Over the last month, there’s been so much theatre to see and so little time. And now it all seems to be ending. The cheeky SHINE: A Burlesque Musical finished its two-week run at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island last weekend and we also bade adieu to the toe-tapping Thoroughly Modern Millie and Annie at Theatre Under the Stars.
At the Arts Club, the Altar Boyz are spritzing their hair with product for the last time and at Pacific Theatre, the good folks from Not Another Musical Co-op are singing the last notes of Songs For A New World this weekend. Across the water, at the Presentation House Theatre in North Vancouver, comes the final curtain call for the newest object of my affection, Fighting Chance’s Rent.
Fighting Chance Production's cast of Rent; Clockwise from top left, Craig Decarlo, Christine Quintana, Jacqueline Breakwell, Anton Lipovetsky, Nick Fontaine and Cesar Erba.
I have a rather shameful admission to make . . . I’ve never been a giant Rent fan. Nor a Rent fan of any other size, for that matter. It stems from a certain stubbornness that I possess when it comes to being told what to do or what to like. In fact, I have an aversion to jumping on to bandwagons of all kinds. It’s that contrary quality that made me disregard the film version and pooh-pooh the various Rent soundtracks.
But now, I’ve drunk the Kool-aid and have been totally taken in by Rent. I’ve seen it three times and would have seen it again, if it hadn’t kept selling out.
Which brings us back to the end of the summer season and the sudden onset of my musical-theatre withdrawal blues. My current state of despair is somewhat tempered by the knowledge that the fall musical season will soon be upon us. Though, truth be told, I’m not overly enthused by this. I’ve seen all of these latest summer shows twice and sometimes more and they’ve become familiar, like friends. And it’s so hard to say goodbye.
Musicals in Vancouver 