Berkeley Rep Blog
Category archive: At the theatre
Sipping and snapping through the season
posted by Chad Jones on Fri, Dec 4, 2009
in At the theatre
As a toast to tonight's first preview of the amazing Aurélia's Oratorio,we'd like to share with you — in a cyber kind of way — the luscious libations our cocktail sorcerers have concocted for this truly remarkable show.
If you come to the Theatre early or decide to stay after, here's what awaits you:
- The Spellbinder— Succumb to the sweet charms of this fantasy on ice. Absolut Citron pairs dreamily with Parfait Amour liqueur, while a flash of lemon juice and a splash of tonic water finish things off with a touch of stardust.
- The Velvet Curtain— Frangelico and Skyy Vodka swirled with white crème de cacao create a lovely, enigmatic concoction. Plumb the depths of this mystery in an elegant martini glass or mixed with a steaming cup of joe.
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Unveiling Aurélia's Oratorio
posted by Chad Jones on Mon, Nov 30, 2009
in At the theatre
The holidays are here, and everyone is feeling festive. Here at Berkeley Rep we're celebrating the season with the magical, whimsical, beautiful show Aurélia's Oratorio, which opens this Friday (December 4) and continues through January 24 in the Roda Theatre.
Created and directed by Victoria Thierrée Chaplin and performed by Aurélia Thierrée, the show has traveled the world, winning praise and inspiring wonder wherever it goes.
To give you a taste of this theatrical delight we offer these two tantalizing tidbits.
Top photo: Aurélia Thierrée in Aurélia's Oratorio. Photo by Richard Haughton
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Bon voyage, American Idiot!
posted by Elana McKernan on Wed, Nov 18, 2009
in At the theatre
I am not a tremendously emotional person. I rarely cry at movies, the only books that make me sniffly are ones in which small furry things of the animal variety meet an untimely end, and any sadness I feel during airport goodbyes is usually overwhelmed by my anxiety about flying. However, it was difficult not to get a little teary-eyed last Sunday night during the closing number of American Idiot, and when the curtain rose again for the cast's final Berkeley Rep encore performance, I had to prod fellow intern (sorry, fellow fellow) Lizz Guzman for a tissue. Thankfully, she came prepared.
The cast seemed equally emotional, basking in the audience's enthusiastic applause for three separate curtain calls, glistening with sweat and tears, and coming together at the end of it all in a giant enthusiastic dog pile on John Gallagher, Jr. We, the audience, were lucky to experience the magical closing night performance of American Idiot, and we knew it. The actors sang and danced as though their lives depended on it, and we reciprocated by screaming and clapping as though ours did too.
Following the performance, cast and crew headed over to Hotel Shattuck Plaza for a closing-night celebration of wine, dancing, and food. Highlights included catering by the amazing local Italian food mecca, Trattoria Siciliana, Green Day's gracious and emotional support of the project, and dancing with the cast and staff of Berkeley Rep.
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Watch Tiny Kushner in action
posted by Chad Jones on Mon, Nov 9, 2009
in At the theatre
As much as we'd love to share the bounty of brilliant writing, great laughs, and incredible performances contained in Tiny Kushner (which closes on Sunday, November 29) right here on the blog, alas, we cannot. Live theatre needs to be seen live. And in a theatre.
But, through the wonder of modern technology, we are able to share some choice moments from this collection of five sparkling short works by the inestimable Tony Kushner, all under the direction of Tony Taccone.
Please enjoy this sneak peek...
Top photo: Jim Lichtsheidl (left) and J.C. Cutler in Tiny Kushner. Photo by mellopix.com
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Scenes from an Idiot Halloween
posted by Chad Jones on Mon, Nov 2, 2009
in At the theatre
We probably shouldn't be surprised by the fact that two American idiots won the post-show American Idiot costume contest Halloween night. Audience members arrived in a festive mood for the night's show, and it probably didn't hurt that dressing up got you a free pre-show drink.
After the show, theatregoers hung around for the festivities, which included a costume contest and visits from members of the American Idiot cast.
Dennis and Lisa Ouimette took their cue from the show and dressed as what they considered to be real-life American idiots. One was Glen Beck, the other George W. Bush. Those are the facts. You provide the commentary. They won the contest, and here they are.
Coming in second was a team of superheroes, and in third, Mary Poppins and Bert, her chimney-sweep friend.
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One actor, 23 parts, and a storyboard
posted by Chad Jones on Thu, Oct 29, 2009
in At the theatre
In Tiny Kushner, a collection of five short plays by Tony Kushner, Jim Lichtscheidl takes a memorable turn through East Coast Ode to Howard Jarvis: a little teleplay in tiny monologues. Jim plays nearly two dozen characters in a fast-paced story about a real-life tax-evasion scheme born in the Midwest that spread through New York City public employees like a bad disease.
To keep track of all his varied characters — male, female, young, old, Caucasian, African-American, Asian-American, Sikh-American, Italian American, you get the picture — Jim lifted a trick from the world of movies. He created storyboards, quick sketches of each of his characters and the kind of setting in which their scene takes place.
