Berkeley Rep Blog
Strange and wonderful! Read the rave reviews and take a tantalizing peek
posted by Chad Jones on Fri, Mar 5, 2010
in At the theatre
The reviews for Naomi Iizuka's Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West are fantastic.
In the San Francisco Chronicle, the Little Man is jumping out of his chair! Here's more:
“Scintillating…a sexy puzzle…The shards of story, vintage and modern photos, lies, surmises, history and tattoos set the mind spinning about topics as varied as the art and commerce of photography, the ways in which humans love and use one another, a century of intercourse between Japan and America and the mutable relationships between appearance and reality…So full of casual clues and odd payoffs that every moment is worth close attention…A puzzle that haunts the mind long afterward.”
And then there's this from the Bay Area News Group:
“Dazzling…A sly, elliptical play…Tantalizing images shimmer throughout…Touches on issues of art, authenticity and the elusive nature of perspective. It’s shot through with provocative visuals and intellectually stimulating themes.”
KGO 810AM raves, “Another winner from Berkeley Rep! With its intricate, clever combination of lights, sounds and visuals, it will absolutely amaze you. When I say this is a `must see,' I really mean it. I give it a `Wow!'”
And the good reviews keep coming. Find more at Beyond Chron and Stark Silver Creek.
Now see for yourself. Explore Strange Devices with this tantalizing peek:
Top photo: (from left) Kate Eastwood Norris, Bruce McKenzie, and Johnny Wu in Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West. Photo courtesy of kevinberne.com
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Strange Devices goes Tokyo pop!
posted by Chad Jones on Thu, Mar 4, 2010
in At the theatre , Backstage buzz
At last night's festive opening of Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, audience members could be found grooving and bopping around the Roda Theatre lobby. And when there's grooving and bopping, requests for playlists inevitably follow.
So here you have it — the greatest hits of the Strange Devices lobby.
"Sugar Water" by Cibo Matto from the album Viva! La Woman
"So Exclusive" by m-flo from the album Beat Space Nine
"Sci-Fi Wasabi" by Cibo Matto from the album Stereo Type A
"Kokirikobushi" by OMODAKA from the album Cantata No. 147
"Sataandagi No Uta" by Nuu from the EP Akari
"Planet Tokyo" by Puffy Ami Yumi from the album Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi
"Twist Barbie" by Shonen Knife from the album Burning Farm
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Rita returns! Daisey blooms again! Snicket (de)composes! And more in 2010/11 season
posted by Chad Jones on Wed, Mar 3, 2010
in At the theatre
It's a big day here at Berkeley Rep.
In addition to celebrating tonight's official world premiere of Naomi Iizuka's Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, we also announced the 2010/11 season — and not just part of the season or shows "under consideration." It's the whole, glorious season.
You can explore the season on our website. We are also happy to provide links to stories about the new season in
- the San Francisco Chronicle
- the San Jose Mercury News / Bay Area News Group
- Playbill
- TheaterMania
Rob Hurwitt's Chronicle story ends with a funny quote from Tony Taccone, Berkeley Rep's artistic director. Tony is talking about his debut as a playwright with a script for Rita Moreno's autobiographical show that ends the season. Shortly after that world premiere, he'll be dashing up to Ashland, Oregon to work on Oregon Shakespeare Festival's world premiere of Ghostlight, another play he has written — this one developed with Jonathan Moscone, artistic director of California Shakespeare Theater.
Rob quotes Tony as saying: "I realize this is artistic suicide, the height of arrogance. The way the schedules worked out, I open Rita's show here and go up the next day for rehearsals on Jon's play. Unreal, huh? I should just slit my wrists now."
Check out the comments at the bottom of the story where a reader has written: "Don't slit 'em, Tony! Call Geoff first! You guys are Bay Area treasures." Geoff, of course, is Geoff Hoyle, whom Tony will be directing in the world premiere of Lemony Snicket's The Composer Is Dead next season.
