In seven days: 12 - 18 September 2011

MONDAY, 12 SEPTEMBER: AFICIONADOS

Welcome to a tongue-firmly-in-cheek, highly irreverent romp through the art world. Here nothing is sacred—not script, not tradition, not canvas, not budgets, and certainly not reality. For true aficionados, mere practicality cannot hold back magnificent art! Join our crazy characters as they flail through a journey of self-discovery and mayhem.

Anyone that wants to take a piss out of the pompous art world is okay in our books.  Tonight at 5pm.  Visit http://www.vancouverfringe.com for tickets and information.

TUESDAY, 13 SEPTEMBER: this is cancer

Cancer: a deluded, egotistical ass goes on his own journey of denial, anger, bargaining, and acceptance when he discovers that the whole world hates him. In this one-man, satirical cabaret, cancer-survivor Bruce Horak brings a fresh and funny perspective to a disease that too many of us will face, and that so many of us could use a good laugh at.

David C Jones has this at the top of his picks so far at this year's Fringe and says is "a powerful and rewarding experience".  Tonight at 9:35pm.  Visit http://www.vancouverfringe.com for tickets and information.

WEDNESDAY, 14 SEPTEMBER: Every STORY EVER TOLD

Once there was a man (Fringe superstar Ryan Gladstone) who thought he could tell Every Story Ever Told ... in one hour ... can he?!

This is one challenge that we'd like to see Ryan Gladstone take.  He's either going to fail miserably or blow us away.  Either way it could be an hour well spent.  Tonight at 6pm.  Visit http://www.vancouverfringe.com for tickets and information.

THURSDAY, 15 SEPTEMBER: sally lives here

In a dilapidated old house somewhere in East Vancouver, Sally Kemp, a faded country music singer/waitress who works in a diner, and Aunt Phoebe, an elderly lesbian who talks to her ghost lover in the chandelier, face an uncertain future. Their house is slated for demolition. Do Sally and Phoebe share the same fate?

There is a wonderful melancholy that runs through Lynna Goldhar Smith's one-woman show.  Tonight at 6pm.  Visit http://www.vancouverfringe.com for tickets and information.

FRIDAY, 16 SEPTEMBER: BURNING BROTHELS

Warning: These stories are not about sex. They're about arson, murder, bribery, corruption, and greed. Well, okay, and maybe a little bit of sex. A solo show about the history of the only place in the US with legal prostitution. By the creator of last year's sold-out show A Cynic Tells Love Stories.

Queer perfomer Katherine Glover returns to the Vancouver Fringe with stories of the people behind the legalization of prostitution in Nevada.  Prepare to be entertained and educated.  Tonight at 9pm.  Visit http://www.vancouverfringe.com for tickets and information.

SATURDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER: The Sparrow and the Mouse

Edith Piaf is an icon, France’s greatest popular singer. However, few people know Marguerite Monnot, who devoted her life to composing songs for Piaf. Marguerite Monnot, a talented musician in her own right, seemed to be happy behind the limelight. But was she really? And what inspired her to write some of her most amazing songs? The enduring friendship of these two women is an incredible story, spanning over 25 years.

One show that kept popping up in conversation on the Island was this one by Savvy Girls Theatre.  Melanie Gall even tackles Piaf's music with what we hear are wonderful results.  Tonight at 6pm.  Visit http://www.vancouverfringe.com for tickets and information.

SUNDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER: Troube In Tahiti

A suburban opera for the 21st century. Join our hip Greek chorus as they observe a day in the life of Sam and Dinah, two Vancouverites who are desperately unhappy, lonely for love, and unable to communicate. Will they find a way to resolve their issues and live happily ever after? The jazz influenced score by Leonard Bernstein, creator of West Side Story, will leave you ... come and find out!

It's no secret that the Vancouver Fringe continues to push the envelope of theatre but this is actually its first opera.  This Fringe be a little adventurous and go off island.  Tonight at 7:15pm.  Visit http://www.vancouverfringe.com for tickets and information.