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Vancouver’s Bah Humbug! Christmas Play

Bah! Humbug! Christmas Play

The play Bah Humbug! was a modern-day adaptation of Charles Dickens’ tale, A Christmas Carol, about a miserly Scrooge, ghosts and Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

2019 was likely the last year that this play will be presented as a live show. That being said, it is running one last time as an online event in 2020.

 


ONLINE SHOW IN 2020

A recording of the play from last year is showing online between December 15th and the 30th in 2020. The 70-minute show is streamed online via Vimeo. Tickets are available via CanadaHelps.org. They cost $10 per person or $25 per household. It’s a fundraising event benefiting local artists and the Downtown Eastside.


 

Bah Humbug!

Bah Humbug! is a musical that used to be performed annually in December. It’s based on the classic Dickens’ Christmas tale but has a definite Vancouver and Downtown Eastside twist.

 

About the Play

Running in various forms over its ten years of existence, Bah Humbug! became a Vancouver Christmas tradition. Set in Vancouver’s present-day Downtown Eastside, the story was about Scrooge – a hotel landlord and pawnshop operator – who profited from the city’s less fortunate.

The play was a musical directed by Vancouver’s Renae Morriseau and starring JUNO Award-winning singer Jim Byrnes.

In addition to providing wonderful entertainment, the production addressed social issues facing Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside as well as the role of reconciliation in the city.

The play appealed to a wide audience, from children to seniors. Some of its content though was appropriate more for folk ages 10+ as it addressed mature subjects, like drug use. The story and its subject matter could be suitable for younger children too, and could provide a great discussion starter, all depending on the child and what their parents were comfortable with.

2019 was the last year that this play will be performed.

 

When and Where

Bah Humbug! ran in 2019 on select days from December 5th until the 21st (excluding December 9th and 16th) at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at 149 West Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver.

Shows took place Tuesdays to Saturdays at 7:30 pm. There were also matinees at 2:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

 

Admission Prices

Tickets to the musical in 2019 cost $39 for adults and $24 for both students (with valid ID) and children (up to 17 years of age). These prices were the same as ticket prices the year before. Early-bird 4-packs of tickets were also available for $110. All prices were inclusive of taxes and online fees.

Discounts were also available for groups of 10+.

 

Other Information

Below is some other interesting information about the Bah Humbug! play.

  • Part of the proceeds from the show benefit the Downtown Eastside’s Heart of the City Festival which takes place in the fall each year.
  • The show has a “no-latecomers policy” so give yourself lots of time to get there. Also, note that the production reserves the right to resell tickets that are not picked up within five minutes of show time. So don’t be late!
  • The venue is conveniently located halfway between Waterfront Station and the Stadium-Chinatown SkyTrain Station. If you walk it’ll take you less than 10 minutes in either direction.
  • There is a parkade close by at 65 West Cordova Street as well as pay parking underground at the International Village Mall at 88 West Pender Street. There is also street parking in the area, although the maximum time limit at most meters is just two hours.
  • The performance runs for approximately 85 minutes with no intermission.
  • The play is presented by both SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs and Vancouver Moving Theatre in partnership with Full Circle: First Nations Productions.
  • Bah Humbug! has been running for over half a dozen years and its script is tweaked annually to reflect current issues (so it can be fun to see again even if you’ve seen it in the past).
  • There is a scene with about 8 seconds of strobe lighting in it. This is good to know for people with sensitivities to flashing lights.

 

Best Christmas Activities

 

For more information about the show click Bah Humbug! 2019.

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