Rann Berry – here’s a message in a bottle. You shook me, and pretty much the entire audience, all night long. Well done. Let’s dance. As I was driving to Kelowna Community Theatre on the last night of June, my mind kept zeroing in on one bewildering point. This was one tough gig. Who booked this concert on the eve of Canada’s 150th Birthday, literally 4.5 hours before the entire country started putting on its Canada Day game face? A…
83 in a 55 could get you approximately 240. On our recent vacation to both Pennsylvania and North Carolina, I had the privilege of being part of something I had never been a part of before. I got to ride along in the front seat of a real police SUV (jet black Ford Explorer with ample muscle) with a real police officer (a 13-year veteran of the Fayetteville, NC police department) on his different-than-normal beat (traffic/moving violations). The man in…
Pardon me boy – am I turning into my parents?! On a toasty June Tuesday night a few ticks shy of Canada’s 150th Birthday, wife Elaine and I strolled into Kelowna Community Theatre officially for the first time this summer. Coming off a three-week vacation in the hot-and-humid USA, we were in the mood for some serenading sounds to shake off a snoozy case of jet lag. All aboard the Chattanooga Choo Choo. We got exactly what we expected, and…
If I were a school teacher giving out grades – Dee would get a B. On a rainy and cooler-than-normal May Monday night, actor and stand-up comedian Gerry Dee was the prized pupil sharing a backpack full of academic anecdotes and personal experiences on stage at Kelowna Community Theatre. He was in town for one night, passing through on his current tour while his popular television show was on hiatus. Dee might be best known for his role as Gerry…
World premieres in Kelowna. They were super suite. On the first Thursday of May, Kelowna Community Theatre was the gracious host site of several world premieres all neatly choreographed and composed into a visual parade of ballet and music. On this balmy eve in front of a packed house, Ballet Kelowna and the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO) joined forces to present Canadiana Suite: A Sesquicentennial Celebration and tribute performance in honor of Canada’s 150th anniversary. Yeah,…
As a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up? RT: When I was really young I would dance around the living room while my older sisters played the piano. Like many little girls at the time, I fancied becoming a ballerina. What kind of musical background did you have and what instruments did you play? RT: My parents met singing in a choir. My whole family (six siblings) would sing in the car as we…
A couple of musical sisters got together on Saturday night at Kelowna Community Theatre in the name of cultural exchange and educational enhancement. No, I’m not talking about the Pointer Sisters, the Andrew Sisters, or disco divas Sister Sledge. I’m referring to a so-close-and-yet-so-far tale of two cities – Veendam, the Netherlands and Kelowna. Hold onto your tulips and windmills, these two have had an ongoing sister-city relationship for 37 years centered around school-age students and adults visiting each other’s city…
Nothing like watching The Masters and seeing a wealth of performers at the top of their game. No, I’m not talking about that prestigious green jacket golf tournament that takes place every April in Augusta, Georgia. I’m referring to another crowd-pleasing event that took place much closer to home, as in Kelowna Community Theatre on the third Friday in April. On this chilly spring night, the 40th Annual BC Interior Jazz Festival hosted its Jazz Masters’ Concert as the centerpiece…
I’m guessing in the long and distinguished history of Kelowna Community Theatre there has never been a more cheekier show to grace the stage than what happened on a nondescript Tuesday in the middle of April. I mean, no bare butts about it. The performers on this night basically had nothing to hide. They built their reputation on full-frontal illusions and sleight-of-hand tricks. Abracadabra – now you see it, now you see more of it, now you wonder if and…
Big Girls Don’t Cry – unless they had something better to do on Good Friday Eve and missed the Oh What a Night! Musical Tribute to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons at Kelowna Community Theatre. Let’s be fair. Any female named Sherry should have gotten in for free. Ditto for any attendee who brought a Rag Doll or was inclined to Walk Like a Man. You get the picture, Valli and his Jersey boys cranked out a ton of…