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2010/11 season > Compulsion

Compulsion

written by rinne groff
directed by oskar eustis
co-production with yale repertory theatre and the public theater
main season | thrust stage
september 13–october 31, 2010  calendar
world-premiere production

the play

Tony and Emmy Award-winning actor Mandy Patinkin makes his Berkeley Rep debut as Sid Silver, a man obsessed. When he learns about a young girl named Anne Frank and her extraordinary diary, Silver makes it his mission to ensure her tale is heard. But is the manuscript a work of art? A cultural treasure? Once publishers and producers get involved, it becomes “a very valuable product”—and his good intentions prove to be his undoing.

Acclaimed director Oskar Eustis returns to the Bay Area with Rinne Groff’s Compulsion, a kaleidoscopic collision of history and culture inspired by the life of Meyer Levin and commissioned by Berkeley Rep. A moving story that combines stellar acting with marvelous marionettes, this world-premiere production takes us on a journey from passion to Compulsion.

the players

Mandy Patinkin won a Tony Award for playing Che in Evita and an Emmy Award for Chicago Hope. His countless credits on Broadway, TV and film include the infamous line from The Princess Bride: “I am Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”

Rinne Groff is the award-winning author of The Ruby Sunrise and a former writer for Showtime’s Weeds. Her plays have been seen off Broadway and at theatres across America.

Oskar Eustis is artistic director of The Public Theater. He collaborated with Tony Taccone on landmark works such as Angels in America and Execution of Justice and has staged world premieres for many eminent writers.

the buzz

“Majestic…a work of brilliant and compelling art…an enthralling drama of immense imagination, of emotional and moral complexity, and—of all things—sparkling humor.”—Hartford Courant

“Fascinating…The puppets eloquently express one of the play’s major themes: how real life differs from stage life, how theater lies even when it tells the truth.”—New York Times

“Propulsive…Compulsion takes extraordinary risks—in structure, in style, and in its sarcastic and strident questions about who gets to make art when and for what greater purpose…It’s all quite staggering—and unexpectedly moving.”—New Haven Advocate

“Rinne Groff takes us to the intersection of history and show business in her very powerful new play…Compulsion is a rich mix of history, entertainment world gossip, and a man’s obsession over a work of art that doesn’t really belong to him. It’s a terrific show.”—Connecticut Post

“Fascinating and engrossing…I watched, after intermission, as a middle-aged man, seated in the row just ahead of me, jumped off the end of his seat and punched his fist into the air—during mid-dialogue. That’s the type of reaction Compulsion elicits.”—Talkin’ Broadway