What’s up: Princess Bride, Rockin’ Elvis, Christmas in Space!, Sam Fournier, Those Guys

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/12/2024 (667 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Princess Bride in Concert

• Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
• Centennial Concert Hall
• Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
• Tickets: $25-$129

You’ve probably seen Rob Reiner’s oft-quoted 1987 cult classic The Princess Bride — if not, inconceivable!

But you probably haven’t seen it like this.

See Westley (Cary Elwes) save his beloved Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) from the repugnant Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon) along with a ragtag group of outlaws turned allies as the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra performs Mark Knopfler’s entire musical score live-to-picture, led by guest conductor Karl Hirzer.

The concert is part of the WSO’s popular BMO Night at the Movies series, which continues in the new year with Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in January, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 in April.

Note: there are limited tickets left to both Princess Bride shows.

— Jen Zoratti

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Rockin’ Elvis Christmas with Rory Allen

• Club Regent Event Centre, 1425 Regent Ave. W.
• Sunday, 7 p.m.
• Tickets: $42-$47 at Ticketmaster

Can you really even celebrate Christmas without a festive dose of crooning by the King himself?

Lauded Saskatchewan Elvis Presley tribute artist Rory Allen returns to the Club Regent Event Centre on Sunday for his annual Rockin’ Elvis Christmas show, which features all your favourite classic cuts and holiday hits by the King (both early and late era).

From Blue Christmas to Santa Bring My Baby Back (to Me) to Presley’s many gospel renditions of the classics, Allen and his 11-piece band will bring all the festive feels at his ever-popular show.

— Ben Sigurdson

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Christmas in Space! A Holiday Cirque Spectacular

• Burton Cummings Theatre, 364 Smith St.
• Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
• Tickets: $66-$110 at Ticketmaster

Buckle up for an out-of-this-world performance where intergalactic wonder meets yuletide joy.

Blending technology with acrobatics, the daredevil cast of Christmas in Space promises a spectacle like no other in this immersive tale of an alien seeking out the true meaning of the festive season.

Determined to embark on a holiday crash course, the alien lands in a theatre where he opens a Stargate portal for his extraterrestrial buddies to join him on his adventures.

The four acrobats of the Saturn Sphere perform on a unique orb-like apparatus high above the stage, and the Hair Hang Aerielist defies gravity, showcasing her strength and artistry while suspended solely by her hair.

The production also features lights by Lady Light Laser Girl, dances by the Photon Krew in synchronized LED suits, and contortionist Lisbeth Mikoleit.

— AV Kitching

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Sam Fournier releases his first EP

• The Handsome Daughter, 61 Sherbrook St.
• Friday, 8 p.m.
• Tickets: $18

A regular on Winnipeg stages since he was a teenager, Sam Fournier has built a reputation as one of the city’s strongest up-and-coming instrumentalists, a U of M jazz school-trained bassist as comfortable navigating traditional Métis folksong as he is performing his own modern variations on the otherworldly output of Thelonius Monk.

Fournier, 22, is a household name in St. Boniface, where he’s been a standout of the Mardi Jazz circuit at CCFM, often taking the stage in a duo with his dad Gilles Fournier of Egospank fame.

A seasoned live performer, Fournier — who has played with Les Barn Boys, Sam Singer’s Beautiful Movers Orchestra and at last year’s Winnipeg Folk Fest in Leith Ross’s band — is sending his own recorded music out into the world for the first time with his EP Shallow Lake, sharing a bill with local openers Tofusmell and Kris Ulrich.

“The sound is one that feels very personal,” says Fournier, who played, sang and recorded every part of the EP himself, inspired by artists such as Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Winnipeg’s Matt Foster (a mentor to Fournier in the Folk Fest’s Young Performers program), Alex G, and Adrianne Lenker (Big Thief).

“I credit my family for raising me in a way that encouraged exploration and creativity, allowing me to keep that sense of freedom as an adult.”

— Ben Waldman

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Under the Mistletoe with Those Guys and Two Crows for Comfort

• West End Cultural Centre, 586 Ellice Ave.
• Saturday, 8 p.m. and Sunday, 2 p.m.
• Tickets: $30-$35

It’s December, so Christmas is bearing down on us like the Polar Express, and holiday music and concerts are erupting everywhere.

We’ve learned to stop worrying and love the songs, and almost nothing strikes us with the festive spirit like a cappella groups belting out pop megahits such as Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You.

OK, we’re not 100 per cent sure that tune is on Those Guys’ setlist for the Under the Mistletoe concert, but they are, at any rate, pop aficionados whose repertoire ranges from Justin Timberlake to the Nylons and so many Christmas tunes. Banter, storytelling, sing-alongs and intricate vocal harmonies – all are promised by a group that has released scores of Christmas covers.

Those Guys are joined at these two shows by folk duo Two Crows for Comfort, who, with an avian-counting name like that, seem like shoo-ins to sing The Twelve Days of Christmas.

— Conrad Sweatman

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