Peers (Leslie Lu)
The Crapside (Darien Lechner & Ryan Stella)
Jeremy’s Excuses (Reuben Newton)
Pun 2 3 (Sarah Walker)
HUMOUR: Parking lot brawls between “street fighting” students on the rise
It’s no secret that the hunt for parking at any one of the SFU campuses can be nothing short of an insufferable punishment. Alas, if the agonizing search for adequate car stalls were not brutal enough, coveted parking spots have now lead to a steep rise in brutal street fights between students.
Amidst the growing surge of parking spot combatants, one student in particular has risen to superstar status among the rest: Japanese international student Ryu Hoshi, a third-year business major who has become noted for his fighting skills in order to capture a spot for his sleek Mercedes Benz SLK.
The Peak had the opportunity to Skype with Hoshi, who offered insight into the mentality of the parkade wars and its necessity in this increasingly competitive world.
“You must see every student as a foe. We have paid hefty tuitions and if we are to capitalize — we must fight. In the hallway, in the classroom, and yes, even the parking lots. ”
To investigate further, The Peak followed Hoshi on his daily route to the Burnaby campus to observe the street fights firsthand.
Arriving in the lot at around 8:00 a.m., there seemed to be no trouble in sight. As we inched ever closer to a parking spot, Ryu muttered: “wait for it.” Out of nowhere, a Honda Civic dashed towards the vehicle and Ryu halted the car. Ryu, with complete sternness stated: “Stay in the car. This will be over quick.”
On the scene, The Peak witnessed a violent brawl involving sophisticated martial arts techniques. After a series of powerful punches and kicks, and a cry of “Shoryuken,” Ryu’s opponent laid defeated.
Battered, bruised, and bloodied, Ryu came back to the car and pulled into the spot. “That was my opponent, Ken,” he said. “We’ll be back at it soon enough.”
The underground street fighting scene over parking spots has gone unchecked for many years and is only now beginning to lead to noticeable consequences. Medical bills for students driving to school are double of those taking public transit. Academic withdrawals from injuries caused by these parking lot brawls have also spiked.
With the school seemingly in crisis, the situation has put SFU President Andrew Petter in the hot seat.
In a controversial proposal, Petter said, “Can’t we just do a fight club thing? Like the Brad Pitt movie. We could have like nurses and stuff to cover injuries.” Needless to say the comment was booed down for its unhelpful nature.
With the parking wars still raging, administration has advised students to leave their vehicles at home and use their compass cards for transiting instead.
If students are still adamant about driving to campus, they are urged to brush up on ’80s action movies to maintain their offensive repertoire.
CENTRE STAGE: PuSh Festival kicks off; Motherfucker with the Hat is a hit
The PuSh International Performing Arts Festival kicked off on January 19, and with over 150 performances, it can seem like every show in town is part of the festival. During its first week, I had the chance to check out Intimacy from Australia’s Ranters Theatre, and Vu from France’s Compagnie Sacékripa.
Intimacy is based on an intriguing concept. Theatre artist Adriano Cortese sought strangers on the street, asked them to talk, and then used that material to compose the show. There are four scenes inspired by real encounters, and each story is unique and a bit offbeat, for instance, one is about a man who stands on a box performing different bird gestures, and another about a woman who finds it extremely difficult to sleep.
Overall, I found the scenes too long, and I had hoped there would be more variety over the course of the show. Each character was dwelled on a bit too long, and there were often long, silent pauses with the actors staring at the audience. The dialogue was already quite slow and, at times, laborious, so I didn’t see the need for this.
Vu, performed by Etienne Manceau, was a genius work of silent theatre. It’s reminiscent of Mr. Bean’s sandwich-making-on-a-park-bench scene (look this up if you haven’t seen it). The difference with Vu is that Manceau is seated on a miniature chair at a miniature table, and is meticulously making a cup of tea.
He sticks the teabag in the end of a long, narrow tube and shoots it into the mug of hot water, he slingshots in the sugar cube, and every movement and gesture in between is precise and calculated. One of the best bits was how he struck the match to light a candle: he taped it to the end of a rolled up piece of paper and stuck into the end of the narrow tube, and blew it out the end to strike it against the matchbox at just the right angle.
Playing at the Firehall Arts Centre until January 30, The Motherfucker with the Hat is an intimate look at addiction and the lives of five characters struggling to navigate their relationships with each other. Playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis writes razor sharp dialogue and brings the story to life with plenty of colourful language and humour.
