Category Archives: Upcoming Events

Todd Wong getting ready for “Battle of the Bards”

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Somehow this 5th generation Chinese-Canadian who has never set foot in Scotland is becoming a  go-to guy for Gaelic and Celtic culture in Vancouver? 

It took me by complete surprise when Steve Duncan initially asked me to play Robert Burns in a literary poetry slam for Celtic Fest Vancouver, based on the “Battle of the Bards” originally done in Dublin.

Steve wrote on his blog Commerical Drive – Live!,

Every year I put on some type of literary event for the festival. This year it's The Battle of the Bards Pub Crawl. A cross between Dublin's world-famous literary Pub Crawl, and the phenomenally popular Poetry Slam (which makes it's home right here on the Drive at Cafe Deux Soliels every Monday and produces consistently top spoken word artists.

For this event, hosted by the lovely Ravishing Rhonda, Dylan Thomas, W.B Yeats and Robbie Burns (played masterfully by Damon Calderwood, Mark Downey and Todd Wong – of Gung Haggis Fat Choy fame)
go head-to-head in a poetry face-off at 3 different venues and are
judged by members of the audience the grand finale is a karaoke battle
at Ceili's Pub, with a live DJ (local spinmaster Michael Louw) and celtic fiddler Elise Bloer.

Och!  And explorer Simon Fraser was born in Vernont to Loyalist parents, and he never set foot in Scotland either!

The “Battle of The Bards” event is catching a buzz in Vancouver poetry and performance circles now.  Professional actors are playing poets Dylan Thomas and William Butler Yeats.  But Robbie Burns is being played by cultural activist Todd Wong aka “Toddish McWong.” 

Todd Wong (me) is not a professional actor, despite taking some acting classes at Capilano College.  I think I am at a disadvantage by being culturally challenged not having grown up with an Ayreshire accent, as well as being alcohol absorption challenged because of the Chinese DNA.  How will I survive this literary pub crawl?  But I hope to have a few surprises in store.

I can't reveal details of these surprises or upcoming articles in the media… so please stay tuned.  They are each different in subject matter and direction… both each were fascinating chats, and both wanted new pictures of Toddish McWong in action around Vancouver….  more details later.

Mini Shum speaks at “Double Happiness” film screening for UBC centennial celebrations

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I loved the film Double Happiness by Mina Shum.  It was like a grittier Canadian version of Joy Luck Club.  It starred Sandra Oh, as a young Asian Canadian woman trying to reconcile her love for her non-Asian boyfriend and her traditional Chinese Canadian parents.

Sandra Oh won a Genie award for her role in Double Happiness.  How timely that Mina Shum will speak about this movie, since Oh just hosted the Genie awards on March 3rd.

UBC is celebrating 100 years, and Mina Shum has been invited to screen and give a director's talk with the audience.

Following information from www.100.ubc.ca/events/more-info/15

  • 2008 UBC Centenary Screening Series – Double Happiness by Mina Shun, preceded by short film Scattering Eden

  • The UBC Film Production Alumni Association presents
    The 2008 UBC Centenary Screening Series
    February 5, March 11, May 20 & November 18th
    (For UBCO listings see Learn More)

    Screening of the hit debut film followed by a Q&A session with Ms. Shum about her experiences making the movie.

    www.ubcfilmalumni.org

    Please join us for a screening of the hit debut feature film Double Happiness directed by UBC Film alumna Mina Shum, preceded by the short film Scattering Eden
    directed by fellow alumna Nimisha Mukerji. Following the screening will
    be a lively Q&A moderated by Nimisha, where audience members will
    be encouraged to ask Mina questions about her experiences in filmmaking.

    Double Happiness, starring Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy)
    in her first feature role, was a ground-breaking film researched,
    written and directed by Mina Shum, and had a significant impact in
    Canadian cinema. In addition to the film becoming a touchstone for the
    Asian-Canadian community, Mina herself has been a role model for future
    generations of filmmakers.

    Vancity Theatre- 1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3M7

    UBCO
    Screenings : SSC 026 Student Services Centre Theatre (3333 University
    Way, Kelowna) at 6 PM, free admission. Please contact Denise Kenney
    at (250) 807-9632 or denise.kenney@ubc.ca for further details.

  • Vancity Theatre- 1181 Seymour Street, Vancouver
  • March 11 6:00pm-10:00pm (604) 683-3456

Toddish McWong to appear as Robbie Burns in “Battle of the Bards” literary pub crawl

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The word is out.  Scotland's favorite poet son, will be represented in Vancouver CelticFest's Battle of the Bards by 5th generation Chinese Canadian Todd Wong aka Toddish McWong – creator of Gung Haggis Fat Choy Robbie Burns Chinese New Year Dinner, and other intercultural events.

