Developed by Vancouver local and Broadway entertainer Ian Yuri Gardner, the show will feature Wendy Bollard and international and Broadway talent including Vusi Mhlongo, Kendra Moore, LaShonda Reese, Sophia Stephens, Omari Tau, Frank Wright II and other members of Disney’s The Lion King.

Le Jazz Hot will feature solo and ensemble music, dance and audience interactive numbers in a setting of a 1930s/40s speakeasy. Door prizes will include tickets to The Lion King at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. Funds raised will benefit Youth Community Outreach AIDS Society and the National Congress of Black Women Foundation in Vancouver.

Youth Community Outreach AIDS Society is Canada’s first youth-driven organization leading the HIV and HepC movement through peer education, support, and shared leadership. YouthCO was formed in 1994 to address an identified need for youth-specific HIV/AIDS services and has been providing peer support and education throughout Vancouver and British Columbia, Canada.

The National Congress of Black Women Foundation is a registered charity that promotes and facilitates leadership development, cultural awareness, health and education programs for black women and their families through funding and research. The NCBWF works in partnership with other organizations and individuals who support the goals and objectives of reducing the spread of HIV/AIDS infection and enhancing the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Disney’s The Lion King plays until August 8, 2010, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 600 block Hamilton St, Vancouver.

Le Jazz Hot plays for one night only on Monday, July 26, 2010 at 7 pm at the Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island. Tickets are $30.00 and are available online or by calling 604-629-8849.

Neil Minor, Lindsay Sterk, and Lauren Bowler in the TUTS production of Singin' in the Rain.

Screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolf Green, songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed. Directed by Shel Piercy (Thoroughly Modern Millie, TUTS), choreography by Shelley Stewart Hunt (Thoroughly Modern Millie, TUTS), and musical direction by Wendy Bross Stuart.  Set design by Drew Facey (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Gateway), costume design by Chris Sinosich (Thoroughly Modern Millie, TUTS), video design by Tim Matheson, and lighting design by Gerald King.

Starring Cailin Stadnyk (Evil Dead, Ground Zero), Lori Zondag, Fred Galloway (Annie Get Your Gun, TUTS), Jameson Parker, Daniel White, Neil Minor (The Drowsy Chaperone, Playhouse), Lindsay Sterk, and Lauren Bowler (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Gateway).  Featuring Natalie Aspinall, Sierra Brewerton, Amanda Buckingham, Sarah-Zoë Catherine, Emily Fraser, Shannon Hanbury, Emily Kapahi, Angela King, Kristina Linden, Jennifer Suttis, Courtney Shields, Linzi Voth, Paul Almeida, Neil Aspinall, Dan Bowman, Angus Chiu, Cameron Dunster, Damon Jang, Joel Lahaye, Alex Nicholl, and Jim Stewart.

Theatre Under the Stars presents Singin’ in the Rain on alternating nights from July 10 – August 21, 2010 at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park, Vancouver. This year, all seats are reserved, eliminating the need to line up early. Tickets are available online or by calling 1-877-840-0457.

The cast of TUTS' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcot

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber (Phantom of the Opera, Cats), lyrics by Tim Rice (Evita, The Lion King). Directed by Shel Piercy (Thoroughly Modern Millie, TUTS), musical direction by Kevin Michael Cripps (Footloose, Exit 22), and choreographed by Keri Minty (A New Brain, Pipedream). Costume design by Chris Sinosich (Thoroughly Modern Millie, TUTS), lighting by Gerald King and video design by Tim Matheson. Co-starring Erik Ioannidis, Jaime Piercy, Brittany Scott, Alex Gullason, Caleb Di Pomponio, Dimitrios Stephanoy, DaeYoung Danny Kim, Ashley Gelhede, Aaron Lau, Benjamin Wardle, Amanda Testini, Friedrick Po, Amber Shikaze, Scott Heatcoat, Rachel Harrison, Camilo Dominguez, and Madeleine Suddaby.

Theatre Under the Stars presents Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on alternating nights from July 9 – August 20, 2010 at the Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park, Vancouver.  This year, all seats are reserved, eliminating the need to line up early. Tickets are available online or by calling 1-877-840-0457.

Phindile Mkhize as Rafiki in the opening number “The Circle of Life” from the national tour of Disney's The Lion King. Photo by Joan Marcus.

The Lion King is the eighth longest-running musical in Broadway history and this touring company is one of the seven productions currently playing worldwide, including New York, London, Hamburg, Paris, Tokyo and Las Vegas.

Starring J. Anthony Crane, Brenda Mhlongo, Nick Cordileone, Adam Jacobs, Syndee Winters, Monica L. Patton, Kolton Stewart, Monique Lee, Dionne Randolph, Tony Freeman, Omari Tau, Ben Roseberry, Jerome Stephens Jr., and Madai Monica Williams.

Disney Theatrical Productions and Broadway Across Canada present Disney’s The Lion King from July 13 – August 8, 2010, at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 600 block Hamilton St, Vancouver. Tickets are still available online or by calling 604-280-4444.

Fighting Chance's production of Hair.

Book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, music by Galt MacDermot. Directed by Ryan Mooney, musical direction by Vashti Fairbairn. Starring Michael Brock, Sean Parsons (Footloose, Exit 22), Jenny Moase, Cesar Erba (Rent, Fighting Chance), Hal Rogers (Rent, Fighting Chance), Arielle Tuliao, Amy Jean McElwain, and Ranae Miller. Also featuring Daniel Chai, Michelle Bardach, Sarah Wolfman-Robichaud, Anna Hassard,  Matt Russell, Augustine Justin Go, Eric Alexander Steel, Nyla Carpentier, Nilsen Tiefenbach, Max Friesen, Robyn Leigh Johnson, and Veronika Sztopa.