Jim allowed us to peek into his storyboard notebook and share some of his sketches with you. Here's the first page, which features a corrections officer on Rikers Island and a skinhead inmate (for a larger image, click on the photo):
"This is the first time I've storyboarded a project," Jim explains. "I felt I needed a touchstone to help with memorization and to get a grasp on what these characters look like in the environment Kushner has created."
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NY Times review of Tiny Kushner declares "Berkeley Rep's on fire"
posted by Terence Keane on Tue, Oct 27, 2009
in At the theatre , Our shows
Don't they know not to cry "Fire!" in a crowded theatre?
For the third time this month, one of our shows garnered a great review in the New York Times. On October 5, Ben Brantley wrote a rave review for the Broadway production of Carrie Fisher’s Wishful Drinking, which was staged by Artistic Director Tony Taccone. On October 10, Charles Isherwood published a rocking review for Green Day’s American Idiot, our world premiere directed by Michael Mayer. Then, this past Sunday, Bruce Weber penned a big review of Tiny Kushner for the new Bay Area section in West Coast editions of the Times
Here’s what he had to say about the show, and about our recent success. In a metaphor appropriate for October, he compares us to a homerun hitter on a hot streak:
“A thinking person's comedy... the West Coast premiere of Tiny Kushner took place on Wednesday at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where so much of the nation’s talked-about dramatic product seems to come from these days, and the double pedigree – playwright and theater – is attention-getting...
“Individually and even collectively, the five entries here are snacks in the Kushner canon. However, that doesn’t make them nonnourishing or the evening unsatisfying; Mr. Kushner’s fierce liberal conscience (he’s Arthur Miller’s heir, in that regard), colossally fanciful imagination and virtuosic gift for composing verbal arias are too much in evidence for that...
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It's an American Idiot Halloween!
posted by Bert Reptile on Mon, Oct 26, 2009
in At the theatre , From the booth
There are Halloween parties, and then there's the American Idiot Halloween party.
You can get your Halloween off to a rock-and-roll start at Berkeley Rep! See Green Day’s American Idiot this Saturday, October 31, and start the party early. Come in costume and your first drink before the show is on us! Bar specials include a Bloody Mary, the St. Jimmy, the Letterbomb, and others, as well as an outstanding selection of local brews.
And here's some good news: If you’re under 30, your ticket is half-price!
Stick around after the show, too. As soon as the curtain falls around 9:30pm, we’ll be giving away a bundle of American Idiot memorabilia for the best costume of the night. The winner will receive a Levi’s™ American Idiot tote bag containing a souvenir book, limited edition commemorative poster, the American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown albums and an American Idiot T-shirt.
Buy tickets online or call our box office at 510 647-2949.
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Tiny reviews are giant raves!
posted by Chad Jones on Fri, Oct 23, 2009
in At the theatre
If it's two days after an opening night, this must be what we call Review Friday. Today's the day reviews of Tiny Kushner begin rolling in, and we're enormously pleased and proud of this Tiny accomplishment. Congratulations to Artistic Director Tony Taccone and his fantastic cast — J.C. Cutler, Kate Eifrig, Jim Lichtscheidl, and Valeri Mudek.
Here's a sampling of the critical response, along with links to the complete reviews.
Robert Hurwitt of the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Penetrating… buoyant… blistering… exhilarating! Broad reach and Kushner’s eclectic, wicked wit make for a great deal of charm and excitement in Tiny Kushner, an anthology of five short plays... it’s impressive how well the five plays fit together, because they were written at different times for different purposes... Hefty political and moral issues dance with buoyant shtick [as] penetrating comedy and theatrical strokes light up the stage, fully exploited by director Tony Taccone and four versatile actors.”
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Nice interview with the Tonys - Taccone and Kushner
posted by Chad Jones on Wed, Oct 21, 2009
in At the theatre
Today's San Francisco Chronicle features a great interview with old friends Tony Kushner and Tony Taccone, who have been collaborating since just before Kushner's Angels in America rocked the world. Their latest project is Tiny Kushner, a collection of five short plays, which opens tonight and continues through Nov. 29 on the Thrust Stage.
Robert Hurwitt's story begins: "From the epic Angels in America and prescient Homebody/Kabul to the musical Caroline, or Change, Kushner, 53, can't seem to stop wrestling massive themes to the stage with wit, penetrating insights and great theatricality."
And here's Kushner, who is not generally known for the brevity of his tremendous wit and intelligence, on writing short plays: "It's not a form that I'm naturally drawn to. I think I've written 10 or 12. What I like about this grouping is that they have a certain thematic consonance, and there's a shape to the evening. It's not just a smorgasbord."
Buy Tiny Kushner tickets in our online box office.
Above photo: Tony Kushner and Tony Taccone on the Tiny Kushner set.
Photo © Mike Kapka, San Francisco Chronicle