Latest news with #TheatreUndertheStars
Vancouver Sun
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Review: Theatre Under the Stars' Legally Blonde is the most fun you can have this summer
When: To Aug. 15 Where: Malkin Bowl, Stanley Park Tickets and info: From $35 at Theatre Under the Stars in Stanley Park's Malkin Bowl is a Vancouver musical theatre tradition that can't be beat. Sitting outside on a warm summer night surrounded by big trees, watching talented kids sing and dance, seems like heaven to me. But TUTS' 85th anniversary season is hit and miss, one show a gold-plated hit, the other mostly a miss. Jayme Armstrong's production of Legally Blonde is an explosive carnival of pink dynamite with Abby Woodhouse killing it in the role of Elle Woods, the Malibu sorority girl and apparent lightweight put on the map by Reese Witherspoon in the 2001 movie, who unexpectedly proves herself formidable at Harvard Law School. The stage musical boasts good songs and witty lyrics with the same Cinderella rom com soul. Armstrong gives us a cast of 27 who rock it non-stop, excellent production values, lots of big laughs, and even a couple of adorable pooches. What's not to love? Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Elle makes her way to Harvard to follow her flaky careerist boyfriend Warner (Connor Hawkins), who breaks up with her because she's not serious enough. How she manages to get admitted, using a marching band instead of an application letter, indicates just what a fable the story is. Still, it's a sensational set piece, a kaleidoscope of bodies in motion, one of many such featuring Lyndsey Britten's dynamic choreography. Wait until you see the astonishing jump rope number 'Whipped into Shape' led by Brooke (Angela Cody). At Harvard Law, Elle is ridiculed by Warner's new girlfriend Vivienne (Viviana Renteria) and cutthroat professor Callahan (Peter Jorgensen) but finds allies in good guy Emmett (Nathaniel Johnson) and hairdresser Paulette (Madeleine Suddaby, continuing her string of knockout performances). She's also supported by a funny Greek chorus of sorority sisters. With Emmett's help, Elle triumphs at Brooke's murder trial. Its centrepiece, the hilarious 'Gay or European,' could have been written by Mel Brooks. It makes great use of the clever mobile sets by Brian Ball, who also designed the stylish costumes. As Elle, Woodhouse looks great and delivers the comic goods with excellent timing and a fine voice. She gets ideal support from the other principals, the ensemble, and those two sweet dogs. The ending has taken on a little more weight since #MeToo. But Legally Blonde remains bright and shiny like Elle's hair, the most fun you can have this summer. I wish I could say the same for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Director Peter Jorgensen is working with a lame musical adaptation that struggles to attain the bizarre comic unreality of the classic Roald Dahl story. This is no fault of the production's smooth, elegant chocolate magnate Willy Wonka. Peter Ricardo is terrific in the role, a dark magician, though his excellent voice is mostly wasted on the nondescript songs. Nor is it the fault of young Charlie (Henry Sudds), his caring mother (Imelda Gaborno), or his tall-tale-telling Grandpa Joe (Richard Newman). All do fine work but their characters are too nice, too normal to carry the show. Of the weirdo kids and their weirder parents who get the golden tickets to tour Willy Wonka's chocolate factory, Augustus Gloop (Angus Silva) and his mother (Claire Stewart) take the prize. Their broadly stereotyped Bavarian peasant characters are outrageous, offensive and very funny. The factory itself comes to life through Robert Sondergaard's fantastical lighting effects and Brad Danyluk's eccentric sounds. The hardworking young cast just deserves better material.
