At first is seemed like a bit of a long-shot: a drug and sex-infused musical based on the lives of troubled young adults set to the music of punk group Green Day. But with a talented cast and director Micheal Mayer (the guy behind “Spring Awakening”), and not to mention a slew of Green Day fans ready and waiting to see the show, it only seems natural that Berkeley Rep’s “American Idiot” would be a big-ticket seller. But who knew it would be the third show in the last year (after “The Vibrator Play” and “Wishful Drinking”)that Berkeley Rep has sent to Broadway?

Chatter of the possibility of a Broadway run has been floating about as of late—Berkeley Rep  has already extended the show twice from its original closing date. But only yesterday was it made somewhat official. Playbill News and the LA Times Arts and Culture Blog Culture Monster report that a casting notice has been posted for the show in New York. (Click here to read more…)

Jon Lavranos plays Bates in Pinter’s “Silence,” a piece in Program B of TDPS’ “Silences and Salutations: Seven One Act Plays.“

“Salutations,” by Eugene Ionesco, directed by Charlotte McIvor

The third iteration of “Salutations” that I saw may or may not have made reference to the fact that it was being performed just as the football game was ending. Regardless of whether or not it was a timely reference, the “hecklers” in this version were caricatures of frat boys, which might have been funny, but it felt like too much of a cheap shot for an ensemble that was hoping to make a deeper point.

“Springtime,” by Maria Irene Fornes, directed by Peter Glazer

Fornes’ “Springtime” has perhaps the most conventional structure of all the plays in the festival. Make no mistake–its plot is still far from completely straightforward, but the story is told through ostensibly chronological vignettes and the dialogue feels more traditional than illogical. (Click here to read more…)

Gwen Kingston plays Ellen, and Drew Ledbetter plays Rumsey in “Silence,” part of TDPS’ “Silences and Salutations: Seven One Act Plays.“

“Salutations,” by Eugene Ionesco, directed by Charlotte McIvor

The Program B variation of “Salutations” on Friday night felt a little more tolerable than the Program A version, if only because picking out the differences between the two provided a bit of a diversion from the script’s repetitiveness. It also featured mild cross-dressing, which is always appreciated. Again, the actors committed fully to their physicality, but, again, I found myself hoping every adverb would be the last of the round.

“Play,” by Samuel Beckett, directed by Charlotte McIvor

Samuel Beckett is widely acknowledged to be a clever, clever man. Crowned with a Nobel prize, and be-robed in the praise of his peers, he’s long reigned as Theater of the Absurd’s undisputed king. But even from beyond the grave, he rules with an iron-ish fist, because his estate mandates that his plays (including, of course, “Play”) be staged strictly according to his instructions. Nevertheless, I doubt he would have been posthumously offended if the TDPS actors had maybe slowed their “rapid tempo,” monotone monologues down slightly–just enough to make more of Beckett’s writing actually intelligible–since the actors are literally talking heads. (Click here to read more…)

Daniel Petzold performs in Beckett’s “Play,” which is part of Program B of TDPS’ “Silences and Salutations: Seven One Act Plays“

“Salutations,” by Eugene Ionesco, directed by Charlotte McIvor
When I sat down to the opening performance of TDPS’ festival of one-act plays, all I knew was that I was sitting down to a series of plays written by the likes of Samuel Beckett, Gertrude Stein and Eugene Ionesco, which I assumed meant that I’d be sitting down to a heaping helping of absurdism. And when the three on-stage actors (there were also a few “hecklers” embedded in the audience) started miming various unrelated activities while spewing a lengthy list of obscure adverbs in response to the question, “And you?” I figured I was right.

“Salutations” is the only play included in all three programs, and thematically, it makes sense as a precursor to other plays in the festival. It’s a pretty straightforward challenge to the function of language in everyday life and involves a few self-referential breaks in the fourth wall. While the actors did a fine job of throwing themselves physically into their performances, the play itself quickly became grating, even if its difficulty is part of its “point.” (Click here to read more…)

Alright, so that might not be entirely true, depending on what exactly you consider a “discernable plot.” That being said, the Theater Dance and Performance Studies Department’s festival of one-act plays, “Silences and Salutations,” was obviously intended to be difficult to “appreciate” in any conventional way.

The festival is broken up into three programs--A, B and C--each of which include an incarnation of Eugene Ionesco’s “Salutations,” followed by two different plays. Do the math, and you’ve got your seven. I’ll get more into the overall, unified effect of the festival in an article later this week, but here, I’ll be doing a bit more of a play-by-play of the three programs. So stay tuned.

Eugene Ionesco About Samuel Beckett [YouTube]

When I first heard that Berkeley’s own Aurora was staging Neil LaBute’s play “Fat Pig” months ago, I knew I wanted to see it. In fact, I’ve been wanting to see this show since 2007, when it opened in Los Angeles. There is something intriguing about it’s crass insult of a title and its touchy and very contemporary subject matter. The potentially offensive, potentially witty, potentially heart-warming fabric of this show. The plot revolves around a well-to-do guy, conventionally good-looking and with a decent job, who falls unconventionally love with a woman who is a few dress sizes bigger than the socially accepted definition of “pretty.” Brazenly put, she is the “Fat Pig.” And when his new girlfriend is denounced by his friends because of her weight, he becomes, conventionally, ashamed. I am curious to see how this show–particularly the script–builds up and breaks down the neat little definitions of success and beauty we have created for ourselves by simultaneously playing up stereotypes and defying them.