Above photo, from left: The Great Game: Afghanistan, Rita Moreno, Mike Daisey, and Lynn Nottage are all part of the 2010/11 Berkeley Rep season.
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Party in the streets: join the Berkeley Rep Poster Brigade!
posted by Elana McKernan on Tue, Mar 2, 2010
in At the theatre
Looking to see Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West but have student loans / car payments / absurd East Bay rents / mortgages that are preventing you from doing so? The Berkeley Rep Poster Brigade may be the answer for you!
Spend an hour hanging posters in your neighborhood, and we'll reward you with a pair of free tickets to the show. Free theatre has never been this easy...or fun! I mean, look at the picture to the right. That is not the face of mere mild amusement or faux-merriment.
"Now how might I partake of such joy?" you may be asking yourself. My friend, it couldn't be easier.
Sign up for an area near you. All you do is walk along that area and stop in the establishments that you pass to ask staff members for permission to hang our posters. Send us a list of the places that put our posters up, and we'll reward you with a pair of free tickets to the show — good seats worth up to $106 / pair. If you live in any of these neighborhoods, we'd love to work with you:
- Downtown Berkeley
- Gourmet Ghetto / North of Campus
- Rockridge / College Ave
- Telegraph South of Campus
- Solano Ave Berkeley
- 4th Street shopping district Berkeley
- Montclair
- Lake Merritt / Grand Lake neighborhood Oakland
- Downtown Oakland
Email [email protected] to sign up. Be sure to include your full name, a phone number, and what neighborhood you are familiar with and would like to poster. See you on the streets!
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Strange tattoos, cocktails, and you
posted by Chad Jones on Fri, Feb 26, 2010
in At the theatre , Backstage buzz
Previews begin tonight for Naomi Iizuka's Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, and we're hoping some audience members leave this world premiere with a new tattoo — or two. In the tradition of Japanese tattooing, or "irezumi," which you'll hear about in the play, we decided to invite audience members to get a tattoo in the lobby.
OK, so it's a temporary tattoo, but like the famed interlocking tattoos that decorated lovers of yesteryear, we're offering one image featuring a dragon and the other filled with billowing clouds of steam. Separately, the tattoos are cool. Together, they're hot. Tattoo up...and bring a friend.
A certain number of tattoos will be made available each night, so get them while you can.
What better way to celebrate your new tattoo than with the perfect Strange Devices cocktail?
You can savor Naomi's delectable world premiere in more ways than one. During scenes set in contemporary Japan, you’ll see characters enjoying vivid, jewel-toned cocktails that look so delicious we just had to bring them to life off stage.
- The Blue Drink
The sweet punch of Bacardi rum tames the delicious tang of grapefruit juice while cerulean shades of Curaçao give this refreshing cocktail the happiest kind of blues – the kind served over ice. - The Green Drink
When the crisp pairing of Absolut Citron and white cranberry juice meets the luscious sweetness of Midori melon liqueur, other cocktails turn green with envy.
In Strange Devices, you've got a wonderfully sexy, enigmatic play and you've got your ink and your drink. Who could ask for anything more?
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Left to our own Devices: a peek behind the scenes
posted by Chad Jones on Thu, Feb 25, 2010
in At the theatre , Backstage buzz
On the first day of rehearsal for a new show, it's customary for the entire company to gather and meet the cast and creative team. Then everyone settles in for a design presentation by the director and designers.
In the case of Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, the presentation was too good not to share. Director Les Waters takes us inside this world premiere from Naomi Iizuka, and that's a fascinating place to be — especially when seen through the eyes of Pauline Luppert, our multimedia manager.
The show begins previews Friday, February 26 and opens on Wednesday, March 3 in the Roda Theatre.
Enjoy this insider's look and make friends with something Strange.
Above photo: Bruce McKenize and Teresa Avia Lim in Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West. Photo courtesy of kevinberne.com
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Concerning Johnny Wu and Strange Devices
posted by Cheshire Isaacs on Tue, Feb 23, 2010
in At the theatre , Backstage buzz
We're gearing up for the world premiere of Naomi Iizuka's Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West, and we're pretty excited. Previews begin Friday, February 26 in the Roda Theatre, and opens on Wednesday, March 3.