Wong first participated in Celtic Fest's first St. Patrick's Day parade, when he put a Taiwanese dragon boat on a trailer and towed it down the street in the parade.  Seated in the boat were bagpiper Joe McDonald, and guitarist Andrew Kim, the Brave Waves.



Both McDonald and Kim were also featured in the CBC Vancouver television performance special Gung Haggis Fat Choy – another spin off from the Todd Wong creative braintrust.


View Clip

Check out official CelticFest promotional blurbs from event organizer and poet Stephen Duncan
http://www.poetryradio.blogspot.com/

With CelticFest and St. Paddy's day fast upon us, we decided a tribute
to the Scotch and Irish would be appropriate, so we are raising the
dead for this show and bringing in William Butler Yeats and Robbie Burns to help celebrate.
Yeats and Burns (really two great performers, Mark Downey and Todd Wong) will be going head-to-head, along with Dylan Thomas in a unique literary event this year on Thursday, March 13: The Battle of the Bards Literary Pub Crawl, a
combination pub crawl/poetry slam where the legendary poets go from pub
to pub downtown performing their works and being judged by members of
the audience armed with scorecards. The event culminates in a Jack Karaoke-style match at Ceili's Pub, where they must do their pieces accompanied by a DJ (All Purpose's Michael Louw) and fiddler Elise Boeur. Once the contest is over much drinking and dancing is done into the wee hours.

Click on the image below for more details.

Ron MacLeod Report Feb 29: a ceilidh, a TV program, Isle of Eigg and Talisker whisky.

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Ron MacLeod is Scots Chair V at the Centre for Scottish Studies at Simon Fraser University.  Here is his latest report featuring one of my favorite single malt scotch whiskey

Greetings, a message about a ceilidh, a TV program, Isle of Eigg and whisky.  Regards, the other Ron

 
1.  Ceilidh
What: Gaelic Society’s next ceilidh
Where: Scottish Cultural Centre, 8886 Hudson (at 73rd Ave), Vancouver,B.C.
When: Saturday, March 1st, 2008
Time:  8:00 PM
 Other: small door fee; entertainment, munchies, some dancing.
All welcome
 

2. The following courtesy Angus MacIssaac. A short movie entitled “The Wake of Calum MacLeod” will be shown on Bravo television at 4:30 P.M., Friday, February 29th. The movie was made in Cape Breton so should have a great dollop of Highland realism.

 3. Life will never be the same on the island of Eigg again, and in this respect it can only be a good thing.  Islanders have at last joined the 21st Century and will now be able to enjoy the little things we take for completely for granted.  No
doubt there will be a rush of electrical equipment being delivered to
the island; appliances which the residents have not been able to use
previously because their power was provided by expensive diesel
generators and gas bottles. 

The
Isle of Eigg Electrification Project switched on for the first time on
1st February 2008, allowing power generated from renewable energy
sources around the island to be supplied to all residents, through the
new island-wide high voltage distribution network. The
system will generate over 95% of the island’s annual energy demand
through a combination of Hydro Electric, Wind Power and Solar Energy,
which is believed to be the first time that anyone has successfully
integrated these three renewable energy sources. To ensure that
constant power can be provided, a battery storage system has been
designed which will compensate for short periods where energy from
renewable sources is not available. Two diesel generators have also
been installed to provide emergency back-up power, and to supplement
the supply should the output from the renewable sources be lower than
the demand.

 

4. Talisker Distillery in Skye is
looking forward to increased interest from connoisseurs around the
globe after one of its products was named “the world’s best single malt
whisky” in the industry’s most prestigious awards event.

It
was Talisker 18 Years Old that took the fancy of the judging panel —
and the supreme title for the first time — in Whisky Magazine’s 2007
Awards. A spokesman for Diageo, the distillery’s owners, said that
demand for Talisker was expected to rise sharply as a result.  The
award coincides with the retirement of Charlie Smith, manager at
Talisker for the past three years, following a distinguished career in
the whisky industry. Mr Smith was also manager at Dufftown, Cardhu and
Glenkinchie distilleries.

