¥ “to catch = the a re Cre Coenen ¢ te mS nec dining ar(s business | 2 GHORE[IFE RTH Gilbert and Sullivan still whimsical fun OUUOEDA SON Doeeedaseeneanteaataneneeeeniaad curtain call YOU must take this review with a pinch of salt since I am one of those Englishmen who likes Gilbert and Sullivan. Yes, [ know that alter a while it all starts to sound conso- nantly repeti- tive, and that friends who can actually sing will explain that its called “operetta” for a reason, Sorry, the whimsy and the innocent © silliness just plain appeal to me and I can hum the tunes in the shower if -T feel like it, so there. Which is by way of “telling you all that there are just two more opportunities Vancouver ‘ Opera’s season finale, The Mikado, May 22 and 24. If you’re a G & § fan, and I think I've explained that I am, going to see The Mikado is like going to see an old friend you haven’t seen for a. while. You pretty much know what to expect, it?s just a question of catching up to any changes. . Director Michael Cavanagh does a goad job of yalleries = Dundarave Cafe: Judy Holden, watercolors. Ferry Building Gallery: Playing with Fire, ceramic sculpture and paintings by Zoltan Kiss, To June 1. Gallery hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Mondays. North Vancouver City Hall: > Yvonne Wardas, oil paintings to May 29. Business hours. North Vancouver District Halk Carpe Diem — Svise the day. Ann Hurst’s watercolors and oils. Also, Kurt Stefan’s antler carvings. Presented by the North Vancouver Community Arts Council. North Vancouver Muscum and Archives: Fire! Firefighting through the ages. A major exhibit organized in’ conjunction with the West Vancouver Museum and Archives and the three North Shore Fire Departments. To Oct. 12. Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 3 p.m. Free. 987-5618, Presentation House League/Minor — Leagite: Gallery: Phorogvaph’s of the Vancouver staging and appropriate rewriting, After all, William Gilbert sets the locale as Japan but as the chorus informs us almort immediately, this is the Japan of giftware and painted plates. In other words, it’s Gilbert's usual lampoon of English society and mores set in the Victorian make-believe world of japonatserie. For Canada, Cavanagh gives us Pish-Tush as a Mackenzie-brother hose head ina Canuck uniform who dis- covers the surtitles working above the world of the play. Although this overlay of character slows bass-baritone RICHARD Clement (left), Richard Stuart and Anna Maria Kaufmann in Vancouver Opera’s The Mikado. Thomas Goerz down (it’s not his fault, the Mackenzie brothers were not quick) it does set up an expectation of modernization that Cavanagh continues to embellish, Of the “three little maids from school” only Anna Maria Kaufmann’s Yum-Yum actual- ly fits the traditional role. Laura Pudwell’s Pitti-Sing isn’t little and Marie Anne Kowan’s Peep-Bo has proba- bly been expelled for flouting uniform rules in favor of punk stylings (great energy from TOWN ee ER West \ Major America’s Baseball Stadiums by Jim Dow, An unusual glimpse of the ballparks through a fan’s-eye view, Galiery hours: Wednesday to thea these two), * ‘Topical references contin: ue to pop up in the tyries as we are told of Indonesian speculators (“Their metal has been tested, it's not precious anymore.") and tenors who shouldn't go touring stadiums (“in multiples of three”), The British imports carry a lot of weight in the show. British baritone Richard Stuart plays Ko-Ko, the untor- tunate Lord High Executioner who couldn't kill a fly, like a stand-up comedian working a sweaty holiday crowd on Blackpool Pier, Pm surprised Cavanagh didn’t have Stuart selling choe-ices at intermission. lan Caddy’s sanctimonious- ly sly bureau. erat Pooh-Bah does far less, but commands the stage with enough — pres- ence it’s a shame — there wasn't cnough left over for Josepha Gayer’s Katisha who simply fails to domi- nate as required. The stage design is lushly simple, but borrowed from New York City Opera. The home-grown talent is in the chorus (including West Vancouver's prolific letter: writer and former actor Stephen Aberle) — and it’s | impressively good. If you’ve never been to the opera, Gilbert and Sullivan offers an accessible introduc- tion, and if Vancouver Opera’s The Mikado does not quite scale the heights of its 1995 production of The Pirates of Penzance it’s still a lot of fun with some surpris- ing musical rewards. Sunday, noon to 5 p.m, Thursday to 9 p.m. 986-1351. Ron Andrews recreation centre: Brenda Cross and Colleen Cosgrove, watercolors and pastels, to May 25. Seymour Art Gallery: There are Hydrangeas in my World. Paintings by Joy Zemel Long. To June 1. Gallery hours:. Tuesday to Sunday, 12-4 p.m. 924-1378, Sitk Purse Arts Centre: Brian Scrimshaw, Dramatic pho- tographs of the Prince George If. To May 28. Nature Studies. Barry Derlago's oi) and acrylics. Exhibits pre- sented by the West Vancouver Community Arts Council. ‘Tuesday to Friday U1 am. to pam., Sat. and Sun, neon to § p.m. Vancouver Gallery: Colores, watercolors by Jane Saborio to May 31. 