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Girlfriend gets Goode

posted by Chad Jones on Tue, Apr 6, 2010
in At the theatre , Backstage buzz

During the last few weeks, one of the great pleasures of being at Berkeley Rep is the catchy Matthew Sweet music pouring out of the rehearsal hall. Singing along to the strains of "Evangeline" or "I've Been Waiting" has been embraced as part of the daily routine here as the actors, musicians, and creative team build Girlfriend, Todd Almond's take on the Matthew Sweet album of the same name.

Watching director Les Waters work with actors Jason Hite and Ryder Bach has been fascinating. With only two actors in the show, a tremendous amount of attention is paid to every minute detail (yet another reason why it's so great this show is on the intimate Thrust Stage). Add in the wonderful work of choreographer Joe Goode, and you've got an even more fascinating creative process.

Girlfriend, which begins previews this Friday (April 9) and opens Wednesday, April 14, is like American Idiot in that it's a world-premiere rock musical based on a beloved album full of great songs. But that's really where the comparisons end. Girlfriend is small-scale and romantic and features a phenomenal, all-girl band. This is a musical, but it's not a traditional musical, and the choreography is a long way from high kicks and jazz hands.

Les says Joe is the perfect choreographer for Girlfriend because, "his style always uses movement in service of storytelling and character.  This touching and genuine story about two teenage boys falling in love needs a light touch, and he knows how to combine dance and narrative in ways that no one else can. Having him in the rehearsal hall has been a delight."

An award-winning choreographer, writer, and director, Joe heads the Joe Good Performance Troupe, which means he's not usually a choreographer for hire. But the opportunity to work with Les and to work on this particular show was more than he could resist.

"I've known Les for a long time and always hoped to work with him," Joe comments. "He has such a keen eye for humor and for the human story. I feel a kinship with his irreverence for text and his desire for the big, bold moment."

Joe admits that he fell in love with the show. "There is a real innocence and delicious awkwardness to the story, and the music is wonderfully suitable for propelling the story forward," he explains. "The two young actors are just terrific, so believable and sympathetic. you find yourself really rooting for the characters, hoping they can find a way to get over their own reticence and actually kiss. That in itself is wonderfully subversive and makes me love the play."