VANCOUVER - British Columbia: Including the Alaska Highway - page 84

LIVE MUSIC AND COMEDY
The world's biggest rock, pop, and country acts usually include Vancouver on their world
tours, and the city's thriving local music industry supports live bands at a variety of venues.
Most big-name acts play BC Place Stadium, the Orpheum, or Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
Attracting a huge crowd every night of the week at the classic Roxy (932 Granville St.,
604/331-7999), two house bands play rock-and-roll music from all eras to a packed house
on weekdays, with imported bands on weekends. Media Club (695 Cambie St., 604/
608-2871) topics everything from soul to glam rock. The Railway Club (579 Dunsmuir St.,
604/681-1625) is a private club where nonmembers are welcome (at a higher cover charge)
to listen to acts that range from rock to country.
The Coastal Jazz & Blues Society (604/872-5200, www.coastaljazz.ca ) maintains
a listing of all the city's jazz and blues events on their website. Attracting acts from
throughout Canada, Lafflines (530 Columbia St., New Westminster, 604/525-2262) offers
comedy nights Tuesday-Saturday. Admission costs $5 on Tuesday (amateur night), $8-22
the rest of the week. Vancouver Theatresports League of improvised comedy performs at
the Improv Centre (1502 Duranleau St., 604/738-7013, www.vtsl.com , Wed.-Sat.), with a
waterfront lounge providing an ideal destination for a pre-performance drink.
THE ARTS
Theater
Vancouver boasts around 30 professional theater companies and more than 20 regular ven-
ues.
The Centre in Vancouver for Performing Arts (777 Homer St., 604/602-0616,
www.centreinvancouver.com , matinees from $50, evening shows $60-100) hosts the
biggest of musical hits. Designed by renowned architect Moshe Safdie, the modern wonder
features a five-story glass lobby flanked by granite walls. The tri-level theater seats more
than 1,800 and boasts North America's largest stage. A similar facility is the Chan Centre
for the Performing Arts (6265 Crescent Rd., 604/822-9197, www.chancentre.com ), com-
prising three stages, including the 1,400-seat Chan Shun Concert Hall. It's on the UBC cam-
pus in Point Grey.
One of the great joys of summer in the city is sitting around Malkin Bowl in Stanley Park
watching Theatre under the Stars ( www.tuts.ca ) . Since 1934 these shows have drawn
around 1,000 theater-goers nightly, with performances usually musically oriented (7pm
Mon.-Sat. June-Aug.). The setting itself, an open amphitheater surrounded by towering