Anthony Jeselnik performs at the Queen E
By Steve Newton
FRIDAY: Dead Bob, a new band formed by former NoMeansNo member John Wright, plays the Pearl, with guests the Vicious Cycles.
FRIDAY: bluegrass band John Reischman and the Jaybirds, featuring mandolinist-composer Reischman, blends original songs and instrumentals with Appalachian old-time music at Burnaby’s Shadbolt Centre for the Arts.
True Romance screens at the Rio
FRIDAY: 30th-anniversary screening at the Rio Theatre of True Romance, Tony Scott’s hyper-violent action flick about a lonely pop-culture geek in Detroit (Christian Slater) who marries a kindly call-girl (Patricia Arquette), steals cocaine from her pimp, and tries to sell it in Hollywood.
FRIDAY: Vancouver post-punk/new-wave quartet Actors plays the Rickshaw Theatre, with guests Revolution Above Disorder, Ringfinger, and DJ Evilyn13.
FRIDAY: the Vancouver Night Market Winter Edition is a free event at Vancouver Art Gallery Robson Square that features food trucks, vintage clothing, retail vendors, and complimentary admission to the art gallery.
FRIDAY: the Found Footage Festival: Volume 10 at the Rio Theatre sees Joe Pickett from The Onion and Nick Prueher from The Colbert Report offering weird and wonderful finds such as a video-dating tape for women in 1987 and a mysterious New Age seminar called “Elimination: The First Step”.
Luna the Whale at Liven UP–Coal Harbour
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY: Liven UP–Coal Harbour is a free, family-friendly event that will see lighting installations, artists, musicians, and storytellers along a walk from Canada Place to Cardero Park. Musical performers include Leo D.E. Johnson on Friday and the Cory Weeds Organ Quartet on Saturday.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: the annual Festival of Lights features 15 acres of trees, plants, and pathways adorned with over one-million twinkling lights at VanDusen Botanical Garden.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: Emily Carr: A Room of Her Own, showing at the Vancouver Art Gallery until September of 2024, features approximately 25 works drawn from the gallery’s Emily Carr Collection and maps key biographical moments in Carr’s practice.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: the Arts Club Theatre Company presents Elf: The Musical, based on the 2003 Christmas comedy film Elf and starring Andrew McNee as Buddy the Elf. Running until December 31 at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: Carmen Aguirre directs performances of Blood Wedding, Federico García Lorca’s tragedy of love, repression, and duty, at Langara College’s Studio 58.
Denyse Thomasos exhibit at the VAG
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: the work of late Trinidadian-Canadian artist Denyse Thomasos is featured in the career retrospective Denyse Thomasos: just beyond, running until March of 2024 at the Vancouver Art Gallery.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: Cirque du Soleil presents its production of Kooza, a 125-minute acrobatics/circus show exploring themes of fear, identity, recognition, and power. Running until December 31 under the Big Top at Concord Pacific Place.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: Theatre Replacement presents playwrights Jivesh Parasram and Christine Quintana’s family show East Van Panto: Beauty and the Beast, with music by Veda Hille, at the York Theatre.
FRIDAY TO SUNDAY: Bright Nights in Stanley Park is a family-oriented fundraiser for the BC Professional Firefighters’ Burn Fund that features rides on the Christmas train, holiday lights display, live entertainment, food trucks, refreshments, and photos with Santa. Please note: tickets for the popular Stanley Park Christmas Train are completely SOLD OUT.
SATURDAY: Just For Laughs presents American standup comedian Anthony Jeselnik performing two shows at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
SATURDAY: California punk-rock quintet Lagwagon, featuring vocalist Joey Cape, plays the Hollywood Theatre.
SUNDAY: Vancouver folk-rock band Just a Season, fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Scott Smith, plays Guilt and Co.
Rojek screens at VIFF Centre
SUNDAY: screening at the VIFF Centre of director Zaynê Akyol’s 2022 documentary Rojek, which weighs the context, cost, and consequences of radical Islamic fundamentalism. In Kurdish, English, Arabic, French, and German, with English subtitles; Q&A to follow with the filmmakers.
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