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We get criticized so very often, it’s nice to get praised now and then for this kind of work.
“I am heartened that Max Reimer of the Vancouver Playhouse is taking the lead on this and going out of his way to find the very best actors to represent the Canadian Truth – that we are society that as of 2006 for 4/10th non white.”
Read This One Goes to 11 with Cameron Mackenzie and followup discussion here:
http://thenextstage.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/this-one-goes-to-eleven-cameron-mackenzie/
“He’s done it again. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is further proof of director Max Reimer’s gift for musical comedy.” Peter Birnie, Vancouver Sun
http://www.vancouversun.com/Lowdown+laughs+zany+hijinks+pepper+Dirty+Rotten+Scoundrels/2279900/story.html
“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is an uproariously-funny, down-and-dirty outing packed with laughs and enough charm and talent to win over even the toughest critics.” Vancouver Musicals
http://vanmusicals.com/2009/11/29/dirty-rotten-scoundrels-playhouse-review/
“A dynamic production that lives up to the funny book and musical numbers.” Marsha Lederman, The Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/dirty-rotten-scoundrels-a-delightful-romp-on-the-french-riviera/article1380204/
“If you like your holiday punch spiked then Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is the show for you. The Playhouse production of this wickedly funny musical is spot-on.” Colin Thomas, The Georgia Straight
http://www.straight.com/article-272720/vancouver/dirty-rotten-scoundrels-ranges-range-irreverent-outrageous
“Christmas isn’t even over and I’m looking forward to finding out what the Playhouse has for me under the tree next year!” Mark Robbins, gayvancouver.com
http://www.gayvancouver.net/theatre/review-dirty-rotten-scoundrels
“If you have not already got your tickets to see this show pick up the phone or hit the keyboard soon because this is going to be another sellout holiday hit for the Vancouver Playhouse.” Gillian Lockitch, (Re)View from the House
http://www.reviewfromthehouse.com/theatre-seen/as-i-see-it/dirty-rotten-scoundrels
“Scoundrels is one of the year’s best shows, offering a welcome respite from the typical ‘heartwarming’ holiday fare.”
http://www.westender.com/articles/entry/stage-review-dirty-rotten-scoundrels/
“Here is first class entertainment. Get your tickets while there are still some to get for this almost flawless production. Enjoy!” http://www.reviewvancouver.org/theatre.htm
“Missing Dirty Rotten Scoundrels would be a dirty rotten shame.” Jo Ledingham, Courier
http://www2.canada.com/vancouvercourier/news/artsandentertainment/story.html?id=b4746522-4925-4745-85b2-85cbbac90283&p=1
Josh Epstein, Andrew Wheeler, Elena Juatco
A special Family Pack of four tickets (2 adults/2 children) is now available for all performances of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels for the unbelievably low price of $140 (that’s just $35 each!).
Call the box office at 604 873 3311 or online at vancouverplayhouse.com and enter the promo code: jolly
Enjoy the hit Broadway musical, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels now until December 27.
Elena Juatco may be best known for her stint on Canadian Idol Season 2, but her work in the performing arts goes much farther. She’s been nominated for a Dora Award for her portrayal of Snow White in Ross Petty’s Christmas pantomime, Snow White and the Group of Seven and she’s had a host of credits on the East Coast including Kim in Miss Saigon and Philia in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. This season, she returns home to Vancouver where she plays Christine in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. We sat down with Elena to get the inside scoop on what she thinks about the outrageous play, her stellar co-stars, and working at home in Vancouver.
Growing up in Vancouver, did you ever imagine performing on the Playhouse stage?
Absolutely. I’ve wanted to do a show in Vancouver for as long as I can remember. It started when I was in high school when I’d come and see shows at the stages of Vancouver. I’ve been in Toronto for the past five years and I’ve been trying to get back to Vancouver. This is my Vancouver debut, so it’s very exciting for me and for my family. My whole family has booked their tickets and they’ll be coming in a big group.
