Musical theatre is certainly nothing new to Stanley Park. After officially opening in 1940, Theatre Under the Stars fast became a staple of the Vancouver summer. Watching Broadway adaptations in the open-air Malkin bowl is now one of our city's longest running artistic traditions and both of this year's productions, Jesus Christ Superstar and Annie Get Your Gun, have already been given the TUTS treatment before. After taking a year off in 2006, last year's season was met with glowing reviews and expectations were running high for my first outdoor theatre experience in Vancouver (yes, I must make it to Bard on the Beach eventually).

Being the resident theatre critic here at Beyond Robson, I was the natural choice to cover this year's Under the Stars offerings. But, I'll be perfectly honest: I'm not usually a huge fan of the musicals. I've reserved my musical-theatre experiences for situations that seem to demand it (i.e. seeing "Rent" in New York and "Cabaret" while visiting London with my sister, the actress -- both of which I ultimately enjoyed). Soon after donning the theatre hat for BR, I had the chance to take in the amazing Black Rider, and reviewed the Arts Club's wonderful rendition of The Producers. After seeing how well one Vancouver company managed to pull that show off, I was actually kind of excited to check out two more homegrown Broadway adaptations. Would this year's TUTS complete my conversion into a full fledged fan of the song-and-dance storytelling?

"Comedy is tragedy plus time," said Woody Allen in a famous quip from 'Crimes and Misdemeanors'. Carol Burnette or Lenny Bruce may also be the source of that quote, which just goes to show that there's truth underlying the claim. But just how long does it take before it's safe to laugh at misery? As the cold reaction to Uwe Boll's recent film Postal proves, most agree it's still too soon to make fun of September 11. I also don't think we'll be seeing full fledged parodies of Tiananmen Square, the Rwandan genocide, or Apartheid any time soon. Such subjects are off limits even for even the most hardened cynics. Okay... so maybe Dave Chapelle would do an Apartheid skit, but I find him pretty far from 'funny'.

It has been acceptable, however, to find humor in WWII Germany for awhile now. Just watch Charlie Chaplin as Adolf or Peter Sellers as Dr. Strangelove (in two of the best comedic performances ever put to film) for proof that Nazi satire is nothing new. More recently, South Park has been doing the Hitler shtick successfully for a long time, and "Life is Beautiful" won a damn Oscar.

My favorite vehicle for fascist farce would undoubtedly have to be Mel Brooks' The Producers. The classic comedy, which follows two Broadway producers who hatch a scam to make millions by staging the biggest flop ever: "Springtime for Hitler", won an Oscar in 1968 and has subsequently become a cult-film staple.

In 2001 the film was adapted by Brooks himself for Broadway, and the resultant musical comedy has now found its way to Vancouver's Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage. Thanks to the Arts Club Theatre, Vancouverites will have an opportunity to enjoy one of the funniest and most popular musicals in Broadway history, near perfectly handled and playing until July 13. You can't do any better in terms of mainstream theater... this one is worth the money.

Since 1992, Vancouver-based neworldtheatre has produced 17 original plays, winning 17 Jessie awards and always getting a lot of local press. Their recent works include an ambitious adaptation of Crime and Punishment; the FUSE installation placebook, an analog version of facebook; and The Adventures of Ali and Ali and the Axes of Evil, a ballsy satire which garnered some great reviews and won the company quite a bit of attention in 2007.

The group has become one of Vancouver's most consistently exciting theatre companies; priding themselves on a mandate of diversity and a celebration of the places where Vancouver's distinct cultures and aesthetics intersect. newworld's consistently edgy productions are a testament to their dedication to Vancouver's broad artistic community, something that will be on display again as they rev up for the seventh edition of the Bite of the Underground cabaret-style variety show, an event which functions as a fundraiser for the company.

It happens tonight at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, with doors at 8:30. The evening will feature the work of a number of hot local performers, including stand-up, poetry, spoken word, and a variety of music. Some notes on the featured acts after the break...

It's 2012. The Olympics were canceled after a drug-addled Downtown Eastside was carted off to North Vancouver silos in order to make room for a shiny new condo complex. They soon escaped, wreaking havoc upon the North Shore residents. It's also been raining for three years straight, causing Vancouver property values to plummet even faster than the sinking foundations. Did I mention that canned peaches are more valuable than gold, on account of the food crisis?

While the above may sound like any armchair Nostradamus' pessimistic prediction for our city after viewing yesterday's Sun headlines, it's actually the setup for The View from Above, a new work by local playwright James Long. Co-commisioned by The Ruby Slippers Theatre and Theatre la Seizieme, the play has been running since April 12, receiving quite a lot of local attention.

Despite its darkly comic tone, this production is so painfully relevant that it's almost difficult to watch -- but in that good, humanist way. The run at Performance Works on Granville Island only lasts until Sunday, before moving to the Shadbolt Center for the Arts in Burnaby from April 30 - May 3, and is essential for any socially concious Vancouverite or fan of local theater.

Caroline Larion is the middle-aged creative director at the local advertising company 'Zenspiration' and secretly in love with her younger assistant Brad. Together they've been hired by the Clearwater Bank credit union to create a queer-positive ad campaign that will both appeal to gay clients and celebrate the institution's value of social equality. Things get more farcical when the hired models for the advertisement turn out to be Caroline's ex-fiancee Jack and his new young male partner Carson, a devout Catholic. In the final layer of Poster Boys, the Church gets involved, pulling their funding for all Clearwater-endorsed events.

While the plot of the latest Arts Club original play could have some cynics muttering 'pop-fringe cliche', it's actually based on a true Vancouver story, circa 2003. Replace 'Clearwater Bank' with VanCity and you have the real-life controversy that inspired Michele Riml's new production at the Granville Island Stage, a rollicking rom-com-satire that resonates with this authenticity. Clearly the extraneous human drama is an artistic creation, and if poorly handled could make for a stale 'Sex & the City' reject... but it's sold entirely by a sharp script and some equally wonderful performances.

Long before Shrek, there was another twisted, more sophisticated take on fairy tales to answer the question of "What happens after happily ever after?"

Into the Woods, on now at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre, is the hit Broadway musical from Stephen Sondheim (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street). More than any of his other productions, Into the Woods is stuffed to the brim with memorable characters and witty, wonderful songs.

Many of our nostalgic favourites get the revamped treatment, their intentions and their morals as compromised as any real person: Jack, with the bean stalk, is lovable but dim-witted; Little Red Riding Hood wields a knife with delectable pleasure; Rapunzel is a traumatized Virgin Mary, held captive by a wicked witch who just wants to be a mother.