Sun. Feb 26, 1:00pm
Mon. Feb 27, 7:00pm

(155 min.)

Cast: Natalie Dessay, Juan Diego Flórez

Related links: Trailer

Tickets: $13 ($11 Student, Senior Discount, Cinephile Member; $9 Premium Member).

Gaetano Donizetti may have achieved immortality with his comic operas Don Pasquale and L’Elisir d’amore, and won a lasting place in the hearts of coloratura sopranos everywhere with Maria Stuarda and Lucia di Lammermoor, but for sheer entertainment, his La fille du régiment can’t be beat. Especially when it’s served in such a saucy, light-footed way by director Laurent Pelly in this coproduction of the Vienna State Opera, London’s Covent Garden and New York’s Metropolitan Opera. The plot revolves around Marie, the “daughter of the regiment,” who was found on the battlefield as a baby and raised by the soldiers as their daughter. She falls in love with the young Tyrolean Tonio, who joins the regiment in order to be near her. When the Marquise de Birkenfeld hears about Marie, she claims that she is her long-lost niece, whom she will turn into a lady… Her plans backfire, of course, as Marie will never abandon her Tonio and most certainly never become a lady!

French soprano Natalie Dessay, not only a dazzling singer but also a gifted actress, effortlessly sweeps her castmates along in this turbulent buffo delight of an opera. “She laughed, mugged, cried and danced through her part … And she sang. Oh, how she sang,” gushed George Jahn (Associated Press). Her partner is Juan Diego Flórez, one of the leading young tenors of our time. Clad in lederhosen, he cheerfully seduces Marie—and the audience—with his voice and his looks. And he effectively brings down the house with his jauntily tossed-off aria “Pour mon âme” and its nine high Cs. Baritone Carlos Álvarez gives an unforgettably comical account of Sergeant Sulpice, who watches over Marie and would much rather have her marry a Duke than a Tyrolean peasant. But perhaps the most uproarious moment in the performance is the scene-stealing appearance of the grandiose Montserrat Caballé as the Duchess of Krakenthorp, a non-singing cameo role that she speaks multilingually, partly improvised, and with irresistible charm. And, to the delight of all, she sings the Swiss yodeling song “S’Schätzeli,” one of her favorite recital encores. Yves Abel leads the Vienna State Opera Orchestra in this rousing interpretation of a work that holds its own with Donizetti’s beloved warhorses!

Sheer fun!” –Alexander Campbell, Classical Source

“A treat! Natalie Dessay turns in a once-in-a-lifetime comic performance” —The Independent

Fri. Feb 24, 6:30pm, 8:15pm
Sat. Feb 25, 6:30pm, 8:15pm
Thu. Mar 1, 6:30pm, 8:15pm

(Congo/France, 2010, 85 min.)

Directed by: Renaud Barret, Florent de la Tullaye

Classification: PG (violence)

Related links: Trailer | IMDB | Band Site | Review (The Globe and Mail)

"Many movies stake a claim to be uplifting fare, but Renaud Barret and Florent de La Tullaye’s musical documentary Benda Bilili! is a rare exception that really delivers on that promise. The film follows a group of Congolese musicians living on the streets of Kinshasa’s ghetto and practising in the grounds of the local zoo as they attempt to record an album. The music is electrifying, a distant relative of American jug-band blues and British skiffle that uses homemade instruments to conjure a melodic cacophony of Congolese rumba and Afrobeat funk. Having realised that their sound can only be recorded in situ, rather than in a studio, the band finally commit their unique sound to CD, opening the door to a world tour.

Battling poverty and physical disability with resilience and fortitude (their album is called Très Très Fort), Staff Benda Bilili really are quite extraordinary, and this wonderfully intimate document of their rise to fame is both a tribute to the strength of the human spirit and a celebration of their life-affirming sound." —Mark Kermode, The Observer

(USA/Canada, 1990, 102 min.)

Directed by: Allan Moyle
Cast: Christian Slater, Samantha Mathis

Related links: IMDB | Trailer

Mark (Christian Slater) moves from New York to small town Arizona for his last year of high school. He can’t make new friends and reads alone during lunch hour. Dad buys him a short wave radio set to communicate with his pals back home, which Mark uses as a private radio station in his Arizona basement. Engulfed by loneliness in real life, on the radio he is The Megahertz King – howling from the heart, electrifying the kids at school who have no idea who he is, letting it rip with his music. He rants against parents, the world, and the horrid school principal. Kids call in and participate. When one of his call-ins ends with a suicide, life takes a turn.

Introduced by David Eby

David Eby is a lawyer and is the Executive Director of the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, one of Canada’s oldest and most active human and democratic rights organizations. An adjunct professor of law at the University of British Columbia, President of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and Research Associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, David last year’s winner of the B.C. Human Rights Coalition and U.N. Association of Vancouver’s Renate Shearer Award for his contributions to the human rights field locally and internationally.

David focuses his work on reforming public policy that disproportionately impacts poor, mentally ill, homeless, addicted and otherwise marginalized people. His reports and advocacy have contributed to major shifts in government policy related to homelessness, provincial housing and police accountability.

Our celebration of all things Oscar returns for its second year! Watch the Academy Awards on our big screen!

Admission is free, but Vancity Theatre membership is required ($2). Please note, this is an alcohol free event.

“Oscar®,” “Oscars®,” “Academy Awards®,” “Academy Award®,” “A.M.P.A.S.®” and “Oscar Night®” are the trademarks, and the ©Oscar® statuette is the registered design mark and copyrighted property, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

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Celebrating Black History Month

Thursday, February 23, 2012
Doors at 6:30pm/Show at 7:00pm

Directed by Vanessa Richards
Canada, 2011, 75 minutes

Skins & Steel celebrates the early pioneers of Caribbean drumming and dance in mid-20th century Vancouver. These artists from Hogan’s Alley and Trinidad and Tobago helped usher in the calypso explosion that marked the beginnings of a new era in recognition for the arts and culture of the African Diaspora in B.C.

The event features the Trinidadian folkloric music of the groundbreaking Afro Caribs along with singer/dancer Thelma Gibson from the legendary Gibson family of Hogan’s Alley. Kendrick Headley, a steel pan virtuoso, considered one of the finest soloists and big band arrangers for the unique instrument will accompany the others. Their live performances are interwoven between archival footage featuring the artists from the vaults of CBC. The footage from Bamboula – A Day In The West Indies and They Shall Be One, gives a glimpse of multi-culturalism and attitudes towards “mixed race” children in 1950’s and 60’s Vancouver. This show’s creative director, Vanessa Richards hopes that attendees will leave Skins & Steel with a new appreciation for Caribbean culture in Vancouver—its presence, nuances, and roots. “Anticipate drums, song, archival film and something inter-generational, unexpected and beautiful,” said Richards.

Presented in association with

Tickets: $12

Please note, this is an alcohol free event.

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