TUESDAY'S WITH MORRIE - VANCOUVER

On our latest visit Vancouver we were determined to see some sort of theatrical performance and it didn’t really matter what it was. We scoured the internet and the local guides and we found once again that Vancouver was short of interesting live performances.







For a while it appeared that the choice was going to be the eighties band Heart but I baulked at the price. The worst seats in the house were eighty odd dollars whilst the better seats were well over 100 bucks. No way was I going to pay that sort of money for a band that had its heyday 30 years ago.

In the end after a long search we decided to go and see a play at a theatre that was located in North Vancouver. Tuesdays with Morrie is a play about a professor (Morrie) who is dying and a former student who visits him after seeing Morrie on a TV show. After a 16 year gap the student decides to visit his former professor to apologise for not staying in contact with him as he promised. The one off visit turned into regular weekly meetings each Tuesday. Sounded okay.

For once we got out of the door in good time. No need to rush and hurry time was on our side. The traffic through Vancouver city flowed freely even though some of the inner city roads had been blocked off for the Para-Olympic Games.



The GPS (who has been christened Amelia) was in fine form as she directed us toward the theatre.



Right turn she directed and we received the familiar whistle in acknowledgement that we had made the correct turn. Amelia then gave another direction but this one just didn’t appear to be right as all around us were railway tracks and disused buildings, the area was totally rundown and ominous.



We re-entered the theatre address and tried again. This time she led us on a loop which led us straight back to the same point. The excess time we had up our sleeve was starting to evaporate and worry set in as the theatre had a strict policy of no late entries. As I had already paid for two tickets I could see my money being wasted.



Tammie though driving insisted on helping me navigate and this of course caused several problems such as running a stop sign and stopping in the middle of an intersection to look at the GPS. Around and around we went.



We stopped at a gas station and the people inside had no idea where the theatre was.



With time running out we gave Amelia one more try and she led us straight back to the same derelict area. We saw a shabby group of men stopped by the side of the road and Tammie slowed the car as if she was going to ask them directions. Thankfully once she got a good look at them she sped up and continued on.



Tammie once more decided that she could navigate much better than I whilst driving proceeded to drive through the same stop sign once again we had only just got beyond the stop sign when the reflection of blue and red lights shone through the car.



An RCMP patrol car had spotted Tammie drive through the stop twice as well as observing her stop in the middle of the intersection. How could he not stop her?



The guy was friendly and took immediate pity on us as middle-class suburbanites who were in the wrong place. The cop said that we were in a very bad area that should be avoided and of course there was also the matter of Tammie’s apparent disregard for stop signs. He quickly pointed us in the right direction and said that it was lucky that we hadn’t stopped and asked the three fellows up the road as they were obviously up to no good.



We were grateful not only to have directions but to be off the hook with the police. We noticed as we backtracked that the policeman had stopped to talk to the three suspicious characters.



We then sped off towards the theatre Amelia now confined to the floor of the car in disgrace. The show started at eight sharp and we arrived at the theatre at five minutes past. Tammie parked the car whilst the girls and I ran for the front door which we found locked.



Several loud bangs on the door bought a woman to the door. We apologised to her profusely and asked if we would be allowed in. She looked at us in disdain and said she shouldn’t but would allow us in this one time but we would have to sit on the side of the theatre.



We eagerly agreed.



I had paid for two adult tickets but not for the two girls who I was told would be eligible for a special school discount which would bring their ticket price down from $24 to just $5.



The woman said she knew nothing about such a discount and I must be mistaken. I said no, I had discussed the ticket prices over the phone that morning. She said I was mistaken and the price was $24. I wanted to walk out of the theatre I was so angry but I begrudgingly handed over $48.



As I did so Tammie entered the theatre to inform me that she had backed into another vehicle in the car park.

The night just kept getting better.



We entered the theatre and we were indeed seated to the side. The show was interesting especially as there were just two actors on stage, a minimalist set and few props. One of the actors was 90 years old and when I later looked him up on Wikipedia I saw that he was being cast as an old man in 1970. When he played out the show’s death scene I was seriously worried that he wasn’t acting.


After the show we had scones and tea with the two actors which was both quaint and novel.


Awaiting me in the refreshment area was a hand printed sign which stated that I should report to the box office. I did so and was confronted by the women who had charged me full-price earlier in the night. She handed me an envelope which contained a $38 refund. Apparently there was a communication breakdown and I should have just been charged $5. Apologies flew left right and centre.


More good news arrived when we inspected the car to find that there was no damage done so that problem disappeared as well.



In the end it was a great night, lots and lots of stress at the start but the finale was excellent.