925-7410. West Vancouver Museum and Archives: Firel The growth and development of fire services in West Vancouver. Info: 925-7295. Memorial Library Hendry 5 Halk: The Mumberley Inheritance, See more page 16 Wednesday, May 21, 1997 - North Shore News ~ 48 Diamont: talking ‘bout his — Generation j Photo Devid Cooper HEADLINES Theatre artistic director David Diamond, caught here in a produc- tion of Safe Sex, brings interactive Forum Theatre to Presentation House this’ week on the theme of intergenerational ralatienships in new Canadian families.:: on . . UNIQUE is an over-used adjective in ad-copy and journalism, but this week at Presentation House North Shore audiences will have the oppor- tunity to experience a truly unique evening of theatre. By Martin Millerchip . Contributing Writer For three nights only (May 23-25), Headlines Theatre presents Generations. I could describe it as a play about parent-child relationships in families undergoing cultur- al transition where the parent’s second language is English. True, as far as that goes, but not the point of the evening. “ Here, the play is nef the thing. Unseen, I know it will be short, passionate in places, deal , with issues not character development and, by professional standards, be poorly acted.” The drama of the evening will nevertheless be intense and if local audiences participate in the way Headlines’ audiences always do, someone will say something like: “Now I understand why theatre fundamentally exists and what it can do. Communication for a reason — to help, heal and activate people. Thank you for revealing that to me.” or; “Twas inspired and moved and ultimately [ was changed by the evening.” The above are unsolicited quotes from audience members after experiencing Headlines- style forum theatre on a huge variety of so-called Theatre For Living, projects. Having participated myself, T can attest that what Headlines offers is truly living theatre, or to put it another way, theatre for the living. This is about lite experience (as is all theatre), but the real drama of the evening is provid- ed by audience interaction with the play. Forum Theatre encourages audience members (often not your typical theatre goer) to take control of a moment in the unfolding play and attempt to change it. = The very act of getting out of your seat to “change” the plot is a moment of empowerment be Es that often stays with the participant — which, of course, is the intent. Headlines artistic director David Diamond will workshop the issues of Generations froma diverse group of 22 immigrant participants. As I write this, the group has yet to meet, but Diamond has already chosen by interview the six who will create his on-stage family: three of Chinese heritage; one of Indian; one of Iranian and one from Guyana, “Without making a play at all, we have a theatrical symbol,” says Diamond. “They all come trom different places, but they all share similar issues. The workshop process will clarify what issues are the same for all of them.” . Asked who he hopes will attend the three days of performance, Diamond responds: “Anybody interested in these issues; anybody interested in innovative theatre, “Anybody who lives here has things to learn from this kind of event whether they are liv- ing the issue or not. It isa very visceral way for us to understand each other's lives” Generations will be Headlines’ 200th Theatre For Living project and is dedicated to the memory of Brazilian global educator Paulo Friere, who was a seminal influence on Diamond. The Sunday performance will be broadcast live by Ragers (requiring the audience to be seated by 7:45 p.m. that night) throughout the Lower Mainland and southern Vancouver Island. Viewers will be able to phone in “interventions” and have them included in the unfolding, shape of the drama on stage. But try and see Generations live. If you are involved in the issues of the play, this unique form of interactive theatre has the power to touch your life.