Berkeley Rep Blog
Category archive: News
Billie Joe hits the boards -- again
posted by Karen McKevitt on Thu, Jan 13, 2011
in News , Shows on tour
Did y'all catch Charles Isherwood's C1 article in the New York Times this week about Billie Jo Armstrong reprising his role as St. Jimmy in American Idiot? Fun read -- but if you only have access to the online version and not the hard copy, you'll miss the lively interview with BJA at the end. Here's our favorite question and answer:
Q. Did you do any special training in preparation for your current run?
A. No. I remember I texted Theo [Stockman, an ensemble member], and all I wrote was, "By the way, how do you act?" And the response I got was, "Ha, Ha, Ha." He goes: "Just be yourself. Just be honest."...
Well, just being BJA must be pretty freakin' rad.
Photo of Green Day by Phil Mucci.
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Cookies for check-ins
posted by Cari Turley on Thu, Dec 30, 2010
in At the theatre , News
Do you use Foursquare? It's a fun little app for your phone that lets you "check in" at various locations, which is handy for finding nearby friends and sharing helpful tips about your favorite places. And, even better, sometimes you can unlock special prizes for checking in at certain places. Pretty cool, right?
We here at Berkeley Rep sure do love prizes. And we also love you, our patrons. So starting today, when you come to one of our shows, just check in on Foursquare and we'll let you pick out something from our concessions counter for free! It's really that simple. Check in, show the concessionaire the special offer that pops up on your phone, and grab yourself a beer. Or a cupcake. Or a Diet Coke. Whatever you want! The hardest part is going to be picking just one.
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We're making the lists...
posted by Karen McKevitt on Wed, Dec 29, 2010
in At the theatre , News , Our shows
…the year-end lists, that is! We’re stoked that several of our shows appeared on theatre journalists’ best of 2010 lists.
Compulsion appeared in the Chronicle’s “Best of Bay Area Theater” top 10 list. Says theatre critic Robert Hurwitt, “Virtuosic, compelling performances from Mandy Patinkin and Hannah Cabell drove Oskar Eustis’ sleek, multifaceted staging of the semifictional tale of a Jewish writer’s obsession with safeguarding what he sees as the real story of Anne Frank’s diary.”
The Real Americans by Dan Hoyle, which played here as part of the Fireworks Festival last summer and has had extended runs at The Marsh, also made Robert’s list.
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Amy Potozkin celebrates 20 years with Berkeley Rep
posted by Karen McKevitt on Wed, Dec 22, 2010
in News
Congratulations to our casting director, Amy Potozkin, who celebrates 20 years with Berkeley Rep. Check out the cool front-page feature that appeared in the December 16 Berkeley Voice. Here's a quote:
"The experience of going to theater for me as a child was transportive," Potozkin said. "It took me to a place that was magical. Through some periods of time in my childhood that were difficult, being taken to the theater was my absolutely favorite thing to do. Drama was my favorite activity. I loved the whole world."
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Critics rave about Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead
posted by Karen McKevitt on Tue, Dec 7, 2010
in News , Our shows
We had a terrific opening night last Thursday for Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead and received some great reviews to boot. Check out reviews, then see the show for yourself!
“It's a movie. It's a vaudeville act. It's a concert. It's a puppet show. Actually, it's all of the above and something all its own. Lemony Snicket's The Composer Is Dead, a new work that opened Thursday at Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Roda Theatre, isn't quite a play but a curiously engaging concoction of theater, film and musical elements as a genially offbeat arts primer. As performed by master comic Geoff Hoyle and a magnificent ensemble of marionettes and all kinds of other puppets, it's a funny and often ingenious children's entertainment.” – San Francisco Chronicle
“Fun for whole family… A delightful piece of theater… An opportunity for all of us to laugh our clenched bottoms off as we excuse the hour-long show as a delightfully clever introduction to classical music… As wildly funny as it is perverse. Bay Area comic treasure Geoff Hoyle is the only human being on a stage populated by an assortment of strange puppets.” – Contra Costa Times / SJ Mercury News
“Run across the bridge, any bridge, to get to Berkeley Rep, which here means "a theater company willing to take risks certain to destroy the world as we know it," in order to catch the fantastic World Premiere of Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead. – SF-TheaterBlog.com
“I sat enraptured for the entire 85 minute exhibition. Lemony Snicket’s The Composer is Dead is unlike anything I’ve seen before, and is an unusual and silly holiday treat.” – Stark Insider
“Part Monty Python's Flying Circus, part Cirque du Soleil, and part Tim Burton, The Composer Is Dead is a damn impressive amalgam of puppetry and theater, with a lovely symphonic soundtrack to boot… Anyone looking to spend a swell hour reliving a child's wonder by way of some extraordinarily life-like and expert puppetry, get your tickets now.” – SFist
“Hilarious characters, visual delights, stage magic and loads of laughs…. It's a perfect family show for the holidays. And I loved it.” – KGO 810AM
And we're glad they loved it too!
