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(YW Comic Corner: The same old song and dance

And more!

There's a bully in all of us

» ‘Stickboy’ opera breaks and heals hearts

Mercedes Deutscher
Staff Writer

Sie is the second
production in the Vancouver
Opera’s 2014-15 season

and, more importantly, the
production’s world premiere.

Its all-too-familiar story and
barrier-breaking format make

it an excellent first production
for those who are wary of

opera or those who have never
experienced it before. What
makes this show stand out

from other operas is a new
dynamic never before seen in
opera performances: combining
elements of both opera and
spoken word poetry.

The story of Stickboy
follows the life of a boy (Sunny
Shams) from the Northwest
Territories who is being raised
by his grandparents during the
late ‘80s and early ‘gos. The boy

his childhood due to his
weight. He gets teased, has his

: property stolen and vandalized,
: and experiences more violent

: and physical attacks. He

: only receives sympathy and

: understanding from his

: grandmother (Megan Latham).

The boy attempts to cope

with the bullying in different

: ways, such as writing, trying to

: keep quiet, and nearly resorting
: to violent attacks himself: He

: and his family move from the

: Northwest Territories to BC.

: In his new school, the boy

: transforms from being a victim
: to becoming a bully himself:

Stickboy is an

: autobiography of Shane

: Koyczan’s childhood, adapted
: from his novel of the same

: name. Koyzan, nowa spoken

: word poet, brought his artistry
: and story to the stage, writing
: the libretto for the show.

The show’s music is

composed by Neil Weisensel
: and contemporarily crafted
is bullied constantly throughout : with beautiful orchestration.
: The singing roles, ranging

: from baritone to soprano,

: all complement each other

: beautifully. The chorus created

: overwhelming moments that

: truly reflect the inner struggle

: of the boy—a stellar example of
: which is whenever students are
: urging for fights with the boy.

While some moments

: involve complex choral

: arrangement of many vocalists,
: the composition also engages
: audiences with simpler ones.
: A scene with the Boy and his
: grandmother stuck out not

: because of its complexity but
: because of its simplicity, as

: the scene featured a lyric-less
: hum lightly aided bya gentle
: orchestra.

An honourable mention in

: vocal performance should be

: extended to Latham, the mezzo
: soprano vocalist who plays the

: grandmother. Her solo songs

: brought a gentleness and calm

: to both her character and the

: scenes she was in. Meanwhile,

: Shams brings a youthful tenor

: voice to the role of the boy,

: making a strong debut in

Seen something worth sharing?
Contact: Cheryl Minns, Arts Editor
Marts@theotherpress.ca

www.theotherpress.ca

: his first production with the
: Vancouver Opera.

In addition to subject

: matter, writing, and

: composition, the set and stage

: flow like water, effortlessly and

: quickly. A rotating platform on

: the stage allows for quick scene

: changes with complex scenery.

: The background is projected

: behind the performance.

: Sometimes the background

: shows the physical scene, be

: ita hallway or wintery walks

: home. Other times, it shows the
: audience important events that
: they wouldn't be able to usually
: see, such as the grandmother

: and the boy exchanging notes.

The murals that made the

: inner struggle and torment

: of the boy visible are of great

: importance in the production.

: They become especially

: important when the boy evolves
: from being the victim into being :
: the bully. :

Another noteworthy

: aspect is the costumes, which
: bring a heavy realism to the

 

: production by showing how

: recent and relevant the subject
: matter really is. It is astounding
: how well the performers did,

: especially the boy, when dressed
: in heavy winter clothing. It

: was believable that these

: performers were teenagers and
: older authorities, despite many
: of them playing characters

: much younger or older than

: themselves.

This production is

: almost flawless and I highly

: recommend people go see it. It
: isa deeply raw, emotional, and

: moving production, especially

: for younger audience members.
: Several moments left viewers,

: including myself, in tears.

For younger attendees, the

: Vancouver Opera has enacted
: anew program that will allow
: patrons under the age of 35

: to purchase tickets for select

seats at a discounted rate of

: $35 instead of the usual $99.

: Stickboy runs until November 7,
: after which it is expected to tour
: BC high schools.

 

‘Oulja conjures up cheap scares and bad acting

» ‘Ouyja’ Movie review

Megan West
Contributor

: Debbie dies a mysterious death
: after making use of a Ouija

board she found in her attic.
In an attempt to make contact

: needed to go above and beyond
: to set itself apart. But the jump-
: scare tactics and mediocre

: acting left me feeling like I’d

: seen it all before. Aside from

The only saving grace of

: the entire movie was the minor
: twist in the last 25 minutes,

: and ina strange ending where

: a spirit comes back to save

: the day, complete with wind

: machines and dramatic lighting.
: Although the movie isn’t one

: of outstanding quality, I'd say

: those looking for a cheap scare

: could walk away satisfied, if only
: done ona modest budget, the : because they can laugh at how

: movie had a limited setting, : bad it was.

: which felt very one-dimensional. :

: B-list actor Daren Kagasoff

: (The Secret Life of the American
: Teenager), no one in the film

: could be considered a draw

: and you won't leave feeling any
: differently, I’m sure. Clearly

yr) yr) fr) fr) fr) with Debbie, her friends play
: the game and are met by a spirit

named DZ. As the movie goes

: on, More and more members of

: the group meet their untimely

: deaths while the remaining

: group members do everything

: in their power to stop the spirits.
Since the premise of the

: movie isn’t all that original, it

he rules of the game are

simple: “Never play alone,”
“Never play in a graveyard,”
“Always say goodbye.”

The newest scary movie
to hit the big screen is Ouija,
directed by Stiles White, about
a group of teens whose friend