Everyone knows the 60th anniversary is diamond, but there’s no traditional gift for the 61st anniversary—which means the Metro Theatre gets to chart their own course for their diamond-plus-one season. 

The South Van institution named local performer Kyra Weston as the new general manager this summer, with Nate Kelly taking up the mantle as technical director and theatre long-timer Max Reimer offering consultation.

“Having acted on stage at the Metro, I’ve fallen in love with this charming theatre," Weston says. "I’m excited to have joined the team of amazing staff at Metro. Together, along with the support of theatre legend Max Reimer and our Board of Directors, we want to make this season shine."

Hghlights from the year include Can-con comedy The Catering Queen that skewers West Van pretentiousness, and Christmas panto Sinbad! for full-throated family-friendly fun. 

Two co-productions with Deep Cove’s First Impressions Theatre promise to bring out the best of local talent. This winter’s Always…Patsy Cline showcases the short-lived pop-country queen, while springtime’s Noises Off presents a raunchy play-within-a-play farce. 

Find out more about Metro Theatre’s upcoming programming here.

The Mousetrap 

The longest-running West End show in the world has been seen by 10 million people in London. If you don’t want to make the trip across the pond, the enthralling whodunnit is sure to entertain right here at home.

When: September 15 to October 7, Thursdays to Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm

Admission: $36

The Catering Queen

Alison Lawrence’s 2006 Toronto Fringe hit about a cocktail party in ritzy Forest Hill gets a 604 makeover for Metro’s season, taking place instead in a West Van mansion and following the lives of four servers trying to survive a flock of entitled guests. 

When: October 27 to November 18, Thursdays to Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm

Admission: $36

Sinbad!

This original pantomime for Metro’s 38th crack at the holiday tradition follows the classic swashbuckling tale of Sinbad. What else? We can’t say—that’s the thing about original shows…

When: December 7 to January 1, with a mix of 7:30pm evening shows and 2pm matinees

Admission: $46

Always…Patsy Cline

Patsy Cline’s short but powerful solo career was immortalized when she died in a plane crash at only 30 years old. This musical features her music, alongside a six-piece band, and plenty of country cool.

When: January 4 to 14

Admission: $46

Send Me No Flowers

Hypochondriac George Kimball is convinced he’s dying in this throwback rom-com classic. While the story is best known for the 1964 movie starring Rock Hudson, Doris Day, and Tony Randall, it originally ran as a play on Broadway in 1960. 

When: February 2 to 24, Thursdays to Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm

Admission: $36

Noises Off

Farcical looks at failed stage plays have become their own genre of theatre, but Noises Off started the trend, presenting a side-splitting look at a sex comedy gone wrong.

When: March 15 to April 6, Thursdays to Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm

Admission: $36

Moonlight and Magnolias

Gone With the Wind might be one of the most beloved movies of all time, but its production was far from straightforward. Ron Hutchinson’s play fictionalizes five days of its troubled creation in this fast-paced historical comedy. 

When: April 26 to May 18, Thursdays to Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm

Admission: $36