He
is succeeded by Willie MacDougal, a native of Aberfeldy who was site
operations manager at Oban Distillery for six years prior to a brief
spell at Blair Athol. His family has a long association with the
industry and Mr MacDougal says he is “totally thrilled” to be taking
over at one of the world’s most famous distilleries.  “Talisker
is one of the most successful malts in the world,” said Mr MacDougal,
“though — or maybe because — the distillery’s output is deliberately a
good deal lower than some other top-selling malts. It’s a distillery
with massive heritage and an amazing future, with fans all over the
world.” He added that he also intended to improve his piping skills
while on Skye.  The
Whisky Magazine judging panel’s comments on Talisker 18 Years Old fully
endorsed Mr MacDougal’s enthusiasm for the brand. Dave Broom, one of
the world’s leading whisky commentators, described it as “elegant with
fascinating balance between smoke and subtle sweet fruit. Ever changing
in the glass and on the palate.”

Edinburgh whisky dealer Keir Sword waxed even more eloquent:

“Warm,
rich and attractive. Leather, pipe-tobacco, sweet sherry and polished
oak on the nose, followed by a good creamy texture and a warming
finish. A very attractive

Author Sharon Butala reads at Joy Kogawa House Friday Feb 22, and hosts writing workshop

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Sharon Butala is helping the Historic Joy Kogawa House Society with our goal to establish a writers in residence programs at the former childhood home of author Joy Kogawa. 

Tonight, Sharon Butala gives a 7:30pm reading at 1450 West 64th Ave.
On Saturday and Sunday, she conducts a writing workshop workshop about memoir writing.

This is the house that the then 6 year old Joy and her family left
behind their wonderful home in 1942, when they were sent to internment
camps because they were Japanese-Canadian.

A writing workshop and public reading with Sharon Butala

Writing the Memoir

Location: Historic Joy Kogawa House, 1450 West 64th Avenue, Vancouver

Date:
Reading on Friday, February 22, 7:30 to 9 p.m.; writing workshop on
Saturday, February 23, and Sunday, February 24, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Cost: To be determined. Space is limited. To secure a seat, please register by emailing ametten at telus dot net.

Many
writers have demonstrated that even the most glamorous lives–of
celebrities, war heroes, or politicians–can make for dull reading. Yet
the most ordinary lives can make thrilling reading. How does the
storyteller capture the essence of the story and develop a reader's
interest? What are memoirs really about, and why write them? Through
discussion, question and answer, exercises, and examining successful
memoirs, this workshop will endeavour to answer such questions, as well
as to show how memoirs might be structured, and how a writer decides
what to put in and what to leave out. Memoirs are therapy for both
writer and reader, but they are also good stories: at their best, they
are art.

Sharon Butala is an award-winning author of both fiction
and non-fiction. Her memoir, The Perfection of the Morning, was a
Canadian bestseller and a finalist for the Governor General's Award. Ms
Butala has been called one of Canada's true visionaries. In 2002 she
was honoured as an Officer of the Order of Canada. Her newest work, The
Girl in Saskatoon: A Meditation on Memory and Murder (HarperCollins
Canada), will be in bookstores in March.

Watch this website over the next few days for more information

Indo-Canadian fusion with Highland Dancing, Jazz music and Bhangra

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Tarun Nayar of Beats Without Borders occasionally sends me announcements of upcoming events and concerts.  Last night he and the group Delhi 2 Dublin performed at the CBC studios.  We met at the first Delhi 2 Dublin concert – back in March 2006 – see my review:
St. Paddy's Eve in Vancouver – What is a man in a kilt to do? –

Looks like a nice line up of South Asian music with some cross-cultural fusion.  Especially the Transfusion dance show where “Flamenco blurs into Kathak, and
Bhangra is intertwined with Celtic.”

I have seen Kiran Ahluwalia both performing traditional ghazal songs as well as her performance in the jazz opera Quebecite – written by Chinese-Afro-Canadian D.D. Jackson with lyrics by Afro-MicMac-Canadian George Eliot Clarke.

Kiran Ahluwalia
Saturday Feb 23, 8pm
Christ Church Cathedral (690 Burrard St)
Tickets: 604.872.5200 or http://www.ticketmaster.ca
 
Kiran
is great! Check her out if you can… From the organizers:  “Ahluwalia
sings original ghazals and Punjabi folk songs, backed by her five piece
ensemble; featuring tabla, harmonium, guitar, and bass. She is a multi
award- winning artist, known for her lush compositions, stellar voice
and captivating live performances.  Her most recent album, Wanderlust
(Times Square/Fusion3) is a strikingly beautiful work just nominated
for World Music Album of the Year at the 2008 Juno Awards.”

