Visions of Vancouver by Pi Theatre (review)
We recently ran a giveaway for the premiere of Visions of Vancouver by Pi Theatre, on at the CBC Studio 700 until October 15th.
I (Anabelle) attended the premiere of the play on October 6th. The performance is a series of four plays about Vancouver, each with a different topic and a different tone.
Behind the four plays was an interesting concept: going back to the old times of broadcast radio fiction, where everything was conveyed through voice and sound effects. There is very little movement on stage, except in between the plays; you could have your eyes closed throughout the performance and not miss a thing. They were actually recording the performance for eventual podcast publication at the end of the year. How cool!
The first play, Elevate, is about a young woman who moves in one of those anonymous apartment towers downtown Vancouver and who desperately wants to make a connection with someone… anyone. It was a bittersweet piece that really expresses the loneliness of urban life.
The second piece, The Bridge, was the most emotionally charged one. It’s the story of a man whose brother died on the Iron Workers Memorial bridge in 1958 and who contemplates throwing himself down after him and of a couple who’s stuck in the traffic caused by the intervention. I don’t really know that piece of Vancouver history but I know it carries a lot of emotions, and Patrick Keating was especially moving as the suicidal man.
I loved the third piece, The Dead Line, the most. Set in a futuristic Vancouver where downtown has been submerged and where people live in blimps, The Dead Line is the story of a dying man who desperately wants answers… from dead people. Technology has evolved to the point that you can now call the deceased, and you can now chat with whoever died in the last 250 years, including your dog. It was funny and witty and a fascinating attempt at science-fiction drama. I really enjoyed it.
The Thin Veneer touches more recent events: the June Stanley Cup riots. Four different voices express four different experiences of the riots. It was an interesting take on a topic that’s still fresh in Vancouver memory.
The performers were all amazing and all the plays were different even if they all had a common thread. It’s about Vancouver, about this place we live in (either by birth or by choice) and how it affects us. The history, the geography, the people: everything that makes us who we are as Vancouverites.
How has the city touched you?
Disclaimer: Anabelle attended the play on complimentary tickets graciously provided to Hummingbird604.com by Pi Theatre. A review was not required nor (in the case of a review) a positive one expected. Raul maintains editorial control at all times of anything published on Hummingbird604.com.
Related posts:
- RED at the Vancouver Playhouse (theatre review)
- Visions of Vancouver by Pi Theatre (giveaway)
- Mamma Mia at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver (musical theatre review)
- Wicked (in Vancouver, at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Broadway Across Canada) – theatre review
- Fiddler on the Roof at the Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts (theatre review)
[...] I saw Visions of Vancouver. Great set of plays with interesting form (focuses on voice, not movement), and I saw a couple of actors I’ve seen on TV before, in Endgame and Sanctuary. The team went to a beer launch at Granville Island Breweries. Beer! Cheese! Information about malt! I had a great evening and you should totally try the beers. I went to a design exhibit. The location was a bit sketchy (DTES) but I discovered that design work is a lot like writing: lots of trials, errors and revisions. I saw Broken Social Scene at their last Canadian concert. I used to listen to them a lot as an undergrad and I heard some songs again with pleasure. Someone throwing something at me was NOT pleasurable, however. [...]