Comedy of Tenors
Ken Ludwig’s 1930s operatic farce A Comedy of Tenors opens for previews Feb. 6 at the Coast Capital Playhouse.
The official gala opening is this Friday (Feb. 8), starting at 7 p.m. (show at 8 p.m.)
Directed by Julianne Christie, it’s a sequel to Ludwig’s Lend Me A Tenor, sending wily opera producer Henry Saunders (Fred Partridge) and his erstwhile assistant Max (Dann Wilhelm) to Paris for another encounter with hot-headed, womanizing Italian tenor Tito Morelli (Jacques Lalonde).
Launi Bowie plays Merelli’s volatile, jealous wife, Maria; Jackie Block is ambitious, seductive Russian soprano, Tatiana; while Adrian Shaffer is Merelli’s daughter, Mimi, who is involved in a clandestine love affair with young American tenor, Carlo Nucci (played by newcomer Tanner Nelson).
The show runs until Feb. 23, with Wednesday to Saturday evening performances at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2:30 (most shows, $22, students and seniors, $19). For more information, visit whiterockplayers.ca or call the box office at 604-536-7535.
A Merrie May
White Rock Museum and Archives’ latest show, A Merrie May: The Role of Costumes in Spring Festivals, will have its opening reception tonight (Feb. 7) at 7 p.m.
In the show, which runs until May 20, museum curator Kate Petrusa traces the origins of May Day celebrations – also known as Beltane – which date back to prehistoric times in a huge area of Europe stretching from Ireland eastward to Russia and from France northward to Scandinavia.
These traditions were imported to British Columbia during the colonial period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ironically at the same time that authentic Indigenous dancing, singing and feasting traditions were being suppressed.
The museum show also explores the use of costume and performance during May Day, and how it shaped cultural identity in White Rock, where it was actively celebrated from 1923 to 1949.
Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekends.
The museum and archives are located in the old station building (14970 Marine Dr.), and parking is free until March 31.
Blue Frog Studios
White Rock’s Blue Frog Studios continues to be the venue for intimate and up-close concerts by national and international touring acts, as well as local and B.C.-based artists.
Coming up this week is North Vancouver roots pop sensation Melanie Dekker and The Dekker Band (Friday, Feb. 8, 7 p.m.).
Upcoming are Jukebox – a tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (Feb. 13-17) and The Day The Music Died, a 60th anniversary tribute to Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and The Big Bopper (tickets still available Feb. 21 and Feb. 24). For tickets and information, visit bluefrogstudios.ca or call 604-542-3055.
Club 240
Crescent Legion’s Club 240 (2643 128 St.) is the location for Friday-night dances organized by the Semiahmoo Music Consortium, along with other special events throughout the year on Saturday nights, as well as a regular Wednesday night bluegrass jam.
Consortium shows resume this Friday (Feb. 8) with dynamic nine-piece party band, Soul Purpose.
Originally formed almost 30 years ago by a group of moonlighting doctors, the band – originally known as Malpractice – has worked at such prestigious venues as the Hotel Vancouver, Sutton Place, Victoria’s The Empress, Harrison Hot Springs Resort, The Commodore, Pan Pacific Hotel and Canada Place.
Boasting “two dynamic female vocalists, funky organ, searing guitar and blazing hot three-piece horn section,” the current version is a one-stop shop for everything from ’60s and ’70s soul, Motown and R&B to today’s top-40 hits.
Tickets for Friday-night dances are on sale at www.brownpapertickets.com and at the legion box office (604-535-1043), which is open daily from 4-9 p.m.
For more, visit www.club240.ca
Branch 8 music
The White Rock Legion (Branch 8) presents bands and musical entertainers every Friday and Saturday, from 7-11 p.m., Howlin’ Tuesdays blues, rock and country jam and Country Sunday live entertainment Sundays from 3-7 p.m., interspersed with other presentations, along with specials from MacKarino’s Kitchen (open Wednesday through Sunday from noon).
The legion’s regular weekend schedule continues with Mitzfitz (Feb. 8 and 9) and Cheek to Cheek (Feb. 15 and 16).
The legion is at 2290 152 St. and, on Fridays and Saturdays, is open from noon to 1 a.m. Visit legion8whiterock.ca or call 604-531-2422.
Gallery show
It’s not the original ‘Group of Seven’, but the seven members of the South Surrey White Rock Art Society whose paintings are currently on display and for sale at The Gallery, Central Plaza, offer a little something for everyone, from impressionistic landscapes to abstract art.
The show, which opened Monday, is facilitated by artist Hazel Breitkreuz, and includes her own work and also pieces by Lynne Adams, Tammy Bailey, Laura Barnes, Mindy Hardiman, Shelly Ken-Snowsell and Sandra Wagstaff.
It continues until Saturday, Feb. 23 at The Gallery, located at 15134 North Bluff Rd.
Beer and blues
White Rock Beach Beer Company (15181 Russell Ave.) continues to offer occasional live entertainment Sunday afternoons at 1 p.m.
Coming up this Sunday (Feb. 10) is music by the Dennis Peterson Trio, followed on Sunday, March 3, by the Don Jones Quartet.
For more information on upcoming acts, call 604-319-4378.
Traditional jazz
White Rock Traditional Jazz Society’s regular series of 2-5 p.m. Sunday dances to live New Orleans and Chicago jazz and small-band swing continue most weekends at Crescent Legion Branch’s Club 240.
Coming up this Sunday (Feb. 10) is the sizzling cabaret-style jazz of singer Holly Arntzen‘s Some Like It Hot, featuring pianist and vocalist Tom Arntzen, and family patriarch, Vancouver jazz legend Lloyd Arntzen, on reeds.
The venue is at 2643 128 St.; admission is $10 at the door (WRTJS members); $12 (non-members) and $6 (students with ID).
Pier retrospective
The White Rock Youth Ambassador program, the City of White Rock, White Rock Museum and Archives and the Semiahmoo Rotary Club are co-hosts for the Feb. 14 gala opening of the exhibit Our Pier: A Retrospective, at the Landmark Pop- Uptown Gallery at Central Plaza.
The display of artwork and historical photos gathered from the city’s archives by Hugh Ellenwood – aimed at helping raise money for extra refurbishment of the city’s storm-damaged pier once it is restored – will run until March 23 at the gallery, 15140 North Bluff Rd. Opening hours are Thursday and Friday, 1-5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Matchmaker
Arts Club artistic director Ashlie Corcoran‘s version of Thornton Wilder’s farce The Matchmaker (original source material for the late Carol Channing’s musical hit Hello, Dolly!) runs at Vancouver’s Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage (2750 Granville St.) until Feb. 24.
The White Rock-born-and-raised, Semiahmoo Secondary grad’s production, set in late-19th-century New York, focuses on what happens when wealthy but grumpy bachelor Horace Vandergelder (Ric Reid) meets professional matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi (Nicola Lipman).
Tickets for the show (from $29) are available at artsclub.com or 604-687-1644.
