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…
Cello. What was your entertainment choice on the first Friday night of April? For wife Elaine and me, we chose to hang out with a bunch of familiar faces who we’ve never met, don’t know any of their names, and possibly have absolutely nothing in common with. Sounds crazy, but this group has a way of stirring our emotions and putting a dash of allegro in our stride. This group would be none other than the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO)…
Nothing better than being treated to an electrifying performance by a Hall of Fame performer on a rainy Wednesday night. That absolutely, positively describes the privilege wife Elaine and I had sitting center stage at Kelowna Community Theatre for Colin James and his Blue Highways tour stop. The Regina native, along with his smooth-as-silk six-piece Little Big Band, knocked it out of the park with a bluesy jazzy musical catalogue that left many in the sold-out crowd clamoring for more…
Them three boys sure make a lot of dark, progressive-rock noise. That was my sophomoric takeaway after spending the last Monday in March watching The Tea Party perform at Kelowna Community Theatre. The Tea Party (TTP), comprised of Jeff Martin, (lead vocals and guitar), Stuart Chatwood (bass guitar and keyboard), and Jeff Burrows (percussion), are a long-standing Canadian rock band with blues, Celtic, and Middle Eastern influences sprinkled in. Some in the media have dubbed their sound as “Moroccan roll.”…
Nerd alert. Wife Elaine and I went to a geek festival and witnessed our first “Cosplay Contest.” I know what you’re thinking. Why are geeks gathering in Kelowna and what the heck does the word cosplay mean? Allow me to enter the Stan Lee science fiction/fantasy world of artistic expression and spell out all the dorky details. On Saturday, March 25th, Kelowna Community Theatre was one of the host sites for a “Comic-Con” style event called Kelowna Fan Xpo (KFX)….
Here are three words you probably never ever thought you would hear in the same sentence – Tanya Tucker and Kelowna. Well well well – grab your cowgirl and hold her tight. It happened. Right there in the middle of the stage at Kelowna Community Theatre. On a school night. In front of an enthusiastic crowd that wanted to saddle up for a hayride down Delta Dawn lane. Country music legend Tanya Tucker belting out her signature hits and classics…
Okay, help me out here. Which one was Blackie and which ones were the Rodeo Kings? I’m still not sure of the answer, even though wife Elaine and I saw Blackie and the Rodeo Kings (B&RK) perform live on stage at Kelowna Community Theatre. The three front men – Colin Linden, Stephen Fearing, and Tom Wilson – were guitar-playing wizards who took turns singing lead vocals. Behind them were bass player Johnny Dymond and drummer Gary Craig. Blackie – will…
Based on global events garnering outrageous headlines, perhaps a more accurate name of Friday night’s show at Kelowna Community Theatre might have been “From Russia with Love.” I mean that in a positive way. The only operatives peddling influence on this delightful evening were the musical tacticians in the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra (OSO). Led by Music Director Rosemary Thomson, the OSO presented its “Masterworks IV – Colours of Russia” showcase to a sold-out house. The orchestral compositions were mostly upbeat…
Have you ever had the experience of watching a movie or television drama and saying to yourself “I’m not really following the plot but like what I’m seeing?” That was me exactly on the first Tuesday night of March at Kelowna Community Theatre. In town for a one-night floor routine was the Alonzo King LINES Ballet from San Francisco. Based on this touring group’s reputation and global rave reviews, wife Elaine and I viewed this opportunity as a chance to…
Now that was entertainment at its highest and twangiest form. On the first Sunday of March, nobody at Kelowna Community Theatre delivered the wrong envelope or read the wrong name. The headliners on this memorable night were two talented technicians – Lyle Lovett & John Hiatt. As advertised, these premier American singer-songwriters joined forces for an acoustic evening backed by nothing but their high-octane voices, incredible guitar playing, and friendly banter between songs that came off as unrehearsed as two chums sitting…