This first production from the locally based Haberdashery Theatre Company is a hit. From the first monologue that Veronica (Kyra Zagorsky) has over the phone with her mother while snorting cocaine, the play flies by without a dull moment.
Jackie (Stephen Lobo) is out on parole, he’s found a job, and life is looking good. He comes home to share the joy with his girlfriend Veronica, but things turn sour when he sees an unidentified hat on the table. Although he confronts Veronica, she claims that nobody has been there and that he’s imagining the worst.
Meanwhile, Jackie’s AA sponsor, Ralph (John Cassini), tries to keep Jackie from resorting to violence or a bottle by sharing his philosophy on life and providing disingenuous advice. Ralph’s wife, Victoria (Lori Triolo), knows that Ralph has been cheating on her, and when she lets that out of the bag, things get even more exciting.
The play contrasts the moral viewpoints of Jackie and Ralph, showing that someone who is sober and appears to be a good person can be worse than someone who succumbs to their weaknesses but has good intentions. Francisco Trujillo joins the cast as Jackie’s flamboyant, loyal cousin, and there is something in these troubled characters for everyone to relate to.
SFU takes steps to build safety awareness
Simon Fraser University is rolling out a training program available to students to help them mentally prepare for the worst, should it arise.
SFU’s Campus Safety & Security Services is getting assistance from the Burnaby RCMP to prepare a comprehensive training guide for students and staff to handle any potential threats that may arise on campus, which includes but is not limited to potential school shooters.
As Steven MacLean, senior director of Campus Safety & Security Services, stresses, it’s more about building a “stop, drop, and roll” equivalent for active threats the same way that fire safety procedures areis ingrained into elementary students. MacLean said in an interview with The Peak that the program’s creation wasn’t necessarily due to a catalytic event that had happened, but more so to prepare students and staff of what to do in case of an emergency.
“We recognized some time ago, based on interactions with our community, a need to close a gap in awareness as it relates to active threats,” said MacLean. “This was not based on any particular threat, in fact there’s no threat to the university at all, but recent events have indicated that there is a requirement for some awareness on how people should respond to an active threat.”
“[This is] not necessarily and singularly [designed for] an active shooter, but an active threat where there’s some sort of violence created by one or more people towards a group of other individuals, untargeted in most cases,” MacLean continued.
There is already a website up and running, which has an informative video detailing what steps SFU in collaboration with the RCMP recommends in the case of an active threat. The plan for campus security is to start rolling out workshops that anyone can attend, which, after having some test runs, may start as soon as next month.
MacLean stresses that this isn’t to promote fear among students, or to prepare because the school legitimately fears a potential attack; rather that it is important to ensure that those associated with SFU have been trained properly in the case of any emergency. He wants to ensure that the steps outlined in the program illuminate what should be done should anyone on campus find themselves facing an active threat.
“Just basically reinforce the run, hide, take action steps that we want people to be able to take in the unlikely event that there is an active threat,” said MacLean. “I don’t think that this is going to create a culture of fear, it’s simply to create awareness.”
New Music Friday
By: Sarah Finley, Courtney Miller, and Jessica Whitesel
Follow The Peak on Spotify to stay up to date on New Music Friday.
“PILLOWTALK” (ZAYN)
Jessica Whitesel: This song is pretty darn generic. As much as I like looking at Zayn, I don’t like listening to him. This seems like it would be playing at that super average club where the floors are too sticky, and the drinks too watered down.
Sarah Finley: Unpopular opinion: as much as I wish this song were about me, this song is still very One Direction-esque. This begs the question: did Zayn bring the sound to 1D, or did the sound of 1D never leave Zayn? I wish I had liked this song more than I did, but it just didn’t do that much for me. Zayn was never my favorite, anyway.
Courtney Miller: I really like the pre-chorus in particular, but the entire song is good listening. It’s a little sexy, a little aggressive, and his vocals are powerful and right on the mark.
“Wicked Love” (Foxes)
JW: I don’t know how I feel about this one. I want to like it but every time I decide to actually listen to it I’m like, “Nope, skip this.” So I guess it would make good background music.
SF: This song has really beautiful harp-sounding strumming throughout. The lyrics are catchy, and would fit in nicely with my Daughter, Florence and the Machine, and Banks playlist.
CM: The vocals are great. It’s reminiscent of a remixed mid-nineties heart-felt, woman-led ballad — decide for yourself if that’s your style.
