4 Diwali on in fading Pun- Jabi Market Sweet shops in South Vancouver’s Punjabi Mar- ket are ready for the festi- val of lights celebrations By KATHRYN WU are gearing up for Diwali despite the Punjabi Market gradually getting smaller. Diwali, also known as the “festival of lights,” is India’s biggest festival, and widely celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains around the world. Sweets are ex- changed between friends and families as gifts, while fireworks and candles play an integral role in celebrations. Manjit Pabla, the owner of Himalaya Restaurant, remembers the Punjabi Market being a bustling and popular area 25 years ago. “It was like having a mini carnival almost every day,” he said. “Weekends were just crazy. Long weekends were even crazier. Summer holidays were a nightmare. We couldn’t even think of traveling.” Pabla said Main Street was the meet- ing point for celebrations on Diwali. Although Pabla anticipates the festi- val to be busy this year, he recounts when his father opened the restaurant on Main Street. “We used to have line-ups out the door,” he said, adding the shop used to dread Diwali because it would get so busy. “We would have incidents where people were playing around with fire- works.” Steve Ram, the owner of All India Sweets & Restaurant, said ie sweet shops on Main Street STEVE RAM andi Sweets Diwali is still estauran their busiest day of the year. “It generally takes us a good month to prepare for it,” he said. Now, there are more options in the Metro Vancouver area for Diwali. Di- wali Fest has organized two large cele- brations this year: one at the Yaletown Roundhouse Community Arts & Recre- ation Centre, and the other at the Sur- rey City Hall. Kriti Dewan, vice chair of Diwali Fest for the Lower Mainland, estimates that yearly attendance for these events are 7,000 to 10,000 people. Diwali Fest will have 14 small events throughout the Lower Mainland. "| ai Ma) Chree staged episodes of John Cleese and Connie Booth’s Fawlty Towers are showing until Nov. 21, 2015. METRO THEATRE submitted photos i { J No fawit in this towering tale Back by demand, a classic 1970s British show hits the Metro Theatre By KEVIN UNDERHILL n the early 1970s, John Cleese and Connie Booth visited a hotel in Tor- quay, Englad, and were inspired by the staff, or so the “Fawlty” tale goes. Forty years later, director Alison Schamberger has staged three epi- sodes of Cleese and Booth’s Fawity Towers at the Metro Theatre in Van- couver. Schamberger said Fawlty Towers stood the test of 40 years because of the show’s keen edge and combination of clever dialogue and physical humour. “Tve always been a bit ambivalent of slapstick humour because it appeals to the lowest common denominator of in- telligence,” Schamberger said. Chris Dellinger, who plays the lead character Basil Fawlty, said he was raised on British humour and loves the layered aspect of the writing. “There’s a lot of subtle complexity to the writing and structure of the come- dy that I think is unique to British com- edy,” he said. Paul Matthew St. Pierre, an English professor at SFU, who has studied film and performance, said British humour remains popular in North America not only for its cultural ties to the United Kingdom but also for the humour’s ab- surdity. “Those shows were quite subversive in their comedic aesthetics and they struck North American audiences be- cause they were really absurd,” he said. This year marks the 40th anniversa- ry of Fawlty Towers and St. Pierre said the strength of the writing has kept the show relevant and popular. “John Cleese and Connie Booth’s scripts read absolutely brilliantly,” he said. Taking the television scripts and adapting them for the live stage is a challenge that Schamberger said limits the number of episodes they can do. “Last year we did three episodes, this year three more,” she said. “We re- ally can’t do any more after this be- cause we’ve exhausted what we can do on the stage.” Approximately 100 people attended the Oct. 31 opening night at the Metro Theatre. The play runs until Nov. 21. 66 There’s a lot of subtle com- plexity to the writing and struc- ture of the comedy CHRIS DELLINGER LEAD CHARACTER BASIL FAWLTY From tragedy to friendship: fifty years honoured The Norman Rothstein Theatre hosts a German and Jewish performance honouring their ties By ANNE-SOPHIE RODET chilling soprano-piano duo Ppovers German and Jewish com- unities together to recognize and honour their strong ties in a celebration of 50 years of diplomacy. The Israel and Germany perfor- mance marked the anniversary since the first German ambassador was sent to Israel in 1965. The German consulate general of Vancouver selected the musicians for the Oct. 29 performance at the Norman Rothstein Theatre. “Music is always a very good means to bring people together,” said Joseph Beck, consul general. Vocalist Johanna Krumin and pia- nist Markus Zugehér came from Ber- lin, Germany, for the show. “To have a chance to be invited is a gift for us,” said Krumin. At the event, members of both com- munities expressed how much they value the relationship they now have. Elke Porter, a German blogger from Vancouver, remembers being called a Nazi as a child even though she grew up in Canada after the war. “T like to see that there has been some healing,” she said. Janice Margolis, a former executive director of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Vancouver, said she has seen this partnership grow firsthand when she witnessed young Germans coming to Israel. “It is a good model to show how peo- ple can move on,” she said. Celebrations of the 50 years of friendship have been happening throughout the year. In May, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin went to Berlin to mark the anniversary date on May 12. DJ Schneeweiss, consul general of Israel to Toronto and Western Canada, was born in Australia, but immigrated to Israel in 1987 and lived in Jerusalem. “This is astory we want to tell every- where,” he said. Krumin and Zugehor said they want- ed to show through the pieces they chose to interpret how much the Ger- man classical music shares its roots with the Jewish culture. “They are absolutely connected,” said Krumin. ANNE-SOPHIE RODET photo Markus Zugehor (left) playing the piano and Johanna Krumin (right) singing to recognize the friendship.