———————————————————————————————
Rez Abbasi's Bazaar

Sunday, Feb 24. 4:30pm
Performance Works (Granville Island)
FREE
From
the organizers: “This all-star band will delight fans of Shakti, Trilok
Gurtu, and other world-jazz fusion masters. New York-based guitarist
Rez Abbasi whose organic mix of jazz with elements of Indian classical
music creates a singular and distinctive sound leads the group. With
Juno Award winning vocalist Kiran Ahluwalia, Hammond B-3 organ player
Sam Barsh, and drummer Dan Weiss in tow this stimulating cultural
crossover is rhythmically captivating and utterly mesmerizing.”
———————————————————————————————
Transfusion
indian dance inter-relationships

Friday Feb 29 and Sat March 1, 8pm
Vancouver International Film Centre (1181 Seymour Street)
Tix 18$ from ticketmaster or at 604.280.4444

Co-presented
by the VIBC Society and the Cultural Olympiad, this unique event blends
contemporary and traditional folk dance styles spanning the
subcontinent of India and reaching as far West as the Latin world and
the Highlands of Scotland. Watch as Flamenco blurs into Kathak, and
Bhangra is intertwined with Celtic in this presentation of folk dances
from around the world. Bharatnatyam, Odissi, Afro-contemporary,
Chinese, Balinese, Flamenco, Kathak, Bhangra, Breakdance, Celtic – all
re-interpreted with a heavy dose of multimedia. With dancers Sitara
Thobani, Chengxin Wei, Stu Iguidez, Raakhi Sinha, and many many more.
This is gonna be hot!!!!

———————————————————————————————
Bhangra Love
the City of Bhangra dance party

Thursday March 6, 9pm
The Red Room (398 Richards)
Tix 10$ @ the door

The
BWB crew's biggest annual party, and the kick off to the VIBC festival.
Killer acts including DJ Sandeep Kumar from LA, live bhangra from the
city's hottest bhangra band, En Karma, and a special dance performance
pitting bhangra dancers vs street dancers. More fun times at the red
room! This party will sell out, so come nice and early…

———————————————————————————————
City of Bhangra

For more info about this awesome stretch of events check http://www.vibc.org/cityofbhangra

“The Quickie” is very Vancouver play about diversity and expectations in relationships

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We saw Grace Chin's new play “The Quickie” on Friday night.  Two words quickly came to mind – “Very Vancouver.”
Two people drag their friends to a Speed Dating event, meet new people, have a follow-up date, then let the sparks and fur fly when they ask their friends to tag along on a double date.

It is a witty comedy play that had the audience talking about it during the intermission, and even making the “awwww” sound when one of the characters was rejected. 

Playwright Grace has captured the diversity of even the Vancouver's Asian population, incorporating Maylaysian Chinese, Korean, South Asian and Cantonese Chinese origins, as well as Irish-Italian, and Hong Kong origins.  Accents blend into the action, and you don't notice them as none of the four lead performers speak with accents.

Inter-ethnic dating is a topic discussion.  Do we or don't we?  It was funny, because my girlfriend and I were sitting with friends, and we were both inter-ethnic couples.  So very Vancouver, in Canada's capital of inter-ethnic relationships.

Check out http://www.scriptingaloud.ca/quickie/

More later….

Tailor Made: cbc documentary about Chinatown's Modernize Tailors featuring brothers Bill and Jack Wong

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Chinatown History is happening in front of our eyes!

Tuesday February 12, 2008 at 10pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld

Watch this CBC documentary about  Modernize Tailors (1903) – the last Chinese tailor shop in Vancouver Chinatown.

Bill Wong the tailor attended our 2008 Gung Haggis Fat Choy Dinner.  His son Steven
paddles on our Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team.  This is a
wonderful documentary that received a standing ovation at the Whistler
Film Festival.

Bill
and Jack's younger brother Milton Wong is one of Vancouver's important
figures, and former chancellor of SFU, and known as the “grandfather of
dragon boat racing” in Vancouver.  Both Milton and Steven were interviewed for a German public television documentary addressing multiculturalism in Vancouver.  The Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team was featured too!
Check out: http://wstreaming.zdf.de/zdf/veryhigh/071219_toronto_vancouver.asx

My own family has known the Wongs for many year, my aunts and uncles went to school with many of the Wong family members.  My uncle Laddie works as a tailor at Modernize Tailors.

In 2004, both the “Wong Way” dragon boat team and the Gung Haggis Fat Choy dragon boat team participated in a workshop to carve dragon boat heads at the Round House Community Centre.



