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APR 7-16 2022
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ARTS LISTINGS
ONGOING
DANCEHOUSE PRESENTS KIDD PIVOT’S “REVISOR” Playwright Jonathon Young’s work, choreographed and directed by Kidd Pivot artistic director Crystal Pite, which takes inspiration from Nikolai Gogol’s scabrous pantomime of power and politics. To Apr 2, Vancouver Playhouse. MADE IN ITALY The Arts Club Theatre Company presents a play about a second-generation Italian teen struggling to find his place in Jasper, Alberta. To Apr 17, Granville Island Stage. Note: postponed from original dates of Jan 13 to Feb 13. Tix from $35. MEN EXPRESS THEIR FEELINGS Zee Zee Theatre presents a provocative comedy challenging assumptions about masculinity and gender norms. To Apr 3, 7:30 pm, Firehall Arts Centre. SHO ESQUIRO: DOCTRINE OF DISCOVERY Solo exhibition by designer, artist, and activist showcases meticulously crafted couture gowns, textiles, paintings, and photographs. To Jun 5, Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art. CLOUD ALBUM Exhibition features more than 250 historically and culturally significant works drawn from the collection of the London-based Archive of Modern Conflict. To May 1, Polygon Gallery. SPRING 2022: COLLECTED WORKS Group exhibition on the potency of photography featuring the work of Larry Clark, Katy Grannan, and Andres Serrano. To May 28, Rennie Museum. Free.
THURSDAY, MARCH 31
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, BOYS AND GIRLS The story of a nine-year-old who comes out as a boy to his family and how they learn to accept his gender identity. Mar 31–Apr 23, Waterfront Theatre. $24. THE 39 STEPS Royal City Theatre Company presents a fast-paced, espionage-filled comedy, directed by Mark Carter. Mar 31, 7:30 pm; Apr 1, 7:30 pm; Apr 2, 3:30 pm; Apr 2, 7:30 pm, Anvil Centre.
FRIDAY, APRIL 1
CAPTURE 2022 FESTIVAL LAUNCH View the Capture 2022 Festival exhibition Family Album, with works by Rydel Cerezo, Anique Jordan, Anna Kasko, Meryl McMaster, Cheryl Mukherji, Dainesha NugentPalache, Birthe Piontek and Silvia Rosi. Apr 1, 7-9 pm, Pendulum Gallery.. THE ANCIENT LAW (1923) Klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals and pianist Donald Sosin perform the live score to a screening of The Ancient Law. Apr 1, 3-5:45 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Free. MISCHA MAISKY & THE VSO Cellist Mischa Maisky performs Antonin Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with the Vancouver Symphony. Apr 1 & 3, Orpheum Theatre. CASTILLE TO SAMARKAND Early Music Vancouver presents music of the Spanish Renaissance. Apr 1, 7:30 pm, Kay Meek Arts Centre. $45. FESTIVAL DU BOIS Family-oriented celebration of francophone music and culture features performances and workshops. Apr 1-3, Mackin Park, Coquitlam.
SATURDAY, APRIL 2
MISCHA MAISKY CELLO MASTERCLASS Cellist Mischa Maisky passes on his teachings to advanced students of the VSO School of Music. Apr 2, 5-7 pm, VSO School of Music. $15.
SUNDAY, APRIL 3
OPEN STAGE #2 Short works by Anya Saugstad and Artists, Lamondance, Linda Hayes, and Rachel Maddock. Apr 3, 7 pm, Scotiabank Dance Centre.
MONDAY, APRIL 4
JINJOO CHO Vancouver Chamber Music Society presents acclaimed violinist. Apr 4, Anvil Centre..
TUESDAY, APRIL 5
JCC JEWISH BOOK FESTIVAL EPILOGUE EVENT Double book-launch featuring authors Robert Krell and Alan Twigg. Apr 5, 7 pm, Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver. Free.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6
VANCOUVER INTERNATIONAL BURLESQUE FESTIVAL Showcase of local and national burlesque talent features two evenings of performances and workshops. Apr 6-9, Vancouver Playhouse. COLLECTED STORIES, A PLAY BY DONALD MARGULIES Pulitzer Prize-winner Donald Margulies' searching look at the lives of a pair of writers, focusing on their friendship and ambition. Apr 6-22, The Red Gate Revue Stage. $30.
