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BC Adventures – Our To Do Picks for April 6-12

This week in BC: Catch playwright Sean Minogue's new show Us & Everything We Own, experience Japanese culture at VanDusen Botanical Garden, marvel at gemstones and crystals at the BC Gem Show, and more

By Anna Dupas /

Credit: David Cooper

Us & Everything We Own
 — April 4-13

Playwright Sean Minogue, best known for the critically acclaimed show Prodigals, is back with the world premiere of Us & Everything We Own, kicking offTwenty Something Theatre’s latest season, from April 4 to 13 atPAL Studio Theatre(581 Cardero St, Vancouver). Can a young couple satisfy their hunger for home ownership? There’s just one way to find out: Buy tickets from $12 to $22 atbrownpapertickets.com.



Credit: Arts Club

My Turquoise Years — April 4 to May 4

See the world through rose-coloured glasses? Not Canadian humourist M.A.C. Farrant, whose memoir of her Canadian girlhood, My Turquoise Years, is now playing at Vancouver’s Granville Island Stage. Set in 1960, this coming-of-age tale explores the era of postwar optimism, when plastic reigned supreme and the colour turquoise was the height of chic. See it from April 4 to May 4, and find out why Farrant is considered one of Canada’s “most acerbic and intelligent humourists.”



Credit: David Cooper

“Raven Brings the Light” by Roy Henry Vickers 
— April 6

How many Order of Canada recipients have you met? If you’re like us, the answer is, sadly, none. Rectify that when Roy Henry Vickers, one of Canada’s most lauded artists, launches his largest-ever collection of new prints on April 6 at Vancouver’s iconic Waterfall Building (1540 W. 2nd Ave). Meet him, greet him and listen as he delivers a family-friendly reading of his latest book Raven Brings the Light, co-authored by historian Robert Budd, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.



Credit: David Cooper

Burlesque to Broadway 
— April 6

With one show-stopping number after another, Burlesque to Broadway has won standing ovations from New York to Los Angeles. Now it’s our turn to celebrate “the art of the tease” when this high-kicking hit comes to Richmond’s River Rock Casino Resort on April 6. Expect lots of sequins, feathers and unforgettable show tunes, including “Hey Big Spender,” “Ten Cents a Dance” and “Let Me Entertain You,” starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $24.50 and up through ticketmaster.ca or by phone at 1-855-985-5000.



Credit: Majomo Photography

Sakura Days Japan Fair — April 6-7

If we said there’s a Sakura Days Japan Fair taking place April 6 and 7 at Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Garden, your first question would likely be: what’s a sakura? Translation: cherry blossom — and, in Japan, it’s considered an iconic symbol of spring. Check out everything from sushi and sake, arts and crafts, and cultural performances ranging from taiko drumming and martial arts to origami and calligraphy, for $10.50 in advance or $12 at the gate.



Credit: David Cooper

The Borodin Quartet — April 9

As Russian as borscht and blinis, The Borodin Quartet is one of the Soviet Union’s finest exports. They’re also one of the world’s longest-standing music ensembles, earning such critical acclaim in their home country they were asked to perform at Stalin’s 1953 state funeral. Having long since emerged from behind the Iron Curtain, they’ll appear April 9 at the Vancouver Playhouse, performing a program of Russian masterworks ranging from Tchaikovsky to Shostakovich. Tickets for the 8 p.m. concert are $40 online or at the door.



Credit: David Cooper

BC Gem Show — April 12-14

If you find yourself between a rock and a hard place this weekend, you just might be at the BC Gem Show, running April 12 to 14 at Abbotsford’s Ag-Rec Building (32470 Haida Dr). Pick up a grab bag, try your hand at gold panning then check out the mountains of minerals, gemstones and crystals, along with displays and demos on everything from silversmithing to sculpting to enameling. Admission is $6 at the door, opening at 10 a.m. each day.



Credit: Art Spiegelman

Co-Mix: A Retrospective of Comics, Graphics and Scrap
 — Until June 9

Seems comic-book nerds have had the last laugh, ’cause the art form is now considered cool. Underscoring its newfound status in the pop-culture lexicon is the latest Vancouver Art Gallery exhibition, Co-Mix: A Retrospective of Comics, Graphics and Scraps, spotlighting the work of Maus creator Art Spiegelman. Until June 9, fans can check out more than 400 drawings, sketches and panels from the acclaimed artist’s early underground “comix” to his most recent works, for $17.50 at the door.



Credit: Flickred!

Walking Tours at VanDusen Botanical Garden — Daily

Think your garden is grand? Maybe so, but we’re betting the grass is greener, and the blooms more abundant, at Vancouver’s VanDusen Botanical Garden. That’s where you’ll find all the splendours of spring in one sprawling spot, which you can enjoy on guided walking tours held daily at 2 p.m. And if your feet aren’t up to traversing all 22 hectares of the horticultural haven, you can always book a cart tour at 604-257-8666.



Credit: ppacificvancouver

Saturday Night Opera Buffet at Café Pacifica — Saturdays

An excursion to La Scala not in the cards? Do the next best thing at Café Pacifica, hosting a Saturday Night Opera Buffet in Vancouver’s Pan Pacific Hotel. Transformed every Saturday into a charming Italian bistro, the upscale eatery pairs live opera with a tasty array of Italian cuisine—everything from antipasti and salads to fresh fish and pasta—followed by a smorgasbord of sweets, starting at 6 p.m. Price is $49 per person.


Originally published in TVW. For daily programming updates and on-screen Entertainment news, subscribe to the free TVW e-newsletters, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.