Arts Club Theatre Company

I’ve been here twice now for shows and both were exceptionally well done. I was blown away both times. The space they have is great. Not to big and not too small. I would recommend any show they put on!

My dad and I saw Mary Poppins while on vacation in December in Vancouver. It was great! I’m used to going to the Pantages but this was amazing for a smaller theatre. I will go back anytime I’m in Vancouver. Such a great show. All the seat are great seats too.

My bf bought me center seats to Avenue Q. Great present ! Great date night.
The theater is small and intimate and they have a bar. Downside= can’t bring food into the theatre. Upside, there’s plenty of space to hang out before/​after the show and during intermission in the lobby and the lounge which looks over beautiful False Creek.
Avenue Q is a hilarious adult comedy with puppets. Must see if you get a chance, they are done Sept 14^th.
We will definitely try to make it here more often.

This seems to be listed under both the Stanley and the Arts Club; no matter. I’m not surprised that there aren’t more reviews here, but I’m hoping that they’ll work on gaining the support of the younger set (by younger I mean under 50 crowd).
This is a cute, classic, S. Granville theatre, but the average age of the crowd is 50+ as with so much of the theatre crowd these days. I have no problem with that whatsoever (hey, it makes me look younger) except that they are going to have to make some changes to stick around in the 21 century.
We saw The Importance of Being Earnest which I thought was absolutely hilarious. If you’re a fan of the A & W commercials and one of Van’s finest actors (also seen in the Bard) you might enjoy it, too. (I won’t tell you who he is – you must go for yourself!) This is one of my favourite plays and I could go on and on about how great it is. The problem is, that I seemed to share this sentiment mainly with the 50 – 60 somethings in the crowd. Meanwhile, my companion started to «rest his eyes». So it’s not for everyone.
The premium seats – at almost $ 60 a pop in the balcony – were just not that «premium». Could this hefty price tag for average seats be another reason that they aren’t necessarily attracting the younger set?
The bartender was totally cool and friendly serving up theatre priced drinks that were poured American style. The bathrooms were bigger than a NY theatre; old and in dire need of refurbishment, but bigger than average, so how great is that? Any woman who has ever tried to use the bathroom and then order a drink during intermission (and actually finish it) would appreciate that aspect of the theatre.
All in all, a must go for locals and if you are under 50, do check their sched. for upcoming plays. You might just find something that appeals to you, too!

I went to a show here the other night and was quite impressed… why?
1. comfortable seating
2. pretty intimate atmosphere in a relatively large theatre (we were on the balcony and the stage didn’t feel so far away)
3. great acoustics
4. full bar with the pre-​order option for food /​liquor
5. coat check option for $ 3
this place only lost one star due to the pricing setup — my $ 60 tickets were worse (further from the stage) than the $ 40 ones I tried to buy, but they were already sold out. Maybe there is a glitch in their software, but that’s not cool… fun fact: students get seats for all shows at a cool $ 25 each! (I think you need to call them for that deal)

The Arts Club offers theater with very smooth edges. For me, the edge of Disney perfection that seeps through the streets of Granville Island also permeates the shows at the Arts Club.
I’ve seen some good shows (Poster Boys) and some misses (Hockey Mom, Hockey Dad) but that overly polished atmosphere remains a common thread. You won’t find gritty, edgy or independent shows here, but you will get a good evening of entertainment.
But is entertainment art?

Some of the city’s best performances, musicals, shows are put on here and there really isn’t much else that compares with it in terms of mainstream appeal, affordable pricing (especially if you’re a student) and excellent theatre atmosphere.
Great for those that already enjoy theatre as well as great for converting those that haven’t discovered the joy yet.