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Season 2011/12 plays
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- Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup
- How to Write a New Book for the Bible
- The Wild Bride
- Ghost Light
- A Doctor in Spite of Himself
- Red
- Black n Blue Boys / Broken Men
- In Paris
Subscribe now and enjoy substantial savings on tickets to all these plays, as well as other benefits, discussed here.
We reserve the right to change prices, plays and dates in order to bring you extraordinary theatre.
rita moreno: life without makeup
Written by Tony Taccone
Developed by Rita Moreno and Tony Taccone
Staged and directed by David Galligan
Choreographed by Lee Martino
Main Season | Roda Theatre
September 2–November 13, 2011
World Premiere
During her spectacular career, Rita Moreno has portrayed some tough women, from Anita in West Side Story to Maria Callas in Master Class. Now this legendary performer takes on the toughest woman of all—herself. The star of stage and screen returns to Berkeley Rep for the first time since her sold-out run in The Glass Menagerie. Rita recounts her improbable life in an irreverent and entertaining new show that features a lively band and two expert dancers. Expect another breathtaking performance from the lady who won the Oscar, the Tony, the Grammy and two Emmys.
“Do not even think about typecasting Rita Moreno. She’s done everything every other actress ever dreamed of, sometimes twice, and almost always better.”—New York Observer
“There are few other directors who have the kind of name recognition with producers and track record with audiences that David Galligan has.”—Back Stage West
how to write a new book for the bible
Written by Bill Cain
Directed by Kent Nicholson
A co-production with Seattle Repertory Theatre
Main Season | Thrust Stage
October 7–November 20, 2011
World Premiere
Every family creates a sacred story out of love. In Bill Cain’s poignant new play, a man moves in with his mother when she becomes too frail to care for herself. Their reunion heals old wounds, opening a heartfelt and humorous new chapter in their relationship. From the award-winning author of Equivocation and 9 Circles, this timeless tale celebrates a mother’s love and a son’s devotion. Respected director Kent Nicholson comes back to the Bay Area for the world premiere of How to Write a New Book for the Bible.
“[Cain] strikes a rare balance between erudition and accessibility, contemplation and gut-check emotion…Growing up during the civil rights era, attending Jesuit schools and tutoring in Brooklyn’s tough Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, he gained an awareness of live theater as a community-binding ritual akin to religion.”—LA Times
“Nicholson, for those just tuning in, has established himself as one of the Bay Area’s most in-demand directors for new plays over the past decade.”—San Francisco Chronicle
the wild bride
Adapted and directed by Emma Rice
Presented by Kneehigh Theatre
Limited Season | Roda Theatre
December 2, 2011–January 22, 2012
American premiere
After triumphing on Broadway and in the Bay Area with Brief Encounter, Kneehigh is back. Britain’s extraordinary theatrical troupe returns with another stunning show. Adapted and directed by Emma Rice, The Wild Bride is a grown-up fairy tale that follows a girl’s journey through a visual wonderland. What happens when your father accidentally sells you to the devil? What do you do when your prince goes off to war? Hearts break, hearts heal, and happily ever after still may be possible. Expect vivid storytelling, devilish humor and a heady mix of live and found music when Kneehigh unveils The Wild Bride.
“Extraordinary…Kneehigh is back in top form with this stunningly intelligent dance and musical theater version of a Grimm’s fairytale…It’s not just the story itself that’s life-affirming here; it’s the endless invention and creativity that Rice and her team bring to its telling. And there’s even a positive take-away message, about the power of female solidarity to overcome hardship.”—Variety
“Quirky and larky, magical and wild…Witty, surprising, strange. I dreamt about it all night…Using blues, gospel, ethereal violin and menacing bass, and throwing in a dash of puppetry, it veers from comic absurdity to the grandeur of myth. Sometimes grotesque and often playful, it becomes a moving affirmation of endurance, regeneration and the power of purity.”—The Times of London
“Devilishly enjoyable…The most defiant display of survivor-hood since Gloria Gaynor…This is a show not just to be seen but also to be felt, and which leads both heroine and audience into the dark woods of the unconscious and sets us free.”—London Guardian
ghost light
Conceived and developed by Jonathan Moscone and Tony Taccone
Written by Tony Taccone
Directed by Jonathan Moscone
A co-production with Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Main Season | Thrust Stage
January 6–February 19, 2012
World-premiere production
When Jon was a boy, his father was shot—and suddenly their lives were part of history. Years later, when staging a production of Hamlet, the son must confront his buried feelings about a crime that shocked the nation. In this haunting new show, Artistic Director Tony Taccone conjures an imaginary world based on the historic assassination of Mayor George Moscone. The ghost of the king stalks the battlements of a boy’s mind—and speaks to all of us about love and loss. A poetic collage of fiction and memory, this world-premiere production is staged by none other than Jonathan Moscone.
