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LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Corp. of Canada’s Phan-
tastic Phantom of the
Opera arrived in stunning
style last Thursday evening
at the Queen Elizabeth
Theatre.

Joy
Wietcalfe

Ao,
JOY TELLS ALL

LiveEnt big boss Garth Drabin-
sky, his marketing director, Lynda
Friendly, and PR man Norman
Zagier were assured of another
long and very successful run of
the spectacular musical.

Garth stresses that this is not a
touring production of Phantom,
but rather Phantom of the Opera
on tour. There’s a vast difference!

The applause and standing ova-
tions on Thursday nighi just went

& *

for the fundraising gala at Thurs-

fy fot Bo

Award when Phantom of the
Opera opened in London.

He loves to travel and he con-
stantly Mies around the world to
check on his far-flung produe-
tions, And each Phantom is dif-
ferent from the other.

For instance, in Tokyo, he was
telling me that the Japanese never
applaud after a song and they
never laugh during the show.
Because of the complete silence in
the audience, every single thing
had to be re-cued.

In Vancouver, it seems the
humor of the piece works better
than it does in Toronto or Ottawa
and the famous chandelier drops
much fasicr!

He flew in for dinner with the
cast late Monday, saw Tuesday
night's preview and then flew off
again for New York yesterday
morning, where he’s working on
his new production of Show Boat,
which will arrive in Toronto in
1993 ...

Last Monday night was Phan-
tom's first preview as well as co-
star Patti Cohenour and her hus-
band, Tom Bliss’s, seventh wed-
ding anniversary. They’ve taken
up residence just outside of Seattle
for the five-month run of the
show ...

1 must also say the theatre lob-
by now looks like $1.49 Day at
Woodward's with little booths ev-
erywhere selling and audience
members buying Phantom
everything — posters, tie clips,
teaspoons, T-shirts, pens, ete. ...

Three charities had combined

ere AON

DIRECTOR OF Publicity Norman Zagier (left), Lisa and Nick

Masse, a( the opening night gala for the Phantom of the Opera.

on and on! It helped a lot to have
one of the world’s leading direc-
tors of stage musicals directing
this production.

Harold Prince, the creative ge-
nius who began his career in 1954
with Pyjama Game and continued
with such hits as Damn Yankees,
Cabaret, West Side Story, Fiddler
on the Roof, A Little Night
Music, Company, Sweeney Todd
and Evita, is also the director of
Phantom of the Opera in London,
los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto,
Melbourne, Tokyo, Vienna,
Stockholm, Hamburg, on Broad-
way and now Vancouver.

There are currently 10 produc-
tions on stage every night. Hal
Prince has done 51 different pro-
ductivis, '7 of those on Broad-
way. And he won his 16th Tony

i

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Park Royal South

Receive $4.00 off any vitamin or cosmetic items.
Offer expires June 16/91

GRANDMA'S GARDEN

NATURALLY GOOD FOOD

day night’s official red-carpeted
opening night.

Gillian McGuiness, the director
of development for The Van-

PANTS
RESTAURAHT

SAS PUN Street Wit Uanecneeee Ode Bae

OFF
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926-6126

926-7016

couver Opera, the Sun Yat Sen
Classical Chinese Gardens Execu-
tive Director, George Quon, and
Ballet B.C.*s Bob MeGifford had
their supporters out in force and
dressed to the nines.

The ballet’s bagman, the
banker's banker, Nick Masse, who
was at the theatre with his striking
wife, Lisa, was chatting with the
jet-setting businesswoman, Dale
Mearns, who is just back after
spending some time living in Los
Angeles, returned for a happy
ceremony in Victoria which saw
her father receive an honorary
dociorate from the University of
Victoria.

Bill Mearns, ex-vice-president of
both B.C. Electric and B.C.
Hydro, was the far-seeing gentie-
man who, in the late 1950s, ap-
proached the top education lead-
cts, the government and some de-
velopers, and in 1961 put together
the land upon which the university
stands ...

