ring-based high jinx, which gift a seamless link to the opening scene of the play. The pastoral comedy swaps the traditional French duchy for swinging sixties Kitsilano before heading east, not to the Forest of Arden, but to the Okanagan, with fabulous sartorial subtexts evoking the respective fashions of the city and the interior at that time. Whilst the evolution of the characters’ relationships develop over the course of the play, as one would expect, so too does the soundtrack that Cloran has adopted to help tell the story. The clever curation of The Beatles’ back catalogue provides the perfect foil to the celebrated bard’s pen, with the exuberance of their earlier songs reflecting the youthful love and adventure explored by the troubled suitors, whilst the more spiritual and reflective moods of some of their later numbers frame the more philosophical characters and perplexing conundrums that are introduced as life amongst the trees ensues. The largest Shakespeare festival in Western Canada has set a high-bar for the season ahead, with ‘MacBeth’, ‘Timon of Athens’ and ‘Lysistrata’, their other chosen offerings between June and mid-September. For further information on shows, workshops, talks, special events and tickets, go to www.bardonthebeach.org
VSO PRESENTS CARLY RAE JEPSON At the Orpheum, two of BC’s best known musical names from two very different genres came together for an intriguing collaboration, as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra provided the accompaniment for Carly Rae Jepson, with several of her best known hits being suitably reworked by Toronto composer, Christopher Mayo. Jepson developed a passion for musical theatre at an early age and alongside her singing career, has starred in roles on Broadway and in front of the camera. Consequently, she looked at home in the more intimate surroundings of the VSO’s downtown home. Adorned in a stunning full length gown, Jepson overcame some early problems with the sound to demonstrate her full vocal range as she gave rousing renditions of hits such as ‘Call Me Maybe’ and ‘I Really Like You’. Conducted by the ever dynamic Lucas Waldin, the orchestra also performed popular classics including Tchaikovsky’s ‘Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy’ and Debussy’s ‘Clair De Lune’, which were warmly welcomed by the young audience, many of whom were taking in the VSO for the very first time. Throughout July, the VSO take to the road to perform outdoor concerts in Whistler and at Deer Lake Park, before returning to host movie soundtracks to ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ and ‘Star Wars: A New Hope at the Orpheum’. The 2018/19 season begins on September 20th, with the full schedule available at www.VancouverSymphony.ca
VSO & CARLY RAE JEPSON
ICONIC CONCIERGE
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