“You’re the Best” (Wet)
JW: I love the beat of this song paired with the vocal style, but other than that the lyrics fall kind of flat. I would like to listen to more songs by Wet because they have potential, but this song isn’t doing it for me.
SF: Hypnotizing vocals, catchy clapping, relaxed plucking of guitar strings all add to the cool mood of this song. Slightly melancholic, but perfect for a rainy day when you’re drinking tea and cuddle-napping with your cat and/or beau.
CM: All I can come up with is that it’s probably a good song for when you’re high. It has that not-really-there, kind of spacey quality.
“Last Night” (Sivik)
JW: I could see pre-gaming to this song, or like hanging out with bae. But other than that it is something that I’ve heard before and it is just as average as all the past times.
SF: While the instrumentation is charming, the raspy vocals don’t really match the beginning sounds, nor do they do much for me in general. Honestly the lyrics didn’t either. It took me forever and a day to remember Mike Posner’s name, but the vocals between Sivik and Posner are so similar that if he were on your middle school playlist, just like mine, this song will definitely make you reminisce.
CM: Intro vocals are a bit too wispy for my liking, but they strengthen — the whole song does really — into a nice, R&B feeling song. It’s great in that it builds again to a more upbeat, playful kind of tone.
“Trickle Trickle” (Kill J)
JW: I like the mix of higher female vocals with a backing track that sounds like something a male R&B singer would choose. It’s not a huge game changer, but it does sound fresh. Defs will listen to this again.
SF: Echoing vocals give this sound an additional element of uniquity, as if the primary lyrics being “trickle, trickle” weren’t enough.
CM: The intro music is really disjointed and then out of nowhere this hella high voice wafts in. The vocals are really breathy, and this could just be me, but it sounded like Alvin and the Chipmunks were featured in some areas. Not a song for me.
“Lost the Feeling” (The Saint Johns)
JW: This song isn’t bad, but it isn’t good either. It fades into the background, almost like my ears lost feeling when listening to it. Even when actively listening to this I couldn’t stay focused on it.
SF: A very folksy sound. The overlapping men and women’s voice give this song a really nice balance. Unless you listen to the lyrics, you’ll be easily tricked into thinking this is an upbeat song. In actuality, it’s about someone being in denial that you’re not in love with them anymore, hitting right in the feels.
CM: I was hesitant at the beginning, but the chorus was solid, and things just skyrocketed in quality from there. Melodic, great tempo, I grew quite fond of it.
“No Love Like Yours” (Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes)
JW: “I can’t dance on bullshit time.” More lines of wisdom from the band. Much like “Home,” you start of not quite convinced of the validity of the down homey folky vibe, but by the end it’s really all you want to listen to.
SF: This has the very classic Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros sound — really similar to their Up From Below album, which will likely have my heart forever. The lyrics are cute; the plethora of varied instrumentation is divine. Basically, heart eyes.
CM: The lyrics seem reminiscent of The Beatles with a dash of an outlaw vibe thrown in for kicks. I found it hard to make the lyrics out, but I’d easily have this around as background soundtrack material.
“Translate” (Suuns)
JW: I want to like this song but the 1980s Casio demo loop as the backing track is super assaulting to the senses. If that was gone I could get fully behind this song.
SF: This is weirdly king of electronic-y, weirdly not. I’m not entirely sure how to classify this (or how to feel about it) to be honest.
CM: So much no. Way too dissonant, repetitive, and bad-trippy for me. It sounded like the music to Bowser’s Castle in Mario Kart 64.
“Lean On” (Campsite Dreams)
JW: I am always hesitant of covers of EDM and dance songs, but this was pleasent surprise. They didn’t strip it down to a weird bedroom YouTube acoustic recording and in keeping an electronic feel to the backing track was an awesome choice.
SF: Admittedly I heard the Major Lazer version first, so I’m used to this song being more upbeat and dance-y. But this one isn’t bad either if you’re down for more a more relaxed, less bass-droppy song; although, fair warning: the repetitive lyrics are much more obvious in this version.
CM:This is a lot of fun. Kind of a chill head bopper at first, it builds into something you really want to intensely air-drum to. I dub it a good playlist standby that you can “Lean On.”
“Get High” (Kill Them With Colour)
JW: This is a rave song. I might like it if I were high, but I’m not, so I guess what I’m saying is I do not like this song.