Dale was in fitted fuchsia chif-
fon with the fluted hemline edged
in crimson beading. She’s also
looking forward to the arrival of
one of her best friends, Canadian
guitarist Liona Boyd, who'll be in
town next Thursday to play at the
convocation ceremonies at Simon
Fraser University.

Date’s companions at the Phan-
tom gala were Entertainment ’91's
Alex (formerly Gayle) Plaskett
and the Cundill company’s Brian
Reynolds, and Brian and Hitary
Wooler.

Hilary, who was formerly PR-
ing for Laing Developments and is
past-president of Vancouver
A.M., is just about to announce
that she’s formed her own mar-
keting firm ...

The larger-than-life Murray
Pezim was there chatting about
the gold market and the B.C.
Lions. On his arm was the blonde
Tammy Patrick, who flew in from
Scottsdale for the exciting event,
and Tammy’s mother, the Rev.
Valerie Reay from Pemberton.

Rev. Reay, you may recall, was
the minister who married The Pez
and wife no. 3, Susan Hanson, on
board Jack Charles’ yacht a cou-
ple of summers ago.

No, Susan wasn’t there, but
Murray's right-hand man, Harvey
Gold, was ...

MLA Grace McCarthy looked
her elegasit best, beaming broadly
and followed as always by her
Ray of sunshinc ...

The proudest people in the
theatre had to be Jeff's wife, ac-
tress Ruth Nichol and their 13-
year-old daughter, Gemma.

NEWS photo Stuart Davis

CAROL AND George Jarvis enjoying the festivities prior to the

Phantom performance.

They were so happy for Jeff
and for the success of the show
thal tears were very close. Ruth
had just received great acclaim for
her part in the remount last week
of Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well
to officially close Bill Millard’s
Seymour Street Arts Club.

There wasn't a dry eye in the
house then, either. The rest of the
original Brel cast included West
Van’s Ann Mortifce, Leon Bibb
and Pat Rose. Great to see Pat
looking so well.

I remember Pat, whose teeth
could have been used in a
toothpaste ad, in 1971 starring in
a professional production of The
Fantasticks for Canada’s first-ever
non-subsidized theatre, Actors
Contemporary Theatre, at the old
Colonial Magic on Granville.

ACT was made up of four
schoolteachers who put in their
own money to produce top calibre
theatre in Vancouver. | was their
publicist and I made $10 a week.
As you can tell, we did it for the
love of theatre! When you see
Phantom, you'll understand why!

Don’t forget about the fourth
annual Century Plaza Ladies
Media Golf Classic organized by
the bubbly, pretty blonde, Wendy
Lisogar at Greenacres Golf Club
next Wednesday with proceeds to
the Zajac Memorial Foundation.

More on this next week as well
as the Latin Fiesta, the wonderful
Phantom dinners, Ray Smith,
Wards Music, the Mocktails do,
and Loops fundraising dinner ...
Cheers!

JOAN INWOOD (left), Cheryl and Ken Short in the lobby of the
Queen Elizabeth Theatre on opening night.

NOTICE TO MOTORISTS /PEDESTRIANS
CASSIAR CONNECTOR PROJECT
ADANAC STREET CLOSURE

Effective June 5, 1991 Adanac Street on the west side of Cassiar Street will be
closed for a 6 month duration.

This closure is needed to facilitate construction of the new Trans-Canada
Highway tunnet and associated road works.

Your cooperation and understanding regarding this matter is appreciated.

GEORGE DEAN

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
FENCO LAVALIN CORP,
PROJECT MANAGERS FOR THE CASSIAR CONNECTOR PROJECT

For futher information. please call the Ministry of Transportation and Highways
Road Report Information System 660-9775.

Ay

PROVINCE OF
SRITISH COLUMBIA
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION
° AND HIGHWAYS
HONOURABLE RITA M. JOHNSTON, MINISTER