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
world-premiere production
Running time: 2 hours and 15 minutes,
including one 15 minute intermission
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: “My name is 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
“A riveting drama for three actors and an ensemble of marionettes…Virtuoso acting is just one reason to see Rinne Groff’s Compulsion: Patinkin and his two castmates deliver the goods. But there is also Oskar Eustis’ sleek, multifaceted staging and the way Groff revels in wrestling with knotty ideas in conflict. Her semifictional dive into one real Jewish writer’s litigious battle over Anne Frank’s diary is a compelling foray along a thin line between idealism and fanaticism…As his understandably fervent advocacy turns to vicious personal attacks on those he thinks are thwarting him—Lillian Hellman and Otto Frank in particular—Patinkin’s descent into paranoia and the fanaticism of a true believer is as chilling as it is thrilling to witness.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“A brilliant and emotional new play…[Sid Silver’s] story, based on the true-life author Meyer Levin, is told with puppetry, fantasy, comedy and drama…Oskar Eustis and his actors move seamlessly from fiction to fantasy and back…[Mandy] Patinkin, who has done no less than make Silver part of his DNA, is simply stunning. In a role that requires him to growl, charm and come apart at the seams.”—San Jose Mercury News / Bay Area News Group
“Berkeley Rep opened its new season in its usual manner, with another winning production…It is such a pleasure to witness the outstanding performance of Mandy Patinkin—an acting masterpiece.”—Jerry Friedman, KGO-AM
