If you pass by Four Seasons Hotel Vancouver lobby today, you'll probably notice that the beloved Ghost Salmon exhibit that has been there since the beginning of the year, has been replaced. In its place is the next installment of the Ghost Salmon series: 1 Whale & 50 Salmon. Created by Anna Gustafson, of Salt Spring Island's Blue Horse Gallery, the piece features prints of 19th century wood engravings of orcas and salmon. Can you spot the whale in the school of salmon?

If you look closely you can see that behind the salmon and whale are some script. These are actually the names and pod designations of the Southern resident Orcas living in our local waters, which eat only wild pacific salmon exclusively! This further illustrates the importance of our wild Pacific salmon and how we should pay attention to issues of sustainability and the environment; other animals' lives depend on them! Anna wanted to the style of the script to be reminiscent of waves. I think it really makes the salmon pop and gives a certain depth to them.   

Across from the main exhibit is a companion piece, Field Notes, which are the notes that the artist made while creating this masterpiece. It also illustrates the areas of the whale that ended up in the main artwork.



The new exhibit is different but still pretty cool in its own way. There will be more exhibits in the series on the way; Anna Gustafson tells me that she's working on a bear and a wolf! Both are some of my favourite animals! Can't wait to see them!

Flashdance - the Musical is a story of hopes, dreams, friendship, and struggle; it has a great lesson in following your dreams and always trying even though you don't know what the outcome would be; take that leap of faith and if it doesn't work just get back up again. Alex Owens (Karli Dinardo) dreams of being a dancer but for now, she works at the Hurley steel mill during the day while performing at a club run by Harry (Michael Kingston) at night. With the encouragement of her friends, she applies for the Shipley Academy, an exclusive dance school. Her dreams are complicated when Alex gets involved with Nick Hurley (Adam J Rennie), grandson of the steel mill founding father, who is having problems of his own when the board of directors demand he make job cuts.

The musical started out strong with the energetic number featuring the lead lady and ensemble, and set the tone for the night. There was lots of dancing, as expected, and the songs are filled with toe tapping beats; lots of bass drum and good rhythm that will have you bobbing your head along. Flashdance - the Musical features familiar songs like "What a Feeling," "Maniac," "Gloria," "Manhunt," and "I Love Rock & Roll" as well as 16 brand new songs have been written for the musical. The catchy tunes will have you wanting to dance along!

Both Dinardo and Rennie have powerful voice and Dinardo sings very well in her solos but sometimes she is a bit drowned out during their duets. The dialogue was sprinkled with funny one liners and flashy costumes, glitter, leg warmers, bright colors, tights will have some feeling nolgastic of the 80s. It is a great show overall with good entertainment value.

Flashdance - the Musical is now playing at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre from now thru November 16, 2014. Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.ca starting at $51.


Disclosure: Tickets to the show were received from Broadway Across Canada free of charge. The opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own and have not been influenced in any other way.

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, the award-winning worldwide smash hit Broadway musical, returns to Vancouver as part of the Broadway Across Canada 2014 – 2015 season. Produced by NETworks Presentations, this elaborate theatrical production will come to life on stage at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre February 3-8, 2015. For information on the production, visit  www.BeautyAndTheBeastOnTour.com. Tickets will go on sale November 15, 2014 at 10 AM at all Ticketmaster outlets, on-line at www.ticketmaster.ca or call toll-free 1-855-985-5000.  

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast features the Academy Award®-winning score with music by Alan Menken and lyrics by the late Howard Ashman, with additional songs composed by Alan Menken and lyrics by Tim Rice. The book is written by Linda Woolverton.  

The original creators of the Broadway production have reunited for this new touring production. The play is directed by Rob Roth and choreographed by Matt West, with Costume Design by Ann Hould-Ward (Tony Award® winner for her work on Disney’s Beauty and the Beast), Lighting Design by Natasha Katz (three-time Tony Award® winner), Scenic Design by Stanley A. Meyer, Sound Design by John Petrafesa Jr. and Music Supervision by Michael Kosarin.  

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast is the classic story of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped in a spell placed by an enchantress.  If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.  

Based on the 1991 Academy Award®-winning animated feature film and celebrating 20 years since its Broadway premiere in 1994, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast has become an international sensation that has been seen by over 35 million people worldwide in 22 countries, and has been translated into 9 different languages.  This production launched in February 2010 and has been seen by 2.5 million people while playing over 1,000 performances in all 50 United States and 6 Canadian Provinces.  Currently, there are four other productions playing around the world including Paris, tours in Japan and Germany, and a new international tour that currently will visit over 12 countries in two years.     

Performances run: Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 7:30pm, Saturday matinee at 2pm, Sunday matinee at 1pm and Sunday evening 6:30pm.  

Tickets go on sale Saturday, November 15 at 10 AM at all Ticketmaster outlets, on-line at www.ticketmaster.ca, or call toll-free 1-855-985-5000.  Groups of 10 or more can access discounts at 1-800-889-8457.  Tickets for Disney’s Beauty and the Beast vary in range depending on performance, seat location, and date of purchase and start at $35.00 plus applicable service fees. 

American Express® Cardmembers have access to some of the best seats in the house for all Disney’s Beauty and the Beast performances. Advance tickets are available through Front Of The Line® by American Express November 10 – 12, 2014.         

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in Vancouver, presented by Broadway Across Canada, is part of three city Canadian tour including stops in Edmonton (February 10 - 15) and Calgary (February 17-22).