It's going to be, in our humble opinion, amazing. The combination of Naomi with director Les Waters, along with an incredible cast and creative team, couldn't be more thrilling. This is a sexy, mysterious show, and that's a hard-to-beat combo.
Johnny Wu, one of the actors in Strange Devices, created a video for his blog that begins with his road trip from Los Angeles to Berkeley and continues with glimpses of the rehearsal process and interviews with Les, assistant director Mina Morita, co-star Bruce McKenzie, sound designer Bray Poor, and others.
It's a fun video, and Johnny has graciously shared it with us so that we could share it with you. Enjoy. (And we couldn't help noticing Johnny's excellent, not to mention appropriate, choice of music to underscore the video. We can never get enough Green Day.)
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Jaden Wiggins "brightens up" Coming Home
posted by Chad Jones on Mon, Feb 22, 2010
in At the theatre , Backstage buzz
Could it be a star is born at Berkeley Rep?
Oakland Tribune columnist Dave Newhouse wrote a terrific piece in last Sunday's newspaper about Jaden Malik Wiggins, the 11-year-old actor in Athol Fugard's Coming Home.
In the show, which closes on Sunday, February 28, Jaden plays Mannetjie Jonkers, the son of Veronica, the main character played by Roslyn Ruff. Kohle T. Bolton, a dynamic 5-year-old, plays the younger version of Jaden's character.
Thomas Silcott, another of Jaden's adult co-stars, makes some astute observations about the young actor:
"Of the 11-year-olds I've seen on stage, a lot of them are very dutiful and will do anything you ask. But they don't go beyond that and take it on themselves. And that's what Jaden does. He willingly becomes more creative...the boy is like a sponge. He's really smart, very talented and knows how to take what you teach him and make it work."
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Fugard directs at his own South African theatre
posted by Chad Jones on Wed, Feb 17, 2010
in Backstage buzz , Our shows
Athol Fugard is in the midst of a creative burst. The legendary 77-year-old playwright, director, and actor has written several new plays, including Coming Home (continuing through February 28 on the Thrust Stage) and Have You Seen Us?, which had its world premiere at the Long Wharf Theatre.
Fugard is even directing his most recent play, The Train Driver, which has its world premiere at the Athol Fugard Theatre in Capetown's District 6, a formerly all-white district.
Last fall, Fugard discussed The Train Driver with the Hartford Courant. "This may be the most important one I've ever written as far as I'm concerned for personal reasons," Fugard said. "I know The Train Driver will resonate for all South Africans when they see it as something that deals with themselves. This is about us, as South Africans."
The BBC has been covering Fugard's return to Capetown and his work on The Train Driver.
Watch the television coverage.
In the radio piece, the actor Alan Rickman praises Fugard. "Everyone of my generation remembers the first time they saw his work in England, " Rickman says, "and it's life changing."
Fugard is far from done. He reports that he's at work on yet another new play, this one called The Blue Iris.
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Idiot marquee goes up on Broadway
posted by Chad Jones on Tue, Feb 16, 2010
in Backstage buzz , Our shows
Welcome to Broadway, American Idiot.
Managing Director Susie Medak snapped that photo of the spiffy new marquee at the St. James Theatre on West 44th Street. Out with the old — goodbye and thank you, Finian's Rainbow — and in with the new. Hello, American Idiot!
Susie was in New York to visit a rehearsal, where she ran into director Michael Mayer and orchestrator/arranger/musical supervisor Tom Kitt.
The Idiot crew has been incredibly busy. Everyone's back in rehearsal preparing for the first preview on March 24, and the cast spent much of the weekend at New York's Electric Lady Studios recording the cast album.
Tickets went on sale to the general public on Valentine's Day. Visit the show's official website for information.