Adam Guettel is coming!
Chances are you read that and had one of two reactions: You're either saying, "Adam who?" or you're giddy with excitement.
Guettel, for the uninitiated, is the superstar Broadway composer best known for the Tony Award-winning The Light in the Piazza. He also happens to be the grandson of Richard Rodgers - yes, that Richard Rodgers, one half of the famed Rodgers and Hammerstein duo.
Patrick Street Productions - the New Westminster-based theatre company that's making a name for itself bringing less-familiar musicals to the Vancouver stage - put on his Piazza in 2011 and is staging his Floyd Collins this March.
Now, here's the exciting part: Guettel is coming to Vancouver. Yes, courtesy of our very own Patrick Street Productions, with the support of the Arts Club Theatre Company, Guettel will be appearing on stage on Friday, Feb. 21.
An Intimate Evening With Adam Guettel takes place at 8 p.m. at the Arts Club Revue Stage on Granville Island.
He'll perform his own work and talk about his work, his career and his creative process. That will be followed by a reception with Guettel at a private home in Coal Harbour, where guests can mingle with Guettel and the cast of Floyd Collins.
"That's going to be a really exciting evening!" enthused Patrick Street's Peter Jorgensen, who has arranged the visit. "On top of being an ingenious composer, he's an amazing singer."
Tickets are $40 for the concert, or $150 for concert and reception.
Purchase concert tickets online at vancouvertix.com or phone 604-629-8849. For reception tickets, email event@patrickstreetproductions.com.
Guettel will also be offering master classes for selected musical theatre artists on Friday, Feb. 21. And, the following day, he'll be sticking around to work with the Floyd Collins cast on the upcoming show.
By the way, Floyd Collins is on at the York Theatre from March 11 to 30.
Patrick Street's website notes that the musical, set in 1925 Kentucky, "is based on the true story of an American cave explorer and entrepreneur who, in his search for the ultimate tourist attraction, found himself trapped 100 feet below the earth." Check out more at www.patrickstreetproductions.com.
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Book launch set
Lovers of poetry and art, don't forget to stop by the Arts Council of New Westminster gallery this weekend.
The gallery is hosting a book launch on Saturday, Feb. 1 for Ekphrasticism: Painted Words.
The book combines paintings by Don Portelance and poetry by Candice James, the city's poet laureate - each poem is inspired by a painting, and each one appears in tandem with the painting that inspired it.
The book launch is running from 1 to 3 p.m. at the gallery.
An exhibition of Portelance's work will also run at the gallery throughout February.
"To me art is a celebration," Portelance says in an artist statement. "It should please the eye, engage the soul, inspire wonder, and if possible, make the viewer think about the meaning and richness of our inner lives and the visual world around us."
The gallery is open 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays or by appointment.
Check out www.artscouncilnewwest.org for more details, or call 604-525-3244.
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Comedy onstage
One final reminder for you theatre lovers - the Vagabond Players' new comedy has just opened.
Alone Together, Lawrence Roman's comedy about a middle-aged married couple whose empty nest fills back up again, is onstage at the Bernie Legge Theatre until Feb. 22.
The play is directed by Dale Kelly and stars Ross Friesen and Gemma Martini as the beleaguered parents, with Ryan J. Johnson, Keaton Mazurek and Boris Bilic as the three sons who return home. Friesen's real-life daughter, Carly June Friesen, joins the fun as the young woman who tags along with one of the returning sons.
It runs Thursdays to Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $15, or $13 for students and seniors.
Reserve at 604-521-0412 or email reservations@vagabondplayers.ca. Check out more at www.vagabondplayers.ca.
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Silver screen
Film aficionados, don't forget about the Last Mondays at the Movies series.
The arts council's popular film series is continuing at the Massey Theatre on the last Monday of each month.
This month, on Feb. 24, you can see The Reluctant Fundamentalist, which tells the story of a young Pakistani man who tries to find success on Wall Street after graduating from Princeton - but who finds himself caught between worlds.
On March 31, you can see Philomena, the Academy Award-nominated movie starring Judi Dench as the title character, a young unmarried mother who was forced to give up her child in 1950s Ireland.
Then, on April 28, it's The Invisible Woman, telling the story of Charles Dickens' secret love, Nelly Ternan. It stars Ralph Fiennes and Felicity Jones.
Movies are screened at the Massey at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $9 and available at the door.
Check out www.artscouncilnewwest.org for more details.
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Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment ideas to Julie, jmaclellan@royalcityrecord.com. You can also find her on Twitter, @juliemaclellan.