Music: Mike Carew @ Havana

Singer/songwriter Mike Carew's Double CD release show

Acoustic CD "When, When is Now"

Electric CD "Xenophobic"

Saturday, January 28th
Havana Theater
1212 Commercial Drive

Doors open: 7:45 pm
Show: 8:00 pm

Reserve or pre-buy tickets $10.00
Tickets at door  $15.00

Contact: mikecarew@shaw.ca
www.mikecarew.com

Music: I M P R O V O C A T I O N: AN EVENING OF SPONTANEOUS COMPOSITION

Time	Monday, June 20 · 8:00pm - 10:00pm
Location	Havana Restaurant & Theatre, 1212 Commercial (limited seating)
More Info	FIVE VOICES, ONE GUITAR & A DANCER I M P R O V O C A T I O N AN EVENING OF SPONTANEOUS COMPOSITION L A U R E L M U R P H Y [ VOICE ] M I C H A E L R E I N H A R T [ VOICE/GUITAR ] S A R A M A R R E I R O S [ VOICE ] H E I D I M c C U R D Y [ VOICE ] & G U E S T L I N S N E L L I N G [ VOICE/MOVEMENT ] 8PM, MONDAY, JUNE 20 2011 HAVANA RESTAURANT & THEATRE 1212 COMMERCIAL DRIVE, VANCOUVER ADMISSION: $15 / AT THE DOOR/CASH ONLY TEL: 604-253-9119 www.laurelmurphy.com www.michaelreinhart.com www.myspace.com/handsummusic www.saramarreiros.com www.heidimccurdy.com

Theatre: Review - Marion Bridge @ Havana

Rebecca Husain, Jeanie Cloutier and Terri Anne Taylor,
 cast of Daniel MacIvor's poignant Marion Bridge.

Theatre of Infinity’s Marion Bridge is a play by Daniel MacIvor about the complex relationship of a family brought together through loss. We watch three sisters who couldn’t be more different from each other, not only cope with a dying mother, but also start to deal with who they have become themselves. Each search to sort out the loneliness that has come to rule her day-to-day life as well as not-so-forgotten family expectations. Whether through alcohol, religion or soap operas, each sister has found their own way of coping with their broken past and escaping the prisons they feel their lives have become.  
Headstrong failed actress Agnes, played by Terri Anne Taylor, is the black sheep who grudgingly returns home to Cape Breton from the Big Smoke. She holds a deep seated resentment towards her mother for making her put her child up for adoption when she was a teen.
Seeing this homecoming as a chance for a life do-over, Agnes manages to shake the family tree at its roots in the process.  

Taylor's best scene is an intimate card game with her despondent younger sister Louise (played by Rebecca Husain), which felt incredibly authentic and gave her character more wisdom and maturity than MacIvor's script would have led us to believe she possessed to that point.

The self-admittedly strange and boy-like Louise is sincerely and aptly played by Husain, who sustains a precarious balance between humor and tragedy with her character, and like her fellow cast mates, is riveting in her monologue.

Finally, Jeanie Cloutier commands her role as Theresa, or "Sister Theresa", as Agnes calls her. Theresa is actually waiting to enter a convent, asking God to deliver her from her beast of burden life.  The spinsterly elder sister seems to fit the name on the home-front, too, becoming her parent's custodian while trying to hold together a family poised on the brink of disintegration.   

The dying mother is never seen yet is ever-present. Because of her disease, she communicates by way of cryptic post-it notes, and as the story unfolds, it becomes evident she still manages to hold a great deal of sway over her daughters and their fortunes.  

While the play doesn't break new ground, this version comes at a fitting time for many people experiencing the same process of watching their parents age and die and taking notice of the growth and even rebirth it can bring.

Under veteran actress Susan Hogan's direction, the show moves steadily and makes good use of its talented cast.

As an odd aside, there are a set of keys which, though never talked about, somehow become like a character in the play itself. This is a play with umpteen entrances and exits by all actors through the set's front door and every time they did, the keys were removed or replaced. I had to wonder and marvel at the coordination of this continual persistent detail, having been backstage enough times to be fully aware of the chaos which can ensue because of a misplaced prop. It can be a real focus-breaker for actors.

This production does its best to make good use of Havana's shallow stage, its limited Technical capabilities and an obviously minuscule budget. But what the play lacks in production values, it makes up for in heart and spirit - quintessential small theatre.

Marion Bridge runs until February 19 at Havana Theatre @  1212 Commercial Drive.

Tickets can be purchased online at http://bizbooks.net/biz-marquee/marion-bridge-tickets

Theatre: Marion Bridge @ Havana

Family Ties That Bind And Strangle

VANCOUVER, BC: Theatre of Infinity proudly presents Marion Bridge, a charmingly witty tale of the complex relationship of three sisters who are brought together through loss and begin anew. Written by Daniel MacIvor and directed by Susan Hogan, Marion Bridge runs February 4 - 19^th at the Havana Theatre on Commercial Drive.

Set in gorgeous Cape Breton, in Marion Bridge  we watch three sisters who couldn’t be more different from each other, not only cope with a dying mother, but also start to deal with who they have become themselves. Each in their own way search to sort out the loneliness that has come to rule her day-to-day life, while also dealing with each other, and not-so-forgotten family expectations.

“While lost in complexity of the larger themes of life and death, which permeate every moment of the play, I am still blown away to find myself laughing out loud, through my tears. A delicate balance,” says Director Susan Hogan. Susan is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada and has been an actor for 35 years.

