camellias
What happens when the two pre-eminent divas of the stage in the 1890s – Sarah Berhardt and Eleanor Duse – are both to perform Lady of the Camellias, by Alexandre Dumas, in Paris, the same week and in the same theatre?
That’s the premise of Lillian Garrett-Groag’s farcical historical comedy Ladies of the Camellias, next presentation of the White Rock Players Club, in a production directed by Paul Kloegman (who helmed last season’s Humble Boy).
The club’s entry in this year’s TheatreBC Vancouver Zone festival, it will play April 6 to 23 at the Coast Capital Playhouse, 1532 Johnston Rd. with Wednesday to Saturday performances at 8 p.m., plus a 2:30 p.m. Sunday matinee on April 17.
The production brings together members of the Kloegman stock company – previously seen to advantage in 20th Century in White Rock and Up And Coming at Vancouver’s Metro Theatre – including Lori Tych (as Duse) and Jason Dedrick (as actor Gustave-Hyppolite Worms), both of whom most recently starred in the thriller Earth and Sky in February at the Coast Capital Playhouse.
Tickets go on sale March 22 at the theatre box office (604-536-7535) or visit www.whiterockplayers.ca
Tim Williams
Legendary blues singer-songwriter-guitarist Tim Williams – presented locally last year by the White Rock Blues Society – will be back in White Rock for one night only, April 6 at 8 p.m. at the Sandpiper Pub.
The intimate, up close and personal, show will feature Williams’ colourful songs and stories of the road, including playing with the likes of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal and ZZ Top.
For more, call 604-531-7746 or 604-542-6515.
Local authors
White Rock author Marya Sopova’s novel for children (ages 9-13 and higher), The MouseTronaut, is now available at Kids Books or at the Semiahmoo Arts gallery in Windsor Square.
The novel, and its accompanying volume, the Rocket of Fun workbook, traces the international – and outer space – adventures of an intrepid mouse trained as part of Russia’s space program.
For more information, call 604-536-6749.
Crescent Beach author Ben Nuttall-Smith’s historical novel Blood, Feathers and Holy Men, an adventure spanning both Old World and New World cultures in the 10th century AD, is currently available through local bookstores.
For more on the book, published by South Surrey’s Libros Libertad, visit www.bennuttall-smith.ca
South Surrey author Sam Wharton’s latest Jonathan Hare novel, Ignorant Armies (Melrose Books, UK), is currently available at Angel Christian Supplies (104 – 2429 152 St.) and Black Bond Books, Semiahmoo Centre.
Drawing on Wharton’s own experiences in the military and policies of recruitment for intelligence work, Ignorant Armies is the second installment in his saga of Hare, a young innocent abroad in a sea of political, social and personal intrigue in post-World War Two Britain.
Argentine tango
It first appeared in the dance halls and brothels of Buenos Aires around 1880 – and it wasn’t even considered socially acceptable in Argentina until after it became a craze in Europe just before the First World War.
But authentic Argentine tango – a distinctly different dance from the ballroom tango – has lost none of its passionate mystery and beauty. It’s also hotter than ever – thanks to exposure on such television shows as Dancing With The Stars.
Now Portal a Tango Dance Entertainment offers White Rock residents the chance to learn to dance Argentine tango with an ongoing series of beginner and intermediate lessons at Ocean Park Hall, 1577 128 St.
Owned and operated by husband and wife team Bobbi and Patricia Lusic, Portal a Tango “works to promote Argentine tango as a healthy means for individual expression, improving quality of life and experiencing joy through music and dance.”
For more information, call 778-773-9904 or visit www.portalatango.com
Rock Band
Adults wanting to rock out are invited to register for a new program called My Generation – Adult Rock Band at the Todd Brewer School of Music.
The fall program is open to adults of all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. For more information, call 604-538-2295.