(Click here to read more…)

Just in case you didn’t get your fill of the undead from the recent film release “Zombieland,” and just in case you can’t wait until the apocalypse to get that zombie desire satisfied, the Exit Theater in San Francisco is hosting not one but two plays about zombies over the next couple of weeks. “Zombie! A New Musical” will be kicking off tonight. Your average zombie doesn’t typically seem like the musical theater type (but then again niether did Green Day). The shows description claims that there with blood, guts, Megadeath, and of course zombies. And a collaboration with Brendan West sound designer for “Beowulf,” aka the little Shotgun show that could. It runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays up until Halloween, and tickets are $15.

The other zombie play is Sleepwalker Theater’s “Zombie Town” (not affiliated with “Zombie Land”) and is a theatrical mockumentary about a town that has a very different, very gruesome pest problem. You can only guess what it is (hint: It’s not rats). The show also sports an impressive fake website about the quiet little undead town of Harwood, Texas. It runs Fridays and Saturdays until until November 7th, and tickets are $14-20.

Other shows of Note: (Click here to read more…)

Well, well, well. Look at that, two of my favorite words, in the same place. Free. Theater.

In case you haven’t seen the ads on BART, the second Free Night of Theater 2009 ticket giveaway will be happening this Wednesday night at 6 p.m. At that time, the general public (that means you!) has the opportunity to claim free tickets to hundreds of productions around the Bay Area. No, you won’t get a ticket to “Rent” or “Wicked,” but there are numerous great shows (for example, Shotgun’s “This World in a Woman’s Hands” and Aurora’s “Fat Pig”) that are putting up free tickets. Here’s how it works:

1. Go to tixbayarea.com

2. Click on the Free Night of Theater banner on the right hand side of the page.

3. Create a account to see the full listing. It is free of charge and takes quite literally 30 seconds.

4. Check out all of the fabulous shows, and choose the one you want to go for when the time comes (you can only get tickets to one show, so choose carefully.)

5. At 6 on Wednesday, rush madly to your computer, log back into tixbayarea and claim your free tickets!

See you at the theater—and no excuses for not showing up this time, alright? I mean, come on, it’s free. And hopefully you’ll like it so much that you’ll come back.

Image Source: East Bay Express

Tags: aurora, free theater, Shotgun Players, tixbayarea

This weekend I got to see a production of “A House in Bali” at Zellerbach Hall. This opera is based on the journey of Colin McPhee, a Canadian composer, who traveled to Bali and studied the music there in the 1930s. The opera was weird enough to make it impossible to tell whether or not Director Jay Scheib’s interpretation of it was successful or not. With a claustrophobic set and sometimes-awkward multimedia incorporation, I couldn’t help but wish I were attending a simple concert of Balinese Gamelan music and dance. Take away the long-winded anguish of the Western visitors, (who take a good hour and a half to realize that they will never blend seamlessly into Balinese society,) and we would be left with an incredible display of Indonesian performance sans all the anthropologizing. Thus I give you a sample of what I heard Sunday night, fo free:

And here’s some dance, if your mind isn’t sufficiently blown.

Links: YouTube

The picture will make sense if you read further, trust me.

Who’s up for a little experimental theater? Now, now, don’t get scared off. No, I don’t mean experimental in that it will be really really weird and totally unconventional–like ‘playing’ the piano for 4′33″ of silence weird or anything like that. Ok, so maybe I do mean sort of weird (or awesome–depending on your preferences) a little bit. Actually, I have no idea. I haven’t seen the show.

But what I mostly mean by ‘experimental’ is that the director, cast and crew will actually be ‘experimenting’ with the production while, you, yes you, will be watching it. Such is the format of the latest production from FoolsFURY—at least while it is still a work in progress. “Port Out, Starboard Home,” lovingly acronym-ed “P.O.S.H.” by FoolsFURY, takes place aboard a cruise ship, where “a strange and disturbing ritual unfolds among Mai Tai drenched revelers.” Drunken debauchery, weirdness, and an acronym reminiscent of a Spice Girl? What more do I have to say? Oh, yeah. The show is 100% free.

FoolsFURY was one of the first Bay Area companies I saw as a budding young arts writer. I was intrigued by Director Ben Yalom’s unsettling vision of a distorted uptopia in Doug Dourst’s first play, “Monster in the Dark”. (Note: if you do read my review, feel free to laugh at my even-more-amateurish writing.) That show was so philosophically and emotionally intense and interesting that even my +1 started taking notes during the performance. FoolsFURY is a very physical and dynamic group of artists, and so even though “P.O.S.H.” is billed as a work in progress, it is worth checking out. October 2nd and 3rd at 8.

(Click here to read more…)