By now, you know Christmas in Vancouver: the annual heartstring specials, the wintry snowflake waltzes, the craft fair tchotchkes and “knittens”.
And those are great. Truly. Those holiday events are Christmas canon for a reason: they fill our weary masses with cheer when our hearts and minds need it most. Also, those close encounters with The Nutcracker and It’s a Wonderful Lif eare, in some cases, the only time people even think about the arts. Huzzah!
But spread across the city are discerning options – dark, distinguished and designed events that have just enough Christmas to satisfy the fix, without surrendering themselves entirely to the cliché. We’ve culled the calendar down to three of the most cryptic, quirky, and curated of them all.
Ebenezer
Dec. 8-Jan. 2; Jericho Arts Centre (1675 Discovery). Tickets from $29; SevenTyrants.com
For fans of: The Muppet Christmas Carol; ghosts.
Don’t be fooled into thinking you’re familiar with the story of Ebenezer Scrooge. This season, Seven Tyrants Theatre is taking the miserly Christmas tale back to its most macabre roots.
“Our interpretation is re-touching in with the original, which is an extremely dark and scary story,” says Ebenezer co-creator David Newham of Seven Tyrants. “[The original] is actually subtitled A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas. And everyone is familiar with the opening lines, you know, ‘Marley was dead: to begin with.’ So there are these dark elements that really aren’t meant as a bedtime story.”
Written at a time when the British were just starting to explore Christmas traditions such as cards and trees, Charles Dickens’ instant classic about the power of Christmas also served as a humanitarian reminder about the plight of the nation’s poor – an issue close to Dickens’ heart. In 1843, after months spent touring the horrors of England’s factories and mines, he shrewdly decided a deeply moving ghost story would go a lot further than a series of righteous essays about the need for social services.
“I think what Dickens was really trying to say was that these wealthy upper classes had seemed to lose their humanity,” explains Newham. “So Scrooge is a kind of symbol of something that Dickens saw at work in our society as a whole … this idea of selfishness, of greed, of capital being more important than family, love, humanity, happiness.”
Fresh off last season’s Jessie-nominated musical Mozart & Salieri and 2014’s Ovation Award-nominated Beggar’s Opera, Ebenezer builds on Seven Tyrants’ tradition of reimagining classics. In this twist, the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet To Come serve as the narrators. Ebenezer also goes deeper into the metaphysical essence of the original – was it real? Or was it just a dream… And, unlike the many famous adaptations – Alastair Sims’ 1951 touchstone or Bill Murray’s Scrooged – this version happens to be a musical.
The production features an original musical score composed by Daniel Doerkson, and played live by the cast of seven. Newham describes it as a mix of genres, from classic jazz to the Muppets.
“We’re a multidisciplinary company, so we always like to incorporate a lot of music, and as a director I’m pretty anti-realistic,” he laughs, “so I prefer shows that are highly theatrical and highly entertaining. And I’m always looking for performers who have got other skill sets.”
To that end, Newham has drawn together an impressive cast, including Vancouver stage mainstay Andrew Wheeler (Proud, Best Laid Plans) as Scrooge and the likes of Mike Stack and Tom Jones bringing their extensive expertise in mask work to the play.
Despite the 21st century reinvention though, Newham says the story’s core message stays the same.
“We want to meet certain expectations,” Newham assures. “Scrooge still says ‘Bah, Humbug!’ you know? But by the same token I think people will be surprised by the story they see. They’ll recognize the narrative but I think they’ll be surprised by the more adult nature it’s being presented in.”
Toque
Dec. 4-6; Western Front (303 East 8th). Admission by donation; Front.bc.ca
For fans of: Bob Ross painting a Yule log.
If you go to one craft fair this Christmas, make it Toque. Not only will you be seeing work from a number of vendors who don’t take part in the usual craft fair circuit, but you’ll be helping support the year-round programming of the Western Front artist society.
Running for a newly expanded three days in December, Toque will see Western Front’s Mt. Pleasant heritage digs full to the brim with the work of 28 talented artists and artisans.
While not always known as “Toque”, the fundraiser has a long history in the local arts community.