Check the Modernize Tailors Website:
http://www.modernizetailors.blogspot.com/

Tuesday February 12, 2008 at 10pm ET/PT on CBC Newsworld
TAILOR MADE
A naïve apprentice and a hot, young master tailor are both interested in taking over a legendary tailor shop in Vancouver's Chinatown, but they'll have a hard time convincing the hard-working Wong brothers to retire.

Modernize Tailors opened in 1913, and in the 1950s Bill and Jack Wong
took over from their father. Over the years, they've created suits for
all occasions and for customers from all walks of life-from lumberjacks
and new immigrants to movie stars like Sean Connery and politicians
like Sam Sullivan, the Mayor of Vancouver.

Now, a newer
generation is looking to make their mark and take over the Modernize
Tailors legacy. But will the 85-year-old Wong Brothers ever stop
working?

Tailor Made was directed by Len Lee and Marsha
Newbery, and produced by Marsha Newbery of Realize Entertainment Inc.
It was commissioned by CBC Newsworld.

Chinese New Year week… Gung Haggis Fat Choy style

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It's Chinese New Year week….

here are some FUN events this week…. after recovery from Gung Haggis Fat Choy Chinese Robbie Burns Dinner recovery….

Tuesday February 5, 2008 – 6:00 PM

CITY COOKS with Simi Sara

Channel 13 in Metro Vancouver
Our cooking dragon boat chef Dan Seto (Chinese Canadian Historical Society of B.C.)

  1. Lotus Root Soup
  2. Steamed Pork with Salt Fish
  3. Green Beans with Fooyi Bean Cake

Check out
TUESDAY to Saturday FEB 5 – 9th
BANANA BOYS
Firehall Theatre
The fun play by Leon Aureas, based on the Terry Woo novel
Back from a hit run last year… manic comedy and Asian identity… or Asian confusion.

THURSDAY Feb 7
CHINESE NEW YEAR DAY
– Kilts Night at Doolin's Irish Pub
FREE pint of Guinness if you wear a kilt.
8:00pm – Raphael to greet you.
Hockey game starts a 7:00 pm – expect music by Halifax Wharf Rats to begin afterwards around 9:30

FRIDAY Feb 7 – 16
THE QUICKIE
– Playwrights theatre centre on Granville Island
– this is the play excerpted at Gung Haggis dinner
– this is by the same group that did Twisting Fortunes last year

purchase tickets online via PayPal at www.scriptingaloud.ca/quickie.

Tickets
are selling fast, especially for the Friday, February 8 show.  Don't
miss it. Last year, seats sold out 36 hours in advance.

Friday and Saturday Feb 9 & 10
OOZOOMAY! UZUME TAIKO
with special guest Ben Rogalsky
Japanese Taiko drums with a multi-instrumentalist who plays accordion along with mandolin, tenor banjo and Javanese gamelan  – how can Gung Haggis not resist???

Norman Rothstein Theatre
950 West 41st Ave.

SUNDAY  FEBRUARY 10,
CHINATOWN
NEW YEAR PARADE
12 noon

Place: Parade starts from the Millennium Gate (Pender
and Taylor St.), winds through Pender, Gore and Keefer.


Remember to bring your camera along with family and friends!

Visit www.cbavancouver.ca
for more info.
Poster

Flyer front
/ back

Sunday February 10
CHINESE NEW YEAR CONCERT
Dr. Sun Yat Sen Garden Courtyard
(part of the 2010 Cultural Olympiad)
10:30 -11:30
1:30 – 3:30

– featuring Silk Road Music
+ Uzume Taiko
+ Loretta Leung Dancers
+ many many more!!!

download the program: click here

http://www.silkroadmusic.ca/sitefiles/olympiad.htm

DEAD SERIOUS
at CHAPEL ARTS
(CANCELLED due to illness)
2:30pm
featuring soprano Heather Pawsey and pianist Rachel Iwassa

but see them:

Friday, February 15 concert of DEAD Serious 
7:30 p.m. at Vancouver Memorial Services and Crematorium / Hamilton-Harron Funeral 
Home, 5390 Fraser Street) will TAKE PLACE AS SCHEDULED.  
If you would like to make reservations, 
please call 604-325-7441.

Italian Girl delights opera audience – but BC's best kept secret is bass Randall Jakobsh as Mustafa

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Italian Girl in Algiers

Vancouver Opera

Queen Elizabeth Theatre

January 26, 29. 31 and February 2nd 2008

An Italian girl in a Muslim harem?  A Korean soprano wife singing in
Italian to her German-Canadian bass husband?  Opera is so very
multicultural, and Vancouver Opera's new production of Rossini's
“Italian Girl in Algiers” is a delight!