“Jonathan Moscone is fearless. The artistic director of California Shakespeare Theater takes on big challenges the way a scrappy gym fighter takes on the heavyweight champion.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Tony Taccone may very well be the most prominent artistic director in America right now.”—Playbill
“The universal power of the tale is undeniable…Ghost Light shimmers with the force of repressed truths…This piece fuses the intimate and the epic with riveting results…Moscone and Taccone have taken pains to note that the play is fiction, not docudrama. Certainly the character of Jon seems to combine Taccone’s lacerating wit and Moscone’s big-heartedness. But it’s the weight of history that gives this play its gravitas, from a son’s anger that his father’s memory has been eclipsed by the legacy of Harvey Milk to the courage of an artist seeking solace in the Bard.”—San Jose Mercury News
“Deeply moving…Taccone’s script interweaves these real and imagined narrative threads with pointed and insightful commentary on the contemporary political landscape (particularly in regards to gay rights), as well as a useful analysis of some key scenes in Hamlet. There’s a good balance between humor and drama, with certain moments packing such a powerful punch that they are likely to reduce audience members to tears…the production is so well-realized, and serves as both a fitting tribute to the former Mayor of San Francisco and a more universalized meditation on loss.”—TheaterMania
a doctor in spite of himself
Written by Molière
Adapted by Christopher Bayes and Steven Epp
Directed by Christopher Bayes
A co-production with Yale Repertory Theatre
Main Season | Roda Theatre
February 10–March 25, 2012
Molière’s classic comedy comes to uproarious new life in a clever and contemporary adaptation from one of Berkeley Rep’s favorite artists. Steven Epp delighted audiences as Figaro and The Miser—now he’s back with A Doctor in Spite of Himself. The traditional story of a girl feigning illness to avoid an unwanted wedding erupts into hilarity when Epp decides to play doctor. In a pitch-perfect production punctuated with live music, this ridiculous physician proves that love and laughter remain life’s best medicine.
“Smartly choreographed anarchy, combining old gags and new…For cheerful, nimble, bawdy silliness, this dish of meringue is hard to resist.”—Seattle Times
“A fun night for everyone…Bayes’ take on Molière’s carnivalesque satire of the medical profession is a low-stakes fusion of commedia dell’arte and vaudeville—dry-rubbed with lewdness, scatology, pop music, and political incorrectness.”—Seattle Weekly
“Doctor is a fast-paced hoot…The show is a dizzyingly giddy experience marked by precisely executed comic business…It is relentless in its barrage of physical gags, wordplay, pop culture references and more. The production is a full-out assault on the funny bone.”—New Haven Register
“Bawdy and hilarious…It’s silly, clever, fast paced and the best time I’ve had in a theater in quite some time.”—Broadway World
red
Written by John Logan
Directed by Les Waters
Main Season | Thrust Stage
March 16–April 29, 2012
Paint it Red! The passionate play that swept Broadway comes to Berkeley Rep, staged by Obie Award-winning director Les Waters. At the height of his fame, Mark Rothko struggles in his studio to finish a major series of murals. The brilliant master wrestles with his new apprentice in a battle of wits over a bucket of paint. John Logan, the Oscar-nominated author of Aviator, Gladiator and Hugo, won Tony and Drama Desk Awards for this feverish 90-minute drama that spans the spectrum of human emotion. From grief and fury to joy and hope, it’s all covered in Red.
“A master class of questions and answers…What we see, above all, is an artist seeing, and it’s impossible not to feel thrilled by the privilege.”—New York Times
“Logan sends American abstract impressionist painter Mark Rothko into battle with his demons in this electrifying play of ideas, and the artist’s howls are pure music…So intense that anyone who leaves the theater should be shot.”—Variety
“Fascinating…The most compelling drama I’ve seen all year…a sizzling, intellectually thrilling two-character drama.”—Chicago Tribune
black n blue boys / broken men
Written and performed by Dael Orlandersmith
Directed by Chay Yew
A co-production with Goodman Theatre
Limited Season | Thrust Stage
May 25–June 24, 2012
World Premiere
Big, bold, beautiful and fierce—Dael Orlandersmith delivers a riveting performance in Black n Blue Boys / Broken Men. This world premiere introduces us to children and adults forging identities in families fractured by alcohol, drugs and abuse. Each relates a story that transforms these challenges into a celebration of our capacity to survive. Orlandersmith created this show after becoming a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize with Yellowman—and she brings these characters roaring to life with the help of Obie Award-winning director Chay Yew. In the tradition of powerful solo shows at Berkeley Rep, this play illuminates an experience shared by every ethnicity.