American Press
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- American Press
Regina 'Gina' Marie Williams Baccigalopi
Regina 'Gina' Marie Williams Baccigalopi, 58, of Iowa, La., passed away on June 24, 2025. Born on Jan. 19, 1967, in Sulphur, La., Gina was a proud graduate of Sulphur High School, Class of 1985, and earned her degree in Education from McNeese State University in 2000. Gina touched countless lives during her years as a high school educator in New Caney, Texas until returning to Louisiana in 2008. She had a deep love for gardening, camping, and what she fondly called 'garage sailing' always on the lookout for hidden treasures and good stories along the way. Gina was also a lifelong lover of the arts. She danced from the age of eight and never lost her passion for movement and music. A devoted theatergoer, she was a season ticket holder to Theatre Under the Stars in Houston for over 20 seasons. Her favorite production was CATS, and one of her fondest memories was being invited on stage to dance with Rum Tum Tugger. Gina's love of music was just as strong. She found joy and connection in the sounds of her favorite artists, especially The Black Crowes and her 'soul sister,' Janis Joplin. Gina is survived by her loving husband, Glenn Baccigalopi; her father, Eugene (Ginger) Williams, and her brothers, Michael (Tanya) Williams and Chad (Kimberly) Williams; step-daughter Chelse (Dustin) Willis, and grandchildren Maddox, Miles, Monroe and Mari. She was a cherished aunt to Alexandra, Katelyn, Eden, Evan, Elliot, Drew, Dylan, Quinn, and Cameron Williams, and a beloved great-aunt to Eleanor, Olivia, and Kinsley Williams. She was preceded in death by her mother, Sandra Ann Denton Williams. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held in her honor at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Fenton, La., on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at 10 a.m. The Rev. Jom Joseph, Celebrant. Cremation will follow the service under the direction of Johnson & Brown Funeral Home of Iowa. Visitation will begin Monday in Johnson & Brown Funeral Home of Iowa from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m., with a rosary recited at 6 p.m. and will resume Tuesday from 8 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. Inurnment will be in Grandlake Sweetlake Cemetery at a later date Pallbearers assisting in her service are Evan Williams, Elliot Williams, Drew Williams, Clint Brightwell, Cody Caldwell and James DeRouen. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in Gina's name to the charity of your choice. Gina will be remembered for her love of God, generous heart, joyful presence, and the love she shared so freely with her family, friends, students, and all who were lucky enough to know her, and we will all miss her very much. Words of comfort may be shared at: Johnson & Brown Funeral Home.
The Province
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Province
TUTS: Legally Blonde the Musical's Elle Woods 'a quadruple-threat' role
Jayme Armstrong, who starred in an Ontario production and now directs the Theatre Under the Stars version, says to play Elle you have to be able to sing, dance, act and be funny Abby Woodhouse as Elle Woods in Theatre Under the Stars' production of Legally Blonde The Musical. The show alternates with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Malkin Bowl June 27-Aug. 16. Photo by Emily Cooper / Theatre Under the Stars Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. When: June 27-Aug. 16 at 8 p.m. (except for Celebration of Light nights, when the show starts at 7 p.m.) This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Where: Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park, 610 Pipeline Rd., Vancouver Tickets: $35-69 at and 1-800-514-3849 Elle Woods, that bubbly, pink-loving legal eagle made famous by Reese Witherspoon in the 2001 movie Legally Blonde, returns to the stage this summer. Back by popular demand, Theatre Under the Stars' production of Legally Blonde The Musical plays alternate evenings with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We talked to LBTM director Jayme Armstrong, who is originally from Vancouver, about the show. Q: You played Elle Woods in an Ontario production of Legally Blonde The Musical in 2014. What was that like? A: It was a dream role. It was on my bucket list. And Elle is probably the most difficult role I ever played in my career. Truly, I call it a quadruple-threat role — you have to sing, dance, act and be funny. Then throw in a million costume changes. It's a very, very busy show. Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A: I am. I am a brunette, although I've played many blondes. When I did the show, I wore a wig. Most Elles do end up wearing a wig just because of the nature of the show. It's easier to keep her hair looking perfect all the time. Q: How much preparation did you do for the role? A: I started training several months before. I learned the entire vocal score, and then sang it while running on the treadmill. Q: Is that one of the tips that you gave to Abby Woodhouse, the actress playing Elle this time out? A: Yeah. Before we started rehearsal, I sat down with Abby virtually, because I'm based in Ontario now, and just spent some time going over the role and talking about some of the challenges and ways to help her prep. It's definitely a major advantage on such a star vehicle type of show to have a director who has played not only that role, but many roles of this nature, so is able to help somebody from the younger generation navigate how to manage their efforts and their energy levels and vocal maintenance to make sure that they're ready to execute this. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. A: It's a much harder show than anybody expects. It's very large and super-fast-paced. There's a ton of musical numbers, and almost every one is a big production number involving the whole cast. And many of the numbers also travel to several locations within them, which presents a challenge for moving constantly in terms of the set. And then when people are offstage, almost every time they exit, it's a quick change for pretty much the entire cast. Q: As a director, what kind of personal stamp can you put on a show as big and well-known as Legally Blonde The Musical? A: I really wanted this story to come from an all-female creative team. I have an amazing choreographer, Lyndsey Britten, working with me and Eliza De Castro on music. The way I describe it is, it's a love letter from women to women. It celebrates all that it means to be feminine. And one thing about Legally Blonde is that people often think it's a very stereotypical story, but actually it's a super empowering story about somebody who is stereotyped and ends up defying her own expectations, as well as everyone else's, by finding her own path. Read More
The Province
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Province
Vancouver theatre: Here are the six best plays to see in June
The summer theatre season kicks off this month with Bard on the Beach, Theatre Under the Stars and more Jennifer Lines as Beatrice and Sheldon Elter as Benedick in Bard on the Beach's Much Ado About Nothing. Photo by Emily Cooper / Bard on the Beach Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Ah, June. Summer sunshine (maybe) and summer theatre. Musicals, comedies, more musicals and comedies, and a few outliers. June in Vancouver means Bard on the Beach — three shows this year are comedies. And Theatre Under the Stars — two musicals. And the Arts Club's summer musical. Funnyman Colin Mochrie at the Improv Centre. Theatre in the Country's musical. A post-apocalyptic musical from Renegade Arts. An embarrassment of musical and comic riches. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Here are my picks for June: Hayley Sullivan and Kyla Ward in An Ideal Husband. Photo by Amber Lewis An Ideal Husband When: To June 22 Where: Jericho Arts Centre Tickets & Info: $15-$35 at No one is funnier than Oscar Wilde, who here applies his incomparable wit to a fin de siècle tale of political scandal and blackmail. The kind of material the Vancouver Playhouse would once have produced now frequently gets done, and done well, by United Players. Starring Hayley Sullivan, Cat Smith and Chris Cope. After 11 seasons at the Shaw Festival, d irector Moya O'Connell knows the period style. Haus of Yolo When: June 5-15 Where: York Theatre Tickets & Info: From $29 at From New Zealand's The Dust Palace, The Cultch's season-ender features acrobats creating their own costumes onstage in real time: 'from sewing machine to circus routine.' In this 'anti-cabaret cabaret,' the show's four performers take turns playing the designer and the Sexy Meat Puppets who wear the clothes and do the routines. One reviewer described it as a celebration of 'the half-naked body in the tiniest leotards I have ever seen.' Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. When: June 10-Sept. 20 Where: Sen̓áḵw/Vanier Park Tickets & Info: From $35 at Bard on the Beach opens its season with one of Shakespeare's finest romantic comedies, featuring witty lovers Beatrice and Benedick. A couple of Bard veterans, the divine Jennifer Lines as Beatrice and hilarious Scott Bellis as goofy Constable Dogberry, make this a guaranteed winner. I don't know about the 'additional text by Canadian playwright Erin Shields' to enhance the near-serious subplot. But director Johnna Wright has a good track record with Bard comedies. Rachel Drance stars in Waitress. Photo by Moonrider Productions Waitress When: June 12-Aug. 3 Where: Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage Tickets & Info: From $39 at Local TV star Rachel Drance (The Flash, Virgin River) plays a pregnant small-town waitress in a bad marriage whose pie-baking skills save her. Warning: Extramarital sex! Adapted from the 2007 movie, the stage play has music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Sara Bareilles and an A-list supporting cast including Ben Elliott, Josh Epstein, Jennie Neumann and Tom Pickett. The Arts Club's Ashlie Corcoran directs. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. eWorld Theatre presents the documentary production Eyes of the Beast. Photo by Sewari Campillo Eyes of the Beast When: June 18-22 Where: SFU Goldcorp Centre Tickets & Info: $5-$50 at Neither musical nor comedy, this Neworld Theatre documentary production partners with Victoria's Climate Disaster Project and SFU students to share the stories of Canadians who have lived through climate change disasters, and help individuals and communities cope. Created by Sebastien Archibald, Gavan Cheema and Kelsey Kanatan Wavey, and directed by Chelsea Haberlin with a facilitated talkback after each performance. Madeleine Suddaby as Paulette and Abby Woodhouse as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. Photo by Emily Cooper Legally Blonde When: June 29-Aug. 16 Where: Malkin Bowl, Stanley Park Tickets & Info: $35-$69 at When I reviewed Theatre Under the Stars' production of Legally Blonde: The Musical in 2012, I called it sexist, silly and riddled with stereotypes. But also funny, clever and utterly delightful. Malibu princess Elle wreaks havoc at Harvard Law School (as if they don't have enough troubles right now). With Abby Woodhouse as Elle, Madeleine Suddaby as Paulette, and Peter Jorgensen as Professor Callahan. Jayme Armstrong directs. Read More Sports Junior Hockey Vancouver Whitecaps News Local News
Calgary Herald
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Vancouver theatre: Here are the six best plays to see in June
Article content Ah, June. Summer sunshine (maybe) and summer theatre. Musicals, comedies, more musicals and comedies, and a few outliers. June in Vancouver means Bard on the Beach — three shows this year are comedies. And Theatre Under the Stars — two musicals. And the Arts Club's summer musical. Funnyman Colin Mochrie at the Improv Centre. Theatre in the Country's musical. A post-apocalyptic musical from Renegade Arts. An embarrassment of musical and comic riches. Article content Article content Article content Article content No one is funnier than Oscar Wilde, who here applies his incomparable wit to a fin de siècle tale of political scandal and blackmail. The kind of material the Vancouver Playhouse would once have produced now frequently gets done, and done well, by United Players. Starring Hayley Sullivan, Cat Smith and Chris Cope. After 11 seasons at the Shaw Festival, director Moya O'Connell knows the period style. Article content Article content Haus of Yolo Article content From New Zealand's The Dust Palace, The Cultch's season-ender features acrobats creating their own costumes onstage in real time: 'from sewing machine to circus routine.' In this 'anti-cabaret cabaret,' the show's four performers take turns playing the designer and the Sexy Meat Puppets who wear the clothes and do the routines. One reviewer described it as a celebration of 'the half-naked body in the tiniest leotards I have ever seen.' Article content Article content Article content Bard on the Beach opens its season with one of Shakespeare's finest romantic comedies, featuring witty lovers Beatrice and Benedick. A couple of Bard veterans, the divine Jennifer Lines as Beatrice and hilarious Scott Bellis as goofy Constable Dogberry, make this a guaranteed winner. I don't know about the 'additional text by Canadian playwright Erin Shields' to enhance the near-serious subplot. But director Johnna Wright has a good track record with Bard comedies. Article content Article content Waitress Article content Local TV star Rachel Drance (The Flash, Virgin River) plays a pregnant small-town waitress in a bad marriage whose pie-baking skills save her. Warning: Extramarital sex! Adapted from the 2007 movie, the stage play has music and lyrics by Grammy Award winner Sara Bareilles and an A-list supporting cast including Ben Elliott, Josh Epstein, Jennie Neumann and Tom Pickett. The Arts Club's Ashlie Corcoran directs.