Can you imagine anything crazier than one of the opera's stars, Randall Jakobsh playing Mustafa, dancing around “naked” behind a towel, or being “powdered” by his servants while singing to a beautiful Rossini score?

I have always loved Rossini's music.  Many generations have grown up
identifying Rossini's “William Tell Overture” as “The Lone Ranger
Theme” – the musicality burned into our brains.  The Italian
Girl in Algiers also has many memorable passages that dusted off my
early memories of listening to one of the essential classical music
collections – Rossini Overtures.

Vancouver Opera's new production of “Italian Girl In Algiers”
originally presented in 1813, is now set during the roaring '20's, a
time of mad-cap comedy described as Emily Earhart meets the Marx
Brothers.  This sets the stage for the audience to accept the absurd
comedic plots and situations that are to come, and all accompanied by a
gorgeous Rossini musical score.

Now imagine sitting in the audience, when a 1920's bi-plane flies over
your head, then sputters, crash landing on stage of the Queen Elizabeth
Theatre.  It actually happens… and the audience claps enthusiastically!

The opera opens with a super huge gigantic book on stage, that opens up to reveal the set design – the palace of the Governor of Algiers.  Just like a bedtime story,  the message is this: don't take this opera seriously… sit back and enjoy the story.

The Governor Mustafa has grown tired of  his wife Elvira, and thinks that an exotic Italian girl will bring him happiness.  He decides to send his wife off with Lindoro, an Italian slave at his court captured only 3 months earlier by Mustafa's pirates.  Suddenly, an airplane crashes, Isabella is looking for her lost love Lindoro.  The pirates take this “Italian Girl” to Mustafa who is instantly infatuated with Isabella, who is shocked to see her beloved Lindoro, who is supposedly being married off to Elvira, who is still in love with Mustafa. This is a comedy of love infatuations and a battle of the sexes begins.  Oh… and then there is Taddeo, the would-be Italian suitor of Isabella, during Lindor's absence. He accompanied Isabella in her search for Lindoro… what a stand up guy! Not!

Soprano Sandra Piques Eddy is perfect as a Katherine Hepburnish, pants wearing, independent woman named Isabella looking for her lost love Lindora, played by lyric tenor John Tessier, who was captured by pirates. Their voices are wonderful.  But despite this ensemble cast, Eddy clearly shines the brightest, as she loves her role as an Isabella who can tame men with a look or a wave.

Randall Jakobsh plays Mustafa, the governor of Algiers, who is instantly smitten by the vivaciously exotic Isabella. This is his debut performance with the Vancouver Opera, and his first appearance as Mustafa.  It's a perfect fit, and expect Jakobsh to be getting calls from around the world for this Rossini play as he brings so much life into a this hilarious role.

Sookhyung Park, plays Elvira the Governor's wife that he is handing her over to Lindora, to make way for this new “Italian Girl” to be added to his harem.  The Korean born Park, balances both her anger and love for Mustafa, and learns from Isabella what it takes to properly “train a husband.”

Rounding out the cast is Hugh Russell as Taddeo, who brings additional comic relief.  Mustafa wants to impress Isabella, and so he names Taddeo as Grand Kaimakan (a lieutenant position amongst his followers).  Taddeo meanwhile does everything he can to thwart Mustafa's advances on Isabella.

But who is Randall Jakobsh, and why should BC opera goers be proud of him?

Imagine a younger, sexier, slimmer Ben Heppner singing Bass – and born and rasied in Vernon BC.  This is Randall.

If there ever was a role made for Randall Jakobsh to demonstrate his abilities, this might be it.  It allows Randall to be charming and sexy, but this also pushes him in his first bufo-comedy role.  He shared with me that this is the hardest role he has ever done, and he was quite anxious about his Vancouver Opera debut when I talked with him on Boxing Day in Vernon. 

But after watching Jakobsh on stage in not much more than a “towel” while singing in a “bath” while the audience laughed at the unexpected rubber ducky, we can all be assured that Randall's star is rising.  He was calm, and looked to be having fun in his role, even when not singing.  He asked what we thought of his “dancing bear” as he hammed it up on stage singing about his infatuation with the Italian Girl, while his slaves powdered him and washed him “behind the towel.”  I had to laugh because when Randall had come over to the house to visit in Vernon, it had been us sitting in the hot tub, and inviting him to come join us.