SATURDAY, APRIL 9
1 NIGHT STAND Fundraiser for Ukraine relief features standup comedy by Charlie Demers, Jane Stanton, Yumi Nagashima, Peter Kelamis, and Sam Tonning. Apr 9, 6 pm, York Theatre. $25-$100. CONNECTION PLEASE! WITH LIZZIE ALLAN Lizzie Allan performs a standup comedy show that aims to raise awareness about the reality of recovery from addiction. Apr 9, 7 pm, Anvil Centre. $30. TOWARDS THE LIGHT Musica intima shares the stage with the Vancouver Youth Choir for the world premiere of a new piece by Vancouver composer Emily Millard. Apr 9, 7:30 pm, Christ Church Cathedral.
SUNDAY, APRIL 10
DEVIL'S VIOLIN The Vancouver Chamber Music Society presents violinist JinJoo Cho performing with pianist Hyun Soo Kim. Apr 10, 3 pm, Anvil Centre. $20-$38.
MONDAY, APRIL 11
DONNELL RAWLINGS Comedy Here Often presents a standup-comedy show by American comic, actor, and radio host. Apr 11, 8 pm, Hollywood Theatre. $45.
TUESDAY, APRIL 12
SAPPHIRE HAZE Music on Main presents duo composed of Cindy Kao (violin) and Aysha Dulong (electronics). Apr 12, 7:30 pm, Fox Cabaret. $15-32.
THURSDAY, APRIL 14
’DA KINK IN MY HAIR A musical celebration of women of colour. Apr 14–May 15, Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. From $35.
SATURDAY, APRIL 16
WHITE NOISE A comedy about internalized racism in which two families have dinner together for the first time during Truth and Reconciliation week. Apr 16–May 1, Firehall Arts Centre. From $15.
THURSDAY, APRIL 21
BAD PARENT Parents of a toddler try to figure out who they are in relation to their son, to each other, and to the audience. Apr 21–May 1, Historic Theatre.
MONDAY, APRIL 25
BACH'S BRANDENBERG CONCERTOS The VSO School of Music’s Sinfonietta joins forces with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra for performances of all six Brandenburg Concertos. Apr 25, 7:30 pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. $10/$19. HMS PINAFORE Vancouver Opera presents Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedic tale of forbidden love across class divides. Apr 30, 7:30 pm; May 5, 7:30 pm; May 7, 7:30 pm; May 8, 2 pm, Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 25
JUST FOR LAUGHS VANCOUVER Comedy festival features performances by Nicole Byer, Andrew Santino, Marc Maron, Maria Bamford, Natasha Leggero, Moshe Kasher, Jimmy O. Yang, and Chris Redd. May 25-29, various Vancouver venues.
ARTS LISTINGS are a public service provided free of charge, based on available space and editorial discretion. Submit events online using the eventsubmission form at straight.com/AddEvent. Events that don't make it into the paper due to space constraints will appear on the website.
ARTS Mischa Maisky believes that all you need is love
by Steve Newton
It’s difficult to imagine the suffering that the people of Ukraine have been going through at the hands of the invading Russian Army for the past month. How does someone live with the possibility that their home and loves ones could be blown to bits at any time?
Famed Soviet-born Israeli cellist Mischa Maisky has never had his house demolished by a Russian bomb, but he has experienced firsthand what it’s like to be targeted by that country’s powers that be. In 1970, while studying with cello master Mstislav Rostropovich for his diploma at the Moscow Conservatory, Maisky was arrested, ostensibly because he had bought a tape recorder on the black market. (He wanted to record his lessons with Rostropovich, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest cellists of all time).
As Maisky explains on the phone from a San Francisco hotel, the real reason he drew the ire of the Russian authorities was because a year earlier his older sister had immigrated to Israel, and they suspected he would follow suit once his studies were done. He spent four months in jail and 14 months in a labour camp, and he never got the certificate he was so close to earning.
“I know this may sound strange,” he says, “but in a very peculiar, somewhat perverse way, I can sincerely say that I not only don’t regret that rather complicated and difficult situation but, in a way, I’m kind of grateful for my destiny to the Soviet authorities. Even though I never received a diploma from Moscow Conservatory, I think I received a much more complete life education, which helped me to mature as a human being and as a musician as well.”