You auditioned for Canadian Idol on a whim, what was that experience like?
After my first year at Queens University I heard of the Canadian Idol auditions and I was so curious. So, I thought, “oh let’s just see how far I go,” and I really didn’t expect to get as far as I did which was top six. Canadian Idol really was a big eye opener. It gave me a push of confidence. I really didn’t expect any of it to happen. It gave me an idea that maybe this is a possibility as a career. Maybe I can do what I love for the rest of my life.
What can audiences expect from Dirty Rotten Scoundrels this holiday season?
Oh gosh, what doesn’t our show have? It’s been such a fun show to work on. Just yesterday I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes. It’s such a clever show and it’s got so many different types of humour in it which I think is so appealing to so many people. Whether it’s the humour or the music or the dancing or the magic of the Broadway set and costumes, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
We know that Director Max Reimer likes to put big dance numbers into his musicals. Will we see that again this year?
Yes! There’s a big dance number called “The More We Dance.” We’ve been spending days on that number. It’s the big number that everyone gets to have a cameo in. There are some really talented dancers in our cast and some beautiful lifts in the number.
Your co-stars, Andrew Wheeler and Josh Epstein are both well known actors in Vancouver. How are they to work with?
They’re absolutely awesome. Josh and Andrew have done a number of shows together so they have a great chemistry onstage together. To be invited into that chemistry and to get to play with them is really exciting. They’re phenomenal to work with.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels runs Nov. 21 to Dec. 27 at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre (Hamilton & Dunsmuir). For tickets call 
604 873 3311 or online www.vancouverplayhouse.com
The Canada Council announced the winners of the Governor General’s Literature Awards today and the winner for Drama is Kevin Loring for Where the Blood Mixes.
Taken by Social Services, and adopted into a family in the city, a daughter returns to her wounded community after many years away. Kevin Loring illuminates the complex aftermath of the residential school system and the circumstances of contemporary Aboriginal history through compelling, sympathetic and humorous characters who live as best they can, with courage and strength.
Where the Blood Mixes in on tour and can be seen at:
Belfry Theatre, Victoria, BC: Jan. 19-Feb 21, 2010
Firehall Arts Centre, Vancouver, BC: Feb. 24-Mar. 6, 2010
Prairie Theatre Exchange, Winnipeg, MB: Mar. 11-20, 2010
National Arts Centre, Ottawa, ON: Mar. 23-Apr. 3, 2010
Factory Theatre, Toronto, ON: Apr. 7-18, 2010
Congratulations, Kevin!
Peter Birnie - Vancouver Sun: Meg Roe continues her campaign to breath new life into live theatre. The Playhouse opens its 47th season with a luminous production of The Miracle Worker, a play quite capable
of choking on its dust but given a sparkling showcase by the diminutive director. more…
Colin Thomas - Georgia Straight: There’s some beautiful work—and there are some big holes—in the Playhouse production of The Miracle Worker. more…
Read Colin Thomas’ interview with Meg Roe here
The Vancouver Playhouse Theatre Company, Royal City Musical Theatre and Studio 58 will lead the Vancouver arts community in a memorial and celebration of the life of Lloyd Nicholson on Monday, October 26 at the Vancouver Playhouse Theatre (Hamilton & Dunsmuir) beginning at 7pm.
Emma Grabinsky
Margot Berner
Did you know that two young girls are alternating playing the role of Helen Keller in The Mirackle Worker? Margot Berner began acting at the age of five and is the middle child of a talented family. Emma Grabinsky loves to act in musical theatre and classical Shakespeare. She was recently seen in Gilpin School’s original opera The Recess Queen.
They are joined by Hamza Adam (Percy/Doctor), Ryan Beil (James Keller), Tom Butler (Captain Keller), Jennifer Clement (Kate Keller), Anna Cummer (Annie Sullivan), Marci T. House (Viney) and Bridget O’Sullivan (Aunt Ev). The Miracle Worker is directed by Meg Roe.
