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Penn & Teller Vancouver | BCBusiness
March culture events in Vancouver indulge in the Irish, magic and the ?infamous Oscar Wilde. Comedy // Penn & Teller
The duo known around the world for their eccentric and sometimes edgy take on magic and comedy are bringing their act to Coquitlam. For 35 years Penn and Teller (whose legal names are Penn Jillette and simply Teller) have enjoyed sold-out Broadway shows, guest appearances on popular culture behemoths including Saturday Night Live and The Simpsons, and are behind one of Las Vegas’s longest-running shows in history, which is currently entering its 11th year. A staple of their comedic routine is the startling difference between the on-stage personas of the two magicians: Penn acts as the storyteller, often telling jokes and explaining upcoming illusions for the audience, while Teller remains mute through the entire act. Comedians with simple card tricks they are certainly not; Penn and Teller’s specialty is elaborate, sometimes even violent tricks such as their adaptation of the famous bullet-catch illusion. Red Robinson Show Theatre, March 30. ticketmaster.ca
Oscar Wilde’s most enduringly popular play, The Importance of Being Earnest, is arguably as famous for its witty dialogue as the havoc it wreaked on Wilde’s career. Earnest was first performed Valentine’s Day 1895 in London to critical acclaim. The play is known as the pinnacle of Wilde’s career, but its success also prompted the playwright’s professional downfall, serving as the catalyst for his public outing as a homosexual and leading to his imprisonment. A play about deception and triviality, its tagline, “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” says it all – the story focuses on two English gentlemen masquerading as the same person, but each courting a different woman. Anyone leaning toward “serious” over “trivial” should be sure to attend the March 25 show, which will be followed up with an informal discussion with the play’s director, David Mackay. Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage, March 15 to April 15. artsclub.com
Vancouver’s much-loved festival celebrating all things Irish is back for its eighth straight year with over 50 Celtic-inspired events rolled out over five days, including a sneak peek on March 10, with the festival proper running March 14-18. Taking place on the streets (and assuredly in the pubs) of downtown Vancouver, CelticFest has something for all ages and budgets, from Irish pipe-and-drum band performances for the family to whiskey-tasting events for those wishing to exercise their livers in the lead-up to St. Patrick’s Day. In what is sure to be the hot-ticket event of the festival, Delhi 2 Dublin will perform on March 17 at the Vogue Theatre. Since getting their big break at CelticFest in 2006, the band has gone on to worldwide fame and success, proving that the “luck of the Irish” isn’t always bad. March 10, 14-18. celticfestvancouver.com