“They’ve always done it as a fundraiser,” explains Western Front executive director Caitlin Jones. “Maybe not since 1973, but we have images from, like, the early ‘80s when they were doing it.”
Back then, it was viewed as an extension of the Western Front-goers’ artistic practice. Similarly now, Jones explains, Toque still has many artists who participate, not selling artwork per se, but selling some other craft or material.
“We like to say [that Toque has] gifts from $5 to $500,” says Jones with a grin. “You’re getting handmade artist objects, so you’re not going to stock up on tons of cheap stocking stuffers here, but most vendors do have a great range on their tables. So for a ceramicist like Gailan Ngan, you’ll have a $400 bowl and then a small item that’s $25. Same with Henderson Dry Goods,” she continues. “She’s got beautiful jewelry and mobiles, and then also absolutely beautiful laser-cut, wood tree ornaments.”
Toque is one of three annual fundraisers which help Western Front, one of the oldest existing artist-run centres in Canada, not only keep their lights on but pursue innovative programming in their media arts, music and gallery exhibition spaces. Instead of paying a traditional table fee, Toque vendors volunteer 30 per cent of their proceeds to the Front, yielding the organization around $10,000-$15,000 in additional funds each year. And while they have artists lining up to take part, Toque keeps its intimate feel thanks to space limitations and contemporary art sensibilities. The event, which hits all the right festive notes, is also known for being a bit of a party.
“We have a holiday cocktail on the Friday night,” explains Jones conspiratorially. “It’s a very fun atmosphere… Western Front has, for 40 years, been known for its parties, and Friday night is a really fun night to come and hang out and see what we do, see this cool building, and get all your Christmas shopping done.”
Happy Fronting.
Praetorius Christmas Vespers
Dec. 20; Chan Shun Concert Hall at the Chan Centre (6265 Crescent). Tickets from$17.50; EarlyMusic.bc.ca
For fans of: Playing the recorder; mulled wine.
Celebrate the season like it’s 17th century Germany with Early Music Vancouver (EMV). For one night only in December, EMV will welcome 13 vocal soloists, a choir, a string band, cornetto and sackbut players, three theorbo players, and multiple keyboardists from around North America to recreate a Christmas vespers, or evening church service, as it might have been heard under the direction of German composer Michael Praetorius four hundred years ago.
“We present music using instruments that were current at the time that the music was composed,” explains Matthew White, Early Music Vancouver’s artistic director, seated at a harpsichord in the organization’s Fairview offices. “So if we’re doing 18th century music, we’re using either actual 18th century instruments set up in the way that they were set up in the 18th century, or we’re using copies.”
While White himself is not a player, his organization has amassed an impressive collection of harpsichords, Baroque timpani, Renaissance lutes and more, available to rent for those learning how to play. And while the early music scene will never be seen as “hip”, it’s a fascinating underground art movement of professionals, academics and hobbyists who have singlehandedly resurrected these instruments from virtual extinction. For example, last month, EMV co-presented a performance of Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 – one of the cornerstones of classical music.
“When an academic looked at the Monteverdi vespers in the 1950s, the first thing they noticed was there were parts written for a whole bunch of instruments that nobody even knew how to play anymore,” says White. “It’s strange to think that using these old instruments creates a sense of newness, but it really does for a lot of people,” he continues. “When you hear sackbuts or cornetti for the first time [you think], ‘Wow those things sound like human voices.’”
Up next for EMV are the festive Praetorius Christmas Vespers. Where the Monteverdi vespers are “highly virtuosic” pieces of music that require professionals to create, the Praetorius vespers are, conversely, for everybody.
“The Lutheran tradition encouraged all levels of the community to participate,” says White. “So the piece is designed for there to be moments of solo brilliance from the professionals, but then it’s also designed for everybody to take part.”
Led by guest music director David Fallis of Toronto, the EMV performance will also involve the audience.
“It’s a really different type of event than going to see the Messiah or going to see even the Christmas Oratorio,” says White with a smile. “In a way, it’s a recreation, without the sermons, of a 17th century church service. It sounds boring, but it is actually quite the opposite because it’s a huge celebration.”