PHOTOS: David Cooper
I am very saddened to announce that musical director Lloyd Nicholson passed away unexpectedly this morning in Ottawa. Lloyd was working on the remount of the Playhouse’s production of The Drowsy Chaperone at the National Arts Centre, which is scheduled to open on Friday, October 16. Lloyd was set to musical direct Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on his return to Vancouver later this month
Lloyd was the personification of musical theatre in Vancouver. I’ve known and worked with him for 25 years and his knowledge of and passion for the artform was a continual source of inspiration for me.
In addition to his many productions with the Playhouse, including Oliver! and Fiddler on the Roof, Lloyd was Artistic Director of Royal City Musical Theatre and was on the faculty of Studio 58, where he also served as musical director for many productions.
The Drowsy Chaperone, which earned multiple Jessie Richardson awards this June and a nomination for Lloyd for significant achievement in musical direction, marked a pinnacle in his exceptional career. Lisa Lambert, who wrote the music and lyrics for The Drowsy Chaperone, was so impressed with his musical arrangements that she recommended that the Melbourne Theatre Company contact Lloyd for advice on the Australian premiere. As well, the NAC/Citadel remount gave him a triumphant return to Edmonton, where he began his life in theatre at the University of Alberta.
As great a loss as this is to our community, I am so grateful that Lloyd was doing what he loved most and having a wonderful time with the Drowsy Chaperone company when he passed away. I’ve never seen him so happy and relaxed, and I’m thrilled that he lived long enough to receive this national and international recognition for his work.
Max
Hi,
Even though I am at Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre re-mounting the Jessie Award-winning Playhouse production of The Drowsy Chaperone, I am really excited about how the 09/10 season is taking shape back at the Playhouse. As I’d hoped, these plays of my first full season are attracting some of the brightest new and established stage stars. It’s going to be a great year at the Playhouse.
Director Meg Roe has assembled a strong company around two talented young girls for The Miracle Worker. Margot Berner and Emma Grabinsky will both tackle the challenging role of Helen Keller in our season opener. As Meg says, “Helen is a complicated, physical, and emotional character that would demand a lot out of anyone, and lucky for us we had two young people who seemed more than up to the task.”
Vancouver had such a good time with my directing debut of The Drowsy Chaperone, that I will direct and choreograph Dirty Rotten Scoundrels starring Elena Juatco as Christine Colgate. Elena was a top-six finalist in season two of Canadian Idol and I am really excited to be working her. We are going to have so much fun, especially when you add Andrew Wheeler as Lawrence Jameson and Josh Epstein as Freddy Benson to the mix. The chemistry between these three will be electrifying.
Our Olympic year starts with Bruce Ruddell’s musical spectacle Beyond Eden, part of Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad. This million-dollar musical is co-produced with Theatre Calgary and directed by their Artistic Director, Dennis Garnhum. The cast of 14 is headlined by two of Canada’s most renowned performers; actor and musician John Mann of the band Spirit of the West and singer, actor and humanitarian Tom Jackson. As Dennis says, “Their dynamic stage presence and singing will make for a thrilling experience on our stage.” I couldn’t agree more, Dennis.
One of North America’s most renowned and daring creative pioneers Laurie Anderson, is bringing A New Work to Vancouver for one week only as part of Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad. This 90-minute technodrama combines technology, mystery and contemporary short stories to create a unique new art form.
I am also going to direct The Love List which I believe is one of the funniest shows that Norm Foster has written and it’s going to star Norm himself. Norm will be paired with a Vancouver favourite, Peter Anderson, star of The Overcoat.
The casting for Dangerous Corner that I am working on with director Bill Dow is taking us down some very interesting roads. Some of the strongest actors in western Canada are wanting on this first journey into the delicious actors’ world of the modern classics since we re-opened the mandate. Check back for updates later in the year as Bill makes his choices for a very strong finish to our season.
I’m very glad that this first season of mine is shaping up to be such a good one. Because this is only the beginning!
MAX
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