A Western Theatre Conspiracy will give the Canadian premiere of Jez Butterworth's Mojo on Dec. 18. There will be a preview performance Dec. 17, with an official opening the following day. Mojo had its premiere at London's Royal Court Theatre in 1995 and received the Olivier Award for Best Comedy, The Evening Standard Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright, and the Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Most Promising Playwright. Mojo had its U.S. premiere at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre in 1996 and recently opened to much acclaim at the Atlantic Theatre Off-Broadway.

Mojo is set in a nightclub in London's Soho in 1958.

Butterworth's play combines "The verbal menace of Harold Pinter with the physical violence of Quentin Tarantino" wrote the Sunday Times of London. Vincent Canby of the New York Times, writing about the current Off Broadway production, called it "seriously scary: a grotesque, violent, obscene, linguistically dazzling melodrama set in late night London, a place where morality is no more easily recognized than a pothole is in New York at 3 AM."

Mojo features Vancouver actors Camyar Chai, Bob Frazer, Michael P. Northey, Ari Solomon, Peter Stebbings and Alex Zahara. It is directed by Richard Wolfe. Last season A Western Theatre Conspiracy copped two Jessie Awards -- including Best Ensemble Cast -- for its production of The Pintauro Cafe.

Mojo is playing at the Firehall Theatre in Vancouver from Dec. 17-Jan. 3. For tickets, call (604) 689-0926.

-- By Rebecca Paller