When PuSh Comes to Shove: Performance in Vancouver

Our arrival to Vancouver has prompted the hunt for fun and interesting performances. For the past two years I have been a bit deprived of performing arts that exist outside of the academic season (academia can do that to you). While I do cherish the opportunity to have easy access to performances year round in our small town I do believe that it is important to experience a range of art from a variety of venues.

Attending the University of Toronto was an incredible experience for a fledgling artist because I was surrounded by art that was easy to get to and offered affordable options. I wouldn't have experienced the same inspirational and sometimes bizarre performances if I had studied in a rural area with little external influence. Toronto pushed my theatrical boundaries and helped me to expand my imagination to understand what could be possible on the stage.

Three of my former classmates are currently living in Vancouver and as soon as I was in town I sent out a call to get a group together for a reunion. The PuSh international performing arts festival is being held all over the city and there is a large selection of events to experience. This Saturday, three out of the four of us met up on Granville Island to see a matinee performance of Do You Want What I Have Got? A Craigslist Canatata.

The day could not have been better but if the day had started out badly, this performance would have made the rest of the day wonderful! The show was inspired by what was found on Craigslist and Free Press. One of the patrons leaving was overheard saying, "not much dialogue but it wasn't needed" and I would agree. The entire performance is interwoven personal ads turned into musical ditties that flow in and out and sometime back around with one another.

But don't let this description take away the personal and emotional moments that occur in many of the songs. One moment I sat, giggling profusely over an ad a woman wrote concerning her tiny hats specifically for cats. Funny, yes. Weird, completely. Sentimental, yep. At the beginning of this melody represented exactly what I entered the theatre expecting, 'look at the crazy possessions people try to get ride of online! Now laugh.' but to my surprise the song became more than a crazy ad t laugh at, it highlighted the humanity behind the possessions and then the reason for the ad. The tiny cat hats represented this woman's passion and love for her now deceased cat, Snowman, and by the end of the song, this woman's loneliness is palpable.

In the program director Amiel Gladsotone is acknowledged for finding "within this random scattering a surprising emotional arc and unanticipated tenderness." Do You Want What I Have Got? was a wonderful surprise that  showcased the comedy and tragedy of our deepest desires as they are expressed on the web. As my friend expressed post-post performance, "it was funny, sympathetic, and fantastic." I would second her review of the show.

I hope more people go out and take a chance on a local performance! It may not pay off but you could be surprised. If you are in Vancouver than you won't be disappointed by this cantata.

Lexi