Local burlesque performer full of surprises

A common misconception is that burlesque simply consists of parading around on stage in one’s underwear. People also sometimes figure that burlesque performers are extravagant people whose whole lives are an extended version of their onstage persona. But one local burlesque performer is trying to get rid of these stereotypes. Cheesecake Burlesque Revue’s Champagne Sparkles [...]

Sunflower Hour a rousing documentary about puppets

Sunflower Hour This brilliant mockumentary puts overlooked children’s entertainers in a whole new light. I wish this was a TV series so I could continue to watch these characters on a weekly basis: it’s that funny. Aaron Houston wrote and directed this comedy, starring four unlikely puppeteers who audition for the children’s show Sunflower Hour, [...]

Proops tackles all aspects of comedy

Despite Greg Proops’ reputation for being sharp and sarcastic, he sounds sincere, reflective and maybe a little tired on the phone from San Francisco. He’s performing at the city’s Sketchfest, before heading to Victoria for a live version of the hit improv television show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, but he doesn’t have the luxury [...]

Midnight Son gets film fest bloody

Writer/director Scott Leberecht did pretty well for his first feature-length movie. Indeed, Midnight Son may just be the next big cult classic. The movie stars Zak Kilberg as Jacob, a young man born with a rare skin disorder that prevents him from being in the sun. After he meets and falls in love with cokehead [...]

New Music Revue: February 8, 2012 issue

The Soul Rebels Unlock Your Mind (Universal) 5/5 Get ready to eargasm. Over and over and over again. With Unlock Your Mind, eight-piece New Orleans jazz band the Soul Rebels (a.k.a. the Soul Rebels Brass Band) bring you the funkiest 13 tunes this side of 1978. Trumpet, trombone, tenor sax, tuba, and percussion are all [...]

Tanya Stephens rocks Marley

Dancehall veteran Tanya Stephens appreciates the iconic affect Bob Marley has on Jamaica’s arts and culture, there’s no doubt about that. But the Jamaican headliner of the upcoming Bob Marley’s 67th Jubilee Celebration confesses she doesn’t even have a Marley album in her collection. But that’s okay: she’s always done things her own way. Unlike [...]

Garnhum re-imagines Carmen

Way before Lady Gaga, and way before Madonna, there was Carmen. And, according to Dennis Garnhum, the artistic director of a production of the age-old opera about the gypsy girl, Carmen was a true outsider. “Everybody loves the outsider, everybody hates the outsider, and everybody wants to be, at some point in their lives, the [...]

Local, Live, and Loud: February 8-21

Thursday, February 9 Tanya Stephens, Kia Kadiri, Ndidi Cascade, Elaine Lil’ Bit Shepherd, Skyla J, Tank Gyal Club 9ONE9, $25, 10 pm I’m pretty sure that there’s a small community of people living in Victoria that absolutely freak out when they discover that any legitimate and well-known reggae artist is coming to town. Well, if [...]

Film Fest screens impressive music documentary

In the brilliant new documentary film Mrs. Carey’s Concert, now playing at the Victoria Film Festival, Karen Carey is the director of music at the all-girls MLC School in Sydney, Australia. She does what it takes to inspire her students, to rouse some passion into their performances. Directors Bob Connelly and Sophie Raymond take us [...]

The Pack AD blow roof off joint

The Pack AD Thursday, February 2 Club 9ONE9, Victoria, BC When the Pack AD took the stage at Club 9ONE9, they blew the roof off the place. The night got underway with blues-rock group No Sinner. Colleen Rennison, their drop-dead gorgeous lead singer, got the crowd in the right mood with her dynamic and soulful [...]

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