Stars on Ice all about family-like bonds for Keegan MessingCanadian men’s figure skating champion Keegan Messing—in town this weekend as part of Stars on Ice—basically grew up on the ice: he started skating when he was three years old. In 1992 he saw Elvis Stojko—who is also at Stars on Ice—skating and it changed his life. “All I wanted was to jump and spin,” […] Continue Reading |
East of Berlin shows hope through horrorI was excited to go see Toronto playwright Hannah Moscovitch’s highly revered East of Berlin, currently playing at Fernwood indie theatre Theatre Inconnu. I was excited because, like many people, I have a curiosity with World War II, a curiosity that dances between sick fascination and total horror. The term “east of Berlin” was actually […] Continue Reading |
New Music Revue: Frog Eyes come back strong with The BeesFrog Eyes The Bees (Paper Bag Records) 3.5/5 Frog Eyes is back with their first album in four years, after taking a break and releasing an album under the name Soft Plastics in 2020. The Bees celebrates Frog Eyes’ new path in their musical journey with 10 unique songs with an abstract sound and upbeat […] Continue Reading |
Concert pays symphonic tribute to the Fab FourJim Owen and Sean O’Loughlin are bringing The Beatles to life again. Their Classical Mystery Tour: A Tribute to the Beatles concert—which has been happening since 1996—will have the Victoria Symphony putting a different spin on classic cuts. “For people like myself, we never got the chance to see the Beatles live,” says Owen. “I […] Continue Reading |
The Demolition Gang pay tribute to The Wrecking Crew with special student showThere was a relatively unknown group out of southern California that had credits on hundreds of top 40 hits in the ’60s and ’70s. The unheralded artists were an all-star cast of session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew. By providing services for groups like The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Monkees, the […] Continue Reading |
Play explores multi-generational households, gender, bar mitzvahsLocal director Kevin McKendrick is directing Bema Productions’ take on Rich Orloff’s award-winning play Men Overboard in May; McKendrick describes it as a very poignant comedic performance. “Men Overboard is what I describe as a wry comedy,” says McKendrick. “There’s many funny sections in it but it’s quite poignant. It deals with three generations of […] Continue Reading |
I, Claudia successfully tells big story through minimalistic meansI, Claudia examines the life of Claudia, a 12-year-old girl struggling through her parent’s divorce, her dad’s remarriage, a school science project, and, worst of all, puberty. Directed by Treena Stubel, this one-woman show is hitting Victoria for the first time since 2004 and starting off Blue Bridge Repertory Theatre’s 2022 summer season. Although the […] Continue Reading |
Mother Mother continue to use music as medicineVancouver-based indie rockers Mother Mother are no strangers to success, but something unlikely happened during the pandemic. A few songs from Mother Mother’s 2008 album O My Heart began trending on TikTok, amassing millions of views. “I think it made us more humble, more sensitive to our own shortcomings and our own inadequacies as a […] Continue Reading |
Hawksley Workman emerges from pandemic healthier and ready to rockJuno-winning and gold-certified singer/songwriter and, dare we say, Canadian legend Hawksley Workman is set to return to the stage here in Victoria after more than two years away. “I’m looking forward to getting out there,” says Workman. “We loved that last show [in November 2019]. The place was packed. It was one of the best […] Continue Reading |
Pacific Opera Victoria’s Don Giovanni does Mozart proudGoing out the other night to see Pacific Opera Victoria’s Don Giovanni, I was excited simply because it was the first opera I had ever seen, many years ago, at five years old. Even then I had been enchanted by the costumes, the singing, and Mozart’s inimitable music. Don Giovanni is an opera oozing with […] Continue Reading |
