Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts

Centre in Vancouver for the Performing Arts review Rate it

So much trouble in so few years. Designed by Moshe Safdie, this 1,850-seat, $27-million venue opened as the Ford Theatre in 1995, as part of Garth Drabinsky's chain for Livent musicals. It closed in 1998 as Livent's financial troubles had Drabinsky spending more time with lawyers than artists. The Ford remained dark until a quartet of Hong Kong-born, Denver-based doctors, the Law bothers, bought the theatre for the firesale price of $7 million. Dennis Law's idea was to wow Vancouver's Asian audiences, as well as regular theatregoers, by creating 'action musicals': spectaculars steeped in (mainly) Chinese tradition, with dance, music and martial arts all to be illuminated by the Centre's state-of-the-art technology. The plan met with limited success and now it's mainly a roadhouse for touring productions such as Stomp or headline musical acts from Laurie Anderson and David Byrne to John Legend and Joshua Redman.