It was a wait so long (so long, so long) The Pixies pay a long-awaited two-stop visit to Vancouver Angela Espinoza Arts Reviewer entire household. Never did I think I’d get the chance to see this freakishly awesome band in person, let alone performing Doolittle in its entirety. Luckily, that all changed on the night of May 4, when they played their second show in a row at the Orpheum. First off though, opening act Imaginary Cities didn’t let the size of the crowd stop them from rocking the stage. The Winnipeg-based band had a sound that dug into their Canadian folk roots. Singer Marti Sarbit danced around while the real front man, guitarist Rusty Matyas, delivered some indie charm between songs to the growing audience. Eventually, the theatre became packed with fans in their late-teens to their mid-forties, all buzzing with excitement. As the lights dimmed, a - large onstage screen displayed scenes from Salvador Dali’s Un Chien Andalou (1929), starting with the classic eye- hen I first heard the legendary Pixies were coming, the girlish squeal it evoked woke my slitting scene, eliciting eager gasps from the audience. Moments later, David Lovering, Joey Santiago, Kim Deal, and Black Francis each made their way to the stage; guitarist Joey and singer/guitarist Black Francis to the left, and drummer David and singer/bassist Kim to the right. With a cutesy chime, Kim announced “First, the B-sides”, diving straight into songs like space romp “Dancing the Manta Ray” and “Bailey’s Walk”. Then, as the lights simmered down once again, “Doolittle” appeared on the screen. The crowd erupted as the first few chords of Andalou-homage “‘Debaser” were played, screaming and jumping along with Francis the whole way through. It was time to dance with the next song, “Tame” came into play, saucing up the stage with lines like “hips like Cinderella” and transitioning images of lady mannequins caressing each other. ; The theatre was eventually dyed red by five large lit balloons hanging above the band, as thick red lines dripped on screen to “I Bleed”. Arguably their most well-known single to date, insanity understandably took over the crowd for “Here Comes Your Man”; and again for environmental plea of “Monkey Gone to Heaven”. “Crackity Jones” featured images of eyeless baby dolls basically having seizures to the intense speed of the song. David, continuing to drum along, took over vocals for “La La Love You”, which adorned the room with animated hearts chasing each other around before bursting into flame. Probably the coolest part of the show was during the first encore, when during another B-side, “Into the White”, the entire room was filled with a cloud of white smoke. Only the silhouettes of the band could be seen near the end. This was followed by a second encore featuring hits like “Where Is My Mind?” and “Gigantic”. With such a heavy emphasis on some of their lesser known songs and visual nods to their inspirations, this was clearly a show for diehard Pixies fans. Even nearing their fifties, the group sounds fantastic. Francis is still screeching flawlessly and Kim still serenades like a schoolgirl. It’s a shame the show was played to an older crowd; there wasn’t nearly as much jumping around or stage-storming as there should’ve been. Otherwise, it was a fantastic show and an unforgettable night. Want to see some people that might be underachieving more than you? Twenty-Something Theatre’s Prodigals at SFU By Julia Siedlanowska Tan Prodigals, for me, didn’t fulfill all of Twenty- Something Theatre’s mandate to produce “contemporary theatre that is provocative,” (perhaps it was “thought provoking” —there’s a difference) and I wouldn’t call it “edgy,” but I would say that it certainly stuck to its goals as a piece that was relevant to the twenty- something demographic. The characters in this play (the first written by up- and-coming playwright Sean Minogue) represent the passionless dashed dreams of those living in a small Canadian town they call “the Soo.” A group of friends, all about six years after graduation, find themselves in the same place as when their friend and peer, Wesley, left for the big city, Toronto. Now, Wesley is back to testify as a Character witness for an old friend who has just beaten someone to death in their hometown. After not seeing Wesley for years, the five remaining characters are faced with a number of conflicting feelings when he returns. They have not lived up to their own expectations, and decide to put all the blame on the only one who made it out of town. To anyone who grew up in a small town (or, yes, even the suburbs), each character is completely recognizable. Minogue, along with Peter Boychuk (dramaturge and director), Jane Sanden (costume designer), and of course all the young talented actors in this original production make up an astonishingly realistic picture. Jameson Parker (recently seen in Death of a Salesman at the Vancouver Playhouse) is the burping, emotionally immature Greg. Nips (played by Brandyn Eddy)— whose real name is only used by his girlfriend, Jen—the sincere, nerdy guy working in a call center. Eliot and Nina (played by Aslam Husain and Kirsten Kilburn) have a baby together and struggle to pay the bills. Jen and Wesley (Tara Pratt and Timothy Johnston) fill the roles of the reformed slut and playboy of the group. The moral high ground is constantly shifting between the characters, until most astonishingly, Greg, seemingly the biggest loser of the group, points out that none of them can take responsibility for their own underachievement. He himself admits that although he still lives with his parents and doesn’t have a girlfriend, he doesn’t blame this on anyone but himself. “It’s not Wesley’s fault you’re a slut,” he says to Jen ina characteristically brash yet humorous line. In this moment we are let deeper into a seemingly shallow character. We realize that his constant teasing is only a way of making light of the pathetic situations he and his sorry friends find themselves in. This play is filled with the struggles common to many at the cusp of adulthood, but the age able to relate with this story goes beyond twenty- something. So many times we see people who never quite grew up, never quite achieved anything, never quite changed. Prodigals shows us life as it is. It shows us characters searching for meaning and motivation. Though the supposedly main characters don’t quite stand out from the rest, Prodigals is a piece that is completely relevant to our times, and to most of the twenty-somethings / know. Minogue is a promising writer that has given quite the gift to this team, and the actors and production team have given back. Who: Twenty-Something Theatre What: Prodigals Where: SFU Woodward’s, Studio T (159 W Hastings) When: May 5-14" 8pm Why: Because it’s pretty good!