The Lunar New Year ushering in the Year of the Dragon happens on Feb. 10. Hopefully you have a chance to partake in some of the month-long new year festivities! Also, Family Day takes place on Feb. 19 this year. Why not take some time to check out some of the music and choir performances, film screenings and theatre showings happening around town?
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Send Me No Flowers
Feb. 2–24
www.metrotheatre.com/send-me-no-flowers
George Kimball is a healthy middle-aged man with a beautiful home and a happy marriage. The problem? He is a raving hypochondriac! Mistaking a doctor’s phone conversation, he is convinced he is dying. He decides to set his wife up with an old beau so she won’t be lonely after his passing. His plan backfires badly. The story was made into a hit film with a popular trio – Rock Hudson, Doris Day and Tony Randall. Check out the Metro Theatre website for more information.
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Chelsea Hotel: The Songs of Leonard Cohen
Feb. 3–March 3
A crowd favourite when it first opened at the Firehall in 2012 and went on to tour Canada, Chelsea Hotel is back. Celebrating the life and work of the late Mr. Cohen, Chelsea Hotel follows a writer with a tumultuous love life haunted by the memories of the past. He checks into New York’s infamous titular hotel, desperate to find the words and inspiration for his next song. Told through song and old relationships, the production is an inventive fusion of music, dance and drama embodied as a poetic musical journey of the creative mind, set in a hotel room. Visit the arts centre’s website for tickets and more information.
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Bunny
Feb. 8–18
The Anvil Theatre will be hosting a performance of Bunny this month. Moving from object towards agent, Sorrel discovers the power of her own desire. Armed only with Victorian Literature and an unconventional upbringing, she struggles to find her way. From the newly formed company, The Search Party, comes Hannah Moscovitch’s Bunny. Starring Emma Slipp, Bunny dives into societal inhibitions, desire and sex. For cast information and showtimes, check out the theatre’s website.
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Juliet: A Revenge Comedy
Feb. 8–18
www.thecultch.com/event/juliet-a-revenge-comedy
Juliet: A Revenge Comedy is an award-winning, fast-paced, action-adventure comedy that follows Juliet on the literary adventure of a lifetime! Stuck in an endless loop of turning a dagger on herself, Juliet (played by Lili Beaudoin) tears herself from the fabric of her tragedy in search of a reason for her untimely demise. On the way, Juliet recruits a team of the Bard’s most famous female characters (all played by Jessie Award-winner Carly Pokoradi) to find out why they’ve been forced to die! Together, they embark on an uproarious adventure through the canon, pursued by Shakespeare himself (played by Ryan Gladstone). Can they alter their fate, or are they doomed to play out the same tragic tales for the rest of eternity?
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Every Brilliant Thing
Feb. 8–March 3
www.artsclub.com/shows/2023-2024/every-brilliant-thing
What do you do when you’re just seven years old and mum finds it hard to be happy? Start writing down for her every brilliant thing worth living for – ice cream, water fights, rollercoasters – and then never stop. #315 The smell of old books. #994 Hairdressers who listen to what you want. #2000 Coffee. #9996 Sex. Watch this list take on a life of its own in this unusually funny show about depression and love. Award-winning actor Naomi Wright gently invites the audience to participate in this journey that exhibits the power of community.
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CHILD-ish
Feb. 9–March 9
Adults speak children’s exact words about love, life and the big questions in this fresh world premiere. Drawn from interviews with over 40 kids, CHILD-ish offers insights on everything from the climate crisis to what should really go into a dating profile. These unflinching conversations provide a grown-up audience with surprising insights into the world and our place in it. This show is being hosted by the Pacific Theatre, in collaboration with youth from the Eastside Story Guild.
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Laskiainen 2024
Feb. 11, 5:30 p.m.
www.facebook.com/events/306391355609319
Vancouver Finlandia Club maintains and promotes Finnish culture and Finland in B.C. by organising and supporting Finland related cultural, recreational and sporting events & activities and sponsoring folk dancing and language lessons. The Laskiainen event will feature pea soup, available for takeout or dine-in. The centre will also be open for sauna-goers to socialize, get changed and hang out from 2:30 pm until the last guest is finished. For more information, check out their Facebook page.
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MOA Unmasked: Afrofuturism and the Black Speculative Arts Movement
Feb. 15–16
www.moa.ubc.ca/event/moa-unmasked-afrofuturism-and-the-black-speculative-arts-movement
In this special tour, meet creative directors from one of the Museum of Anthropology’s community partners, Ethọ́s Lab, a non-profit innovation academy for teens based in Vancouver. With the support of UBC’s Community University Engagement Support Fund, MOA has been partnering with Ethọ́s Lab on a creative arts and science project. Tour participants will hear from Ethọ́s Lab creative directors Jazz Groden-Gilchrist and Olúwáṣọlá Kẹ́hìndé Olówó-Aké, and MOA Curator Nuno Porto for a behind-the-scenes presentation of this collaborative project. Check out MOA’s website for tickets and more information.
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War & Peace
Feb. 16, 7:30 p.m.
The Vancouver Chamber Choir’s 2024 Conductors’ Symposium focuses on music that reflects the harsh reality of war and the deep desire for peace. Join the five student conductors and Kari for an evening of music that ranges from folk songs to evocative, complex choral works, including Arnold Schönberg’s magnificent and seldom performed Friede auf Erden. Check out the choir’s website for tickets and more information.
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The Return Voyage
Feb. 16–17
www.chorleoni.org/event/the-return-voyage
Witness the collaboration of the season, as two of Canada’s most beloved ensembles set sail once more. Chor Leoni reunites with Montreal’s famed ensemble La Nef for a concert of shanties and rollicking songs of the sea. Experience the perfect harmony of more than 60 voices, including the iconic sound of Shantyman Seán Dagher. For tickets and showtimes, check out the Chor Leoni website.
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Fan Expo Vancouver
Feb. 17–19
www.fanexpohq.com/fanexpovancouver
Everyone is a fan of something, and Fan Expo Vancouver, happening on Family Day weekend, is a place to celebrate all things pop culture. Get an autograph or a photo with your favourite Guest then get the inside scoop about your favourite movies and TV shows at the celebrity panels! Watch professional comic artists battle it out in popular Sketch Duels, learn from “How To” workshops and take photos with your favourite costumed characters! It’s also a great place to buy a unique gift (or treat yourself!) with a huge show floor for shopping madness.
