Berkeley Rep Blog
Category archive: At the theatre
Playing for Team Girlfriend
posted by Chad Jones on Wed, Apr 14, 2010
in At the theatre
The new musical Girlfriend has its official world premiere tonight, and here's something we know to be true about great musical experiences: people desire a souvenir.
We are happy to oblige with a full line of Girlfriend gear that includes Matthew Sweet CDs and the debut album from singer/songwriter Todd Almond (whose brilliant idea it was to turn Matthew's classic album into a show).
We also have T-shirts. Oh, how we love the T-shirts.
In honor of the baseball theme running through the show, we offer a baseball jersey-style tee with tan 3/4 sleeves and "Girlfriend" across the chest (complete with a swoopy G) and the Berkeley Rep logo on the left sleeve.
A second baseball-style tee features navy blue 3/4 sleeves and one of Matthew's greatest lyrics: "I didn't think I'd find you perfect in so many ways" from the song "I've Been Waiting" (which happens to be the first song in the show). The Girlfriend and Berkeley Rep logos are on the back.
But wait! There's more!
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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."
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Sneaking a peek at Girlfriend
posted by Chad Jones on Wed, Mar 31, 2010
in At the theatre , Backstage buzz
In between rainstorms, you can tell it's spring here in the beautiful Bay Area. And in spring, as they say, a young man's fancy turns to love.
How perfect, then, that our next show is a rock musical romance. The buzz is building for the world premiere of Girlfriend, a new show wound around the pop-perfect songs of Matthew Sweet's legendary 1991 album.
Let us take you into the world of Girlfriend — set in Nebraska in 1993 — as two young men, just out of high school, realize that they're in love.
Director Les Waters and playwright Todd Almond invite you to check out their sweet and sexy Girlfriend in this video presentation.
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The art of fake tattoos
posted by Chad Jones on Fri, Mar 26, 2010
in At the theatre
Naomi Iizuka's Concerning Strange Devices from the Distant West has generated a lot of ink devoted to the fine art of tattooing. In a recent San Francisco Chronicle article, Robert Hurwitt noticed that, in addition to Strange Devices, several other current Bay Area shows are also grappling with depicting tattooed characters on stage.
Here's his behind-the-tat peek into the Strange Devices process:
The art covering actor Johnny Wu is a two-piece bodysuit collaboration between Maggi Yule's costume shop at the Rep and a film effects studio in Los Angeles. The interlocking lovers' tattoos — which combine to form one image when bodies press together — were finalized by tattoo artist Amanda Gonzalez and transferred to body stockings worn by the actors onstage and to their bodies on video.
And while we're on the subject of the Chronicle and Strange Devices, the paper ran a fantastic interview with playwright Naomi Iizuka, also by Mr. Hurwitt.
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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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