SF: Definitely upbeat, electronic-y, and dancey. Sort of reminds me of Crystal Castles. The lyrics are literally just “I wanna get high,” over and over again, but we live in the outskirts of Vancouver in 2016. Who doesn’t.
CM: Boring, repetitive, and I can count on my fingers all the words used other than “Get High.”
“I Was Wrong” (A R I Z O N A)
JW: This is like a knock off “Sorry,” but with nicer vocals. Even given that it is still more Beiber than A R I Z O N A.
SF: Arguing couples, consider sending this song to your significant other. The lyrics are soothing, perfectly apologetic. The guitar is soothing with escalating percussion barely beginning in the background, and then including heavy bass. The lead singer’s voice is soops dreamy; he could probably sneak meat into my food and I’d forgive him.
CM: It’s a little sad and has a minimalistic quality to it, but it’s still really chill and well-constructed. ☺
“How Could You Know” (High Highs)
JW: This song isn’t bad, but it doesn’t speak to me. I’m not sure what I don’t enjoy about it, maybe it’s the “ooooo-ing” but there is just something about it that I find disappointing, because I really do want to like it.
SF: This sounds exactly like a million other songs I’ve heard before. The lyrics don’t have anything interesting that stands out, and I swear the exact chord progression is identical to at least one track on every indie band’s first release ever.
CM: It’s a small-sounding song at its most basic, but the echoey vocals make it sound bigger, more tangible. It’s full of emotion and it could even be a little bit cathartic.
New Justice Minister speaks to SFU about her hopes for Canada
“I cannot claim to have had a long standing ambition to become a Member of Parliament, let alone a minister of the Crown, but then I met a guy named Justin Trudeau.”
Such was the sentiment expressed by The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, BC’s first Aboriginal MP and the first Aboriginal justice minister in Canadian history. Minister Raybould delivered an address at SFU’s Woodward’s campus on January 23 to a sold-out audience, which included SFU President Andrew Petter and Chancellor Anne Giardini, as part of a series on “Women in Public Policy.”
The moderator for the event was CBC news anchor Gloria Macarenko, who took the chance to list off the Minister’s lengthy C.V., which includes work as a Crown prosecutor, advisor to the BC Treaty Commission, and regional chief of the BC Assembly of First Nations.
When Minister Raybould took the stage, she received a standing ovation.
She began her lecture by speaking to her experience as an Indigenous woman and connected this to a broader history of injustice against, as well as resistance from, Indigenous People in Canada. However, she remarked that progress has occurred in recent years.
Said Raybould, “Since the failure of the constitutional conferences in the ’80s, Indigenous Peoples have been accumulating power: economic, legal, and political power, to negotiate as equals in order to reach, as René Lévesque said, ‘A civilized solution.’”
She spoke to the pronounced impact that the Indian Act had on Indigenous women. According to the act, only men could run for chief status and women who married a non-status person lost their Indian status and property. However, in her opinion, recent developments have been made in women taking on leadership roles in First Nations communities and in government as a whole.
Still, she cautioned that more change needs to happen. “Of course everyone is aware of our prime minister’s now famous ‘Because it’s 2015’ line [. . .] Nevertheless, the percentage of women MPs is still only 26 percent after the last election.”
Raybould and Trudeau first met at an AFN session in 2012 where he first asked her to run for his team. In 2014 she agreed to co-chair the Liberal Biennial convention in Montreal. She spoke of her experience there: “What we saw was excitement. We saw hope, and in the delegates present we saw a reflection of the Canada we believe in. I decided to run shortly thereafter.”
Raybould noted that the district of Vancouver Granville was not only her home, but also was diverse, and had no incumbent to beat. She ended up capturing 23,643 votes, translating to 43.93 percent.
Speaking to how her life has changed in her new role, said Raybould, “Well, I get about four hours of sleep every day,” she joked. She added, “It’s been a whirlwind. [On the day after being sworn in,] I started back to back 16 hour briefings and had decisions to make.”
After her address, Macarenko asked the minister about a clip that was recently unearthed that showed her father, Chief Bill Wilson, telling former P.M. Pierre Trudeau in 1982 that his daughters wanted to someday become prime minister. She responded, “The pride that I heard in my father’s voice when he was speaking about my sister and I was reflective of perhaps his thoughts around the potential that we had as a country.”
During the minister’s address she shared with the audience her hopes for what Canada could become, in particular under its new government.