Fighting Chance Productions presents Hair from July 21 – August 1, 2010 at the Waterfront Theatre, 1412 Cartwright St, Granville Island.  Tickets are available online or by calling 604-684-2787.

Josh Epstein in the Arts Club production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Photo by David Cooper.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is the Tony Award-winning musical comedy that follows a group of overachieving students as they vie to outspell the competition.

Music and lyrics by William Finn (Falsettos, A New Brain), book by Rachel Sheinkin and conceived by Rebecca Feldman. Starring Michael Blake, Jeremy Crittenden (Altar Boyz, Arts Club), Josh Epstein (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Vancouver Playhouse), Sara-Jeanne Hosie (White Christmas, Arts Club), Brian Linds, Alison MacDonald (Les Misérables, Arts Club), Tracy Neff, Rosie Simon, and Vincent Tong (Altar Boyz, Arts Club). Directed by Michael Shamata, musical direction by Bruce Kellett, choreography by Laura Krewski, set design by Yvan Morissette, costumes by Erin Macklem and lighting by Marsha Sibthorpe.

The Arts Club in association with The Belfry Theatre presents The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee from June 17 – July 31, 2010 at the Granville Island Stage, 1585 Johnston Street, Vancouver.  Tickets are available online or by calling 604-687-1644.

Brian McBride in Pipedream's NINE. Photo by Kristian Guilfoyle.

Music and lyrics by Maury Yeston (Titanic, Grand Hotel), book by Arthur Kopit. Produced by April Green, directed by Mike Mackenzie (A New Brain, Pipedream), musical direction by Kevin Michael Cripps (Footloose, Exit 22), and choreography by Meagan Ekelund. Starring Brian McBride, Kathy Fitzpatrick (Footloose , Exit 22), Madeleine Suddaby (Footloose, Exit 22), Britt McLeod, Tristin Wayte, and Deborah Allman. Costarring Lizzie Barry, Erin Walker, Christina Wells, Ashley Marie Macdonald, Ashley Bishop, Stephanie Liatopolous, Jennifer Doan, Meagan Ekelund, Lauren Gula, Laura Koberstein, Calvin Campbell, Erika Babins, Javia Selina, Johanna Goosen, Lauren Morrow, Megan Phillips, Michaela Scott, Rebecca Friesen, Shantini Klaassen, and Vanessa Coley-Donohue.

Pipedream Theatre Project presents NINE from June 2 – 6, 2010 at Performance Works Theatre, Granville Island, Vancouver. Tickets are available online.

Pacific Theatre presents Godspell.

Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Pippin, Wicked), book by John-Michael Tebelak. Directed by Sarah Rodgers, musical direction by Nelson Boschman, movement coaching by Lauren Bowler, costume design by Carmen Alatorre, set design by Bryan Pollock, and lighting design by Itai Erdal.  Starring Kat Gauthier, Tim Bratton, Kaitlin Williams, Joel Stephanson, Benjamin Miller, and Shalyn McFaul.

Pacific Theatre and Theatre at TWU present Godspell from May 28 – July 3, 2010 at the Pacific Theatre, 12th and Hemlock, Vancouver.  Tickets are available online or by calling 604-731-5518.

Director Ryan Mooney hasn’t managed to replicate the success of some of his previous productions, but most of the blame here lies with the source material.  The songs (music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin), while not terrible, are largely forgettable and uninspired.

Fighting Chance Productions' The Wedding Singer.

The Wedding Singer book is stitched together haphazardly, and never quite comes together as a whole.   Where the movie was carried on the collective star power and charisma of Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, the stage version has chosen to rely on an endless barrage of 80s references, in the hopes that the audience won’t notice the paper-thin story.

Sandler’s trademark juvenile humour hasn’t translated well to the stage.  Many supporting characters have had their stage time expanded, but remain cringingly one-dimensional.  A grandmother who likes to talk about sex? Check. A wise-cracking gay band member? Check.  Jokes that are stretched on for far too long? Check.

Linda Noble’s portrayal of Robbie’s grandmother Rosie comes off as a badly-drawn caricature.  Noble isn’t old enough to make the naughty senior bit work for her and her delivery didn’t garner much of a reaction from the audience.

The actors made the most of what they were given to work with.  Andrew Halliwell, as wedding singer Robbie Hart, has a serviceable stage presence and rock voice which helped smooth over some of the show’s rougher edges.

On a technical note, the sound quality was spotty throughout the show and microphones cut in and out repeatedly.

Though The Wedding Singer is far from a hit, Fighting Chance deserves credit for taking chances on shows that have not yet been seen in Metro Vancouver.  Local theatre companies seem far too eager to mount the same old shows, year after year.  I’d much rather experience a flawed play, like this one, for the first time than sit through yet another showing of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, no matter how well-produced.

Fighting Chance Productions presents The Wedding Singer until May 22, 2010 at the Jericho Arts Centre, 1675 Discovery, Vancouver.  Tickets are available online or by calling 604-224-8007 ext. 3

Directed by Ryan Mooney (Rent, Fighting Chance), with music direction by Christopher King (Thoroughly Modern Millie, TUTS), and choreography by Anna Hassard. Starring Andrew Halliwell, Lexy Campbell, Cassandra Nantel, Tyson Coady (Joseph, RCMT), Alex McMorran, Sean Parsons (Footloose, Exit 22), Jessica Kelly, Sable Strub, and Linda Noble.

Fighting Chance Productions presents The Wedding Singer from April 27 – May 22, 2010 at the Jericho Arts Centre, 1675 Discovery, Vancouver.  Tickets are available online or by calling 604-224-8007 ext. 3