reviewvancouver: Red Rock Diner

Red Robinson was present on opening night and he complemented the Surrey Arts Centre for being a beautiful theatre. It was his first time to see the theatre. He was emotional and almost in tears and said "I need Kleenex" when he mentioned Dean Regan, the playwright, who was also present. They were together at King Edward High School in the 1950s. After Robinson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995, Regan wrote this play and we reviewed it when it made its Arts Club debut in 1998 with Michael Buble as one of its cast members, at the Granville Island Stage.

Many of the cast and band members are still in this musical. The talented band consists of Mathew J. Baker on bass, Todd Biffard on drums, Steven Greenfield on keyboard, and Brett Ziegler on saxophone. These musicians occasionally take the spotlight to sing as well, but mainly form the backup group for the rest of the performers: Tafari Anthony is Richard; Jesse Martyn is Red; Anna Kuman is Connie; Daniel James White is Val; and Robyn Wallis is Venus. This is the same group that performed in 2014 with the exception of Martyn and White.

The Arts Club Theatre Company's BC tour starts off at the Surrey Arts Centre and ends in Courtenay on Nov 22. The opening night here in Surrey was well-received by Surrey residents, and there was a standing ovation during curtain call. During the Q & A session, Robinson was asked who were his best performers, and he answered Elvis Presley and The Beatles. He also commented that the next Red Rock Diner should have music of the 1960s because that decade was rich in Rock and Roll..