“Indeed it is true that we cannot be the country we ultimately aspire to, and want to project to the world until the plight of Indigenous Peoples is addressed. And we will.”
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Women’s Basketball Erase Halftime Deficit to Achieve Victory
The SFU Clan Women’s Basketball team improved to 8–8 on the season and 6–5 in GNAC Conference play with a hard fought 69–58 victory over the Concordia University Cavaliers.
The first half was a low scoring battle in which both teams went long stretches without scoring. The first quarter saw the Clan down 15–13 with Ellen Kent drawing a charge on a Concordia drive with just 4.6 seconds left. The second quarter started off slowly for SFU, with three straight misses from point blank range. For a stretch it seemed like the team could not buy a basket — before Rachel Fradgley scored in the post to tie the game at 15. This was followed by a Kent layup to give the Clan the lead.
After a Concordia basket, Kent responded again with a driving layup which she sunk despite being fouled. The converted free throw gave SFU a slim 20–18 advantage. Rachel Fradgley scored another basket in transition running the floor, and Elisa Homer went hard to the rim to draw a foul which resulted in two made free throws.
These late scoring plays still left SFU trailing 28–26 at halftime. The Clan shot a miserable 25% from the field and made just three of fifteen three pointers in the half. The good news, despite this woeful shooting performance, was that the team was only down by two.
The second half saw SFU move the ball much better and open up post opportunities and open jump shots with effective screens. Elisa Homer, Ellen Kent, and Alisha Roberts made three consecutive three point baskets as the team started to heat up. In a key third quarter turning point, Elisa Homer took a charge which led to a Sophie Swant three pointer on the next possession. The three put SFU up 39–34.
A Clan defensive stop was then followed by a Samantha Beauchamp offensive rebound which resulted in a three pointer by Alisha Roberts. Ellen Kent then drained a three pointer after outstanding offensive ball movement to give SFU a 45–34 advantage.
The third quarter ended in fortuitous fashion for the Clan when Rachel Fradgley’s put back just beat the buzzer. The basket gave SFU a 49–38 advantage heading into the final frame.
Concordia pulled within 6 points, necessitating a timeout by Coach Langford. Sophie Swant responded out of the stoppage in action with a nifty turn around elbow jumper. After both teams went cold for a stretch, Elisa Homer and Alisha Roberts nailed three pointers on back-to-back possessions to push the SFU lead to 12.
The game was iced on a two-possession sequence late in the game. Firstly, Ellen Kent found Elisa Homer who had broken loose on a Rachel Fradgley screen and converted in the lane. Secondly, Kent got bulldozed over on an extremely hard collision which resulted in a charging call. The second half saw SFU shoot 48.4 percent from the field and convert nine of 14 three point attempts en route to the 69–58 victory.
After the game, indomitable Point Guard Ellen Kent commented on the team’s preparation for the contest, their first half struggles and second half adjustments.
Kent said, “All week we have been working on setting better screens for each other and reading them better. I don’t think we did a very good job of that in the first half. In the second half we looked to get a lot more flare screens and that showed as our shooting was a lot better in the second half.”
This Saturday SFU Basketball hosts a Pink Game double header featuring the women’s team at 5:15 and the men’s team at 7:30. The Pink Game is a breast cancer fundraiser. Kent explained how there will be a bake sale, tea from David’s Tea, a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction, and a half time competition with prizes.
There will also be ‘bra pong.’ Said Kent, “I saw it on Pinterest and thought I might try it.” ‘Bra pong’ is a version of beer pong featuring a vertical wooden board and bras, in which the goal is to sink the ball in a bra.
The SFU Basketball Pink Game is being held at Burnaby’s West Gym on January 30th, featuring the women’s team at 5:15 and the men’s at 7:30. All proceeds for t-shirt sales will go towards the Breast Cancer Foundation.
Canucks Corner with Jason Romisher: Magical run of 1994 reason why the Canucks should not give up just yet
The Vancouver Canucks entered the All-Star break with two consecutive losses to drop them to 20–19–11 on the season with 51 points. They currently sit in a tie for tenth in the Western Conference.
Many pundits believe the Canucks should trade their veteran players and go the way of a full rebuild. There is an historical argument against this direction. Most SFU students who are Canucks fans remember the thrill and anguish of the 2011 season, in which the Canucks won the President’s Trophy, and then suffered a 4–0 defeat to the Bruins in Game 7 of the NHL Finals.