Maisky’s journey to becoming an international touring musician and successful recording artist started very early. In fact, the 74-year-old—who performs with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra this Friday and Sunday (April 1 and 3)—claims that he first discovered his love of music before he was born.
“I was born into a very musical family,” he says, “and I sincerely believe that babies, before they are born, can hear music and feel music. Even though both of my parents didn’t get a chance to become musicians, they loved music passionately, so there was music at home continuously. I was the last, third, child, and my sister—who was almost 10 years older—was a pianist. And my brother, who was six years older, started with the violin but eventually switched to organ, harpsichord, and musicology because of his passion for Bach.”
Once he started playing cello, at age eight, the Latvian-born Maisky followed in his brother’s footsteps, developing his own love of Johann Sebastian Bach. He wouldn’t call the legendary German composer his all-time favourite, though.
“I don’t have a favourite composer,” he explains, “I have many favourite composers. But, of course, when I play Bach—which, actually, I’m going to do in a couple of days in Toronto, and then in Quebec, before coming to Vancouver—definitely I can’t imagine any music of greater space. However, when I play Shostakovich, I feel the same, or when I play Schubert, or when I play Richard Strauss, or whatever it might be.
“I never play music which I don’t like enough to be in love with the moment that I play,” he adds. “I think it’s very important, because you cannot fake it. If you want to reach not just people’s ears through sounds or their minds with musical ideas but if you want to go to the highest level, in my opinion, to reach people’s hearts, then it has to originate from your heart. Because as corny as it might sound, even the Beatles knew that all one needs is love.”
For his local appearance with the VSO, Maisky will open his heart in a performance of Czech composer Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto.
“It’s arguably the most famous and most popular cello concerto,” he says, “and for a very good reason. It’s definitely the piece which I play more than any other piece, and probably every cellist can say the same. It’s very challenging, of course, but at the same time, it’s one of the most beautiful and perfect concertos ever written for any instrument. Maybe violinists and pianists are even envious of cellists because of this concerto, because it has so much incredible fervour.”
The night before talking to the Straight, Maisky had appeared at San Francisco’s Herbst Theatre with the eldest of his six children, pianist daughter Lily and violinist son Sascha. He said they performed works by Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, and Clara Schumann and dedicated a piece to those caught up in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Maisky had actually played in Kyiv last year, at an event marking the 80th anniversary of the Babyn Yar massacre, when almost 34,000 Ukrainian Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis within two days in 1941. On March 1 of this year, there were reports that a Russian missile had damaged an area near the Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center, leading Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to tweet: “To the world: what is the point of saying «never again» for 80 years, if the world stays silent when a bomb drops on the same site of Babyn Yar? At least 5 killed. History repeating…”
Maisky, whose parents were both from Ukraine, feels particularly close to the tragedy unfolding there.
“Just last week, before coming to San Francisco, we arranged and played— with my children and some other musicians—four different charity concerts in support of refugees and children. And at each concert, I had to say something, so I said that, you know, there are very few situations in my life which made me speechless, but this is definitely one of them. Because I find it just so unbelievable how, in the 21st century, we’re going through this kind of situation in Europe. It’s just virtually unbelievable.
“But then I always thought that, as a great poet once said, ‘Music begins where words fail.’ Last night, for example, I played with my children an encore, which we dedicated to all the innocent victims of this terrible war—on both sides. Because it’s not only Ukrainians but in the long term Russia, the country, and Russian people who will suffer more than anyone else. Putin tries to destroy Ukraine, but in reality, what he’s doing is destroying his own country.
“In Russia, we had many different expressions, but one of them was, ‘Don’t dig the grave for someone else, because you might fall in it yourself.’ And that’s very much the case. I am afraid—or I actually hope, to be honest—that Putin miscalculated to such an extent that it will be the end of him one way or the other. We’ll see.” g
Soviet-born cellist Mischa Maisky spent 14 months in a Russian work camp for angering the authorities there. Now he performs concerts to support the victims of Putin’s war on Ukraine.
– Mischa Maisky
Mischa Maisky performs with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on April 1 and 3 at the Orpheum Theatre and leads a public master class for advanced cellists and chamber ensembles on April 2 at Pyatt Hall.