“Orlandersmith [has] an ear for a cadenced language steeped in both sweet melody and earthy physicality.”—New York Times
“Orlandersmith is a charismatic actress whose poetical language flows hot and fast like lava.”—Back Stage
in paris
Adapted from the short story by Ivan Bunin
Composition and direction by Dmitry Krymov
A production of Baryshnikov Arts Center, Dmitry Krymov Laboratory and Russian Century Foundation in association with Korjaamo Theater, Helsinki
Special Presentation | Roda Theatre
April 25–May 13, 2012
Berkeley Rep invites you to a love story that could only unfold In Paris. Legendary performer Mikhail Baryshnikov takes the stage with Anna Sinyakina and a talented ensemble assembled by visionary director Dmitry Krymov. Based on a story by Nobel Prize-winner Ivan Bunin, In Paris is a dazzling new play set in the 1930s, which mixes movement with a romantic story and spectacular design. This rare international collaboration—told in French and Russian with English supertitles—unites renowned artists born in Russia for a vivid visual experience. Visit the city of light and love with Berkeley Rep, Baryshnikov and the Dmitry Krymov Laboratory.
“The Dmitry Krymov Laboratory—a young Moscow-based company—has offered him an exceptional new leading role. Premiered in Finland in August, In Paris contains little to no dance, but as theatre it is resoundingly poetic work…an intimate, melancholy story, where even the jokes are bittersweet…A chorus of five actors and singers joins the couple, and both the music and the subtle use of video contribute to the atmosphere of this eerie, surprising production.”—Financial Times
“Baryshnikov’s acting has always been a part of his greatness.”—Chicago Tribune
“Baryshnikov plies his trade with wonder, grace and more than a touch of genius…Beyond this there is poetry, beyond this there is heart.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“One of the greatest dancers in history.”—New York Times
“Dmitry Krymov is a revolutionary. His theatrical tools are not new, yet every moment is unexpected…Krymov steps over the literal into the poetic. Each image he creates is like a poem. All the images connect like beads on a necklace, fashioning a performance. While employing some texts in his productiosn, the majority of his works are visually based. The result: unforgettable theatrically-charged moments.”—Moscow Journal
“Yes, from day to day, from year to year, you wait in secret for only one thing—that moment when you’ll stumble onto happy love. Ultimately it is this hope alone that enables you to live…”—Ivan Bunin, “In Paris”
Subscribe now and enjoy substantial savings on tickets to all these plays, as well as other benefits, discussed here.
We reserve the right to change prices, plays and dates in order to bring you extraordinary theatre.
Legendary performer Rita Moreno kicks off Berkeley Rep’s new season with the world premiere of her entertaining new show, Rita Moreno: Life Without Makeup.
(Photo by Michael LaMonica)
Bill Cain, the award-winning author of Equivocation and 9 Circles, premieres his latest play at Berkeley Rep: How to Write a New Book for the Bible.
(Photo courtesy of Berkeley Rep)
Emma Rice and Kneehigh Theatre Company, the creators of Brief Encounter, return to the Bay Area for the American premiere of The Wild Bride.
(Photo courtesy of Kneehigh Theatre Company)
The leaders of two renowned theatres—Tony Taccone of Berkeley Rep (right) and Jonathan Moscone of Cal Shakes—team up for the world-premiere production of Ghost Light.
(Photo courtesy of kevinberne.com)
Steven Epp delighted audiences as Figaro and The Miser—now he’s back at Berkeley Rep with Molière’s classic comedy A Doctor in Spite of Himself.
(Photo by Michal Daniel)
John Logan, the Oscar-nominated author of Aviator, Gladiator and Hugo who won the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Red, brings that show to Berkeley Rep.
(Photo courtesy of Berkeley Rep)
Berkeley Rep’s world premiere of Black n Blue Boys / Broken Men is written and performed by Pulitzer Prize-finalist Dael Orlandersmith.
(Photo courtesy of Berkeley Rep)
Mikhail Baryshnikov (right) and Anna Sinyakina perform at Berkeley Rep in a special presentation of In Paris.
(Photo by Anna Akartseva)
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