Photo of Geoff Hoyle and the conductor by kevinberne.com.
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American Idiot earns Grammy nom
posted by Karen McKevitt on Fri, Dec 3, 2010
in General theatre talk , News , Shows on tour
Congratulations to Billie Joe Armstrong and Green Day for their Grammy nomination for the Broadway score of American Idiot! The band scored two Grammys for their original album, so wouldn't this be a nice one to add to the collection?
This is the second time in two years that a Berkeley Rep show was nominated for a Grammy. Last year, Carrie Fisher was nominated for the audio book of Wishful Drinking.
In related American Idiot news, Billie's joining the Broadway cast on January 1 for another turn as St. Jimmy.
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Sold! A new home for our shops and offices
posted by Karen McKevitt on Tue, Nov 2, 2010
in News
Photo by Cheshire Isaacs.
It’s still a buyer’s market! Yesterday, Berkeley Rep announced the purchase of a 62,000-square-foot building at 999 Harrison Street in West Berkeley, which will house our artisans and administrators under one roof for the first time in decades—while cutting costs and supporting the local economy, to boot.
Of course, all performances will continue at the Roda Theatre and the Thrust Theatre—and the extra space means new amenities for our audiences in the future.
We’re thrilled that our offices and shops will be under one roof, instead of in five different locations in two cities. Our employees are coming back to Berkeley to a spacious, attractive new campus in West Berkeley, the city’s home for light manufacturing. And we’re owning instead of renting office and shop space, and gaining 50% more space while paying 50% less money. Score!
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Let the Great Game Begin!
posted by Cheshire Isaacs on Fri, Oct 22, 2010
in News , Our shows
In just over an hour, The Great Game: Afghanistan begins! It's the first marathon performance, with Part 1 starting at 11:30 AM; Part 2 at 3:30 PM; and Part 3 at 8 PM.
The Great Game has arrived direct from London, where it played at Tricycle Theatre, co-directed by artitsic director Nicolas Kent. Check out the SFGate.com's article about the show and Nicolas here, and we hope to see you at the show, which plays through November 7. Here's more information.
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1,001 stories for the price of one
posted by Cari Turley on Wed, Oct 20, 2010
in News , Our shows
The Arabian Nights is back! The show that inspired nightly standing ovations in 2008 is returning for a limited engagement this holiday season. Until now, tickets were only available to subscribers, but now the hottest ticket of the season is available to everyone. So what are you waiting for? Call the box office at 510-647-2949 or buy your tickets online today!
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Compelling coverage of Compulsion
posted by Terence Keane on Fri, Sep 17, 2010
in News , Our shows
We kicked off the new season last night with the opening of Compulsion. The reviews aren't out yet, but the media is already talking about the show.
Asked why he chose to take on this role, Mandy told the Chronicle, "When I read the script, I was in a little cabin in Colorado. Oskar Eustis sent it to me, and it really hit a nerve in my gut, and I couldn't get over how much I related to it. I called up Oskar and said, 'You're not allowed to do this without me. If you do, I'll have to find some way to hurt you.' My reaction to the play was just very personal and very visceral. I'd rarely read anything I'd had that kind of reaction to, so I pulled out every stop in the world to try and make it happen."
You can read the entire Chronicle story here. Mandy was so articulate in his interview with Leba Hertz that the Chronicle decided to post more excerpts on its blog. Check it out.
Sue Fishkoff wrote about Mandy for JTA as well:
The intensity Patinkin brings to all his work stands him in good stead to play Sid Silver, the Levin character in this play. Silver, like Levin, is a man seared by images from the concentration camps and completely absorbed with bringing what he believed was Anne’s true message to the world...
“It’s about his obsession with an idealistic vision of humanity that this child represented, and his core belief that it must be respected, protected and guarded in perpetuity, and rekindled every day,” said Patinkin. “This play asks us, to what degree are we willing to go for what we believe in? Is the cost worth it? Are we living in a world of endless compromise?”