Theatre of Infinity is the brainchild of the women playing the three sisters, Terri Anne Taylor (Agnes), Jeanie Cloutier (Theresa) and Rebecca Husain (Louise). Marion Bridge, directed by Susan Hogan marks their inaugural production. This production is the marriage of great training, extensive experience and theatrical creativity.

“This moving drama, which tiptoes toward sentimentality without ever reaching it, is the most surprising play that [MacIvor’s] ever written. When was the last time you saw a drama about three distinct, complex women that had nothing to do with their relationships with men?”
— New York Times

Marion Bridge previews at 8pm on February 3, opens February 4, and then runs through until February 19 (Sundays through Tuesdays dark) All performances take place at the Havana Theatre, 1212 Commercial Drive Vancouver. Tickets are  $20 for one ticket or $35 for two, students $15 with valid ID. All tickets for the preview are $15. Tickets are available at http://bizbooks.net/biz-marquee/marion-bridge-tickets.

Visual Art: Famous Empty Sky @ Havana Gallery

Sept 27 - Oct 10

New work by artist Famous Empty Sky. "Beyond the Secret Garden" florals with a modern twist: mixed media collage paintings at Havana Gallery. 1212 Commercial Drive.
604-253-9119.

Music: Coco Love Alcorn @ Havana Tonight!

The ever sultry and talented Coco Love Alcornn takes to the stage in a rare appearance right here on Commercial Drive.
The show starts at 8pm and shouldn't be missed.
Find out more about her here >>>

Theatre: Stripes @ Havana

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=498JnSU5sh4&feature=player_embedded

Creator/Performer Sarah Hayward tells us why we should see

Stripes: The Mystery Circus

Written and Performed by: Sarah Hayward

In collaboration with: Marguerite Witvoet and Tara Cheyenne Friedenberg

Presented by: Mystery Circus Media

A radically unique one woman show celebrating the comic circus of life.

“With a booming voice and a rocking bod, Sarah Hayward is a master of the small stage. Her solo theatrical cabaret about a woman auditioning to be seven different circus acts enchants the audience with its spunk and skill. ” – E.G.A. (EG ANDERSON).
An energetic, exciting, piece of theatre, Stripes: The Mystery Circus stars Sarah Hayward, as seen on TV in Smallville, The L Word and Robson Arms, and in the Films Hellraiser and Miracle.
Stripes toured the Fringe Festival circuit with great success, with performances in Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria.

At the Havana Theatre, 1212 Commercial Drive

One week limited engagement: July 14 to 18, 2009, 8 pm

Tickets available from Tickets Tonight: 604.684.2787

email: info@ticketstonight.ca

News: Anti-Gay Church Stays Away

Andrea Macpherson

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Demonstrators gathered on Commercial Drive to show support for a controversial play about the killing of a gay man in Wyoming. Even though police were standing by, there's no sign of Pastor Fred Phelps and his anti-gay Westboro Church congregation.

The anti-hate rally was peaceful with no sign of the anti-gay group from Kansas who vowed to protest the "Laramie Project", a play about a murdered gay man. This man says the group would have been very out numbered seeing as a couple hundred people showed support in the rain and mud.

Read the full story here>>>

Go here for a first-hand report on the event by Jak King >>>

News: US Hate Group To Protest Play at Havana

KRISTEN THOMPSON/METRO VANCOUVER


MP Libby Davies has joined the fight to keep an American church group, which plans to protest a Vancouver play about a murdered gay man, from crossing the border.

“Hatred, bigotry and harassment are not welcome in our communities,” Davies said of the “viciously homophobic hate group.”

Read the full story here>>>

Visual Art: Famous Empty Sky @ Havana

Click image for bigger view.

Theatre: Paul McGillion To Star At Havana

Stargate Atlantis star Paul McGillion will star in the stage comedy called 'Reservations for Four', a follow up to the award winning 'Reservations for Two' (which Paul also produced and directed). The play also stars 'See Grace Fly' co-star Gina Chiarelli (Grace), as well as Brendan Beiser (the prince regent from SGA's 'The Tower') and Nicola Rollett.

Dates have been confirmed as:

December 12th - 16th

The show runs 1 hour and performance times are as follows:

8 PM Wednesday Dec 12
8 PM Thursday Dec 13
8 PM & 10 PM Friday Dec 14
8 PM & 10 PM Saturday Dec 15
5 PM & 8 PM Sunday Dec 16

Showing at: The Havana Theatre, 1212 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC

Tickets are available from:
$17.50 at www.ticketstonight.ca
$20 at 604 231-753
or $15 at the door (cash only)

Theatre: By A Thread

Starts at 8 pm, only $10!
A young woman has an interesting and exciting time separating her life from her art. she is a painter, her life is a painting!

Directed by Angela Brown

Theatre: “Death Defying Acts” Opens April 19th

Death Defying Acts is a collection of three one-act comedies: Central Park West by Woody Allen, An Interview by David Mamet, and Hotline by Elaine May—at the Havana Theatre at 1212 Commercial Drive.

Presented by Vancouver’s Aumentare Productions, and directed by celebrated theatre director, Lynna Goldhar Smith, the plays feature performances by Liz Iversen, Renée Bucciarelli, John Burnside, André Fex, D. Neil Mark, Odessa Shuquaya, Christopher Pearce, and Gemma Isaac. Tickets are $20. Preview night, Apr 18th: $10.

Learn more about Vancouver-area theatre perfomances.

April 18 - May 5, 2007, 8:00 PM
TUESDAY - SATURDAY
Havana (1212 Commercial Dr).
Cash Only At the Door