I am not making an analogy between the 2016 Canucks and that 2011 team. However, there are some parallels to 1994.
Many SFU students were not even alive in 1994 when the Canucks also reached Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals. That season is remembered in the hockey world as the year when the great hero Mark Messier led the New York Rangers to their first Stanley Cup Victory in 54 years. That playoffs included a Messier victory guarantee in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils and Ranger players like Brian Leetch and goaltender Mike Richter becoming legendary. That narrative almost did not happen because of a Vancouver Canucks team that came breathtakingly close to a spoiling the Rangers’ dream season.
The Canucks that season were led by a determined and hardworking captain Trevor Linden; a veteran goaltender in Kirk McLean; colourful tough guy Gino Odjick, and electrifying winger, Pavel Bure. The Canucks finished the 1993–94 campaign with a mediocre 41–40–3 record good for seventh in the Western Conference. Few thought Vancouver had any chance to even get through the first round in a loaded conference featuring very strong teams such as Calgary, Detroit, and — don’t laugh — Toronto.
In their first round match up the Canucks drew the heavily favoured Calgary Flames. Calgary jumped out to a 3–1 edge with a roster still loaded with players from their 1989 Stanley Cup victory. The series became a war as the Canucks won in overtime in game five, overtime in game six, and double overtime in game seven on Pavel Bure’s legendary winning goal.
The Canucks then crushed the Dallas Stars in five games, followed by another five game beat down of the Maple Leafs to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
The finals saw the Canucks fall down three games to one against the Rangers. Vancouver then throttled New York 6–3 and 4–1 before one of the best game sevens in NHL History. The Rangers leapt ahead 2–0 when Trevor Linden stepped up and netted a shorthanded goal early in the second period. Mark Messier then scored to give the Rangers a 3–1 edge. Linden was a man possessed that night, and scored again early in the third period to make the score 3–2. With five minutes left, Canuck centre Nathan LaFayette who had just one goal in the regular season beat Richter with a wobbly shot that rang off the post!
The final minutes of the game were extremely hectic as the Canucks fought and pushed for the equalizer. With 37 seconds left, there were three faceoffs in the Rangers’ zone as Richter was pelted with shots. As the buzzer sounded, the New York storybook victory was complete. However, one is left to ponder what would have happened in overtime had the Canucks beat Richter and how a Canucks victory would have affected the history of the game.
The 2016 Canucks have a Team USA Goalie who brought the Americans to the brink of gold in the Vancouver Olympics, two gifted offensive players in the Sedin twins and a roster mixed with youth and veteran talent. If they scrape in the playoffs is the 2016 edition of the Canucks capable of the magic of the 1994 team?
Nobody knows right now, but one thing is for certain; if the Canucks decide to trade away their veteran players at the trade deadline, we will never find out.
Having the time of your life
The highly romantic story of Johnny and Baby falling in love through dance has captivated audiences since Dirty Dancing’s release in 1987. Fans of the film were clamoring to relive that magic at the opening night of the Dirty Dancing stage show at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. There were hoots and hollers as soon as the iconic music filled the theatre, before any of the cast members even graced the stage, and the nostalgia was palpable.
Set in 1963 at Kellerman’s, a wholesome family resort in the Catskills, the story idealizes the era and is an unrealistic yet gratifying story of young love and standing up for others no matter the cost. The costumes were bright and colourful and suited the era well, and the set was versatile with moving screens and video projections that set the scene. The band was positioned on a platform upstage behind a shuttered screen, and although the screen was opened at some points, the band seemed like a hidden afterthought.
Of course the dancing in this show better be superb, and it lived up to expectations wonderfully. Penny Johnson (Jenny Winton), Johnny’s dance partner, was stunning, as were the other couples performing along with them. But the best scenes were between Baby and Johnny, and the audience showed no shame in cheering them on when things got steamy. The two leads, Gillian Abbott and Christopher Tierney, had brilliant chemistry, and the excitement builds as they rehearse for their big dance number.
This was one of the liveliest audiences I’ve experienced in Vancouver, and they were very invested in the show. When Johnny asked Baby “Want to hear something crazy?” one eager audience member shouted “yeah!” But perhaps the most popular moment was Johnny running down the aisle of the theatre and jumping on stage to take Baby out of a corner and dance with her for the finale of Kellerman’s end of season show.
The power of dance and of the conviction to act on your beliefs makes this an inspiring story that leaves you wanting to dance and have the time of your life.
