In the coming week, by tuning into KQED 9, local television viewers can get a taste of the intimacy and adventure that theatregoers regularly enjoy at the Tony Award-winning Berkeley Repertory Theatre. First, Anna Deavere Smith's electrifying solo show Let Me Down Easy airs on PBS' Great Performances. Then KQED debuts The Memory Be Green, an original documentary about the world-premiere production of Ghost Light. As if that were not enough, This American Life - the popular National Public Radio program - devoted its entire hour to The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs last week, and that episode can now be heard online.
The Memory Be Green focuses on a new play written by Tony Taccone and directed by Jonathan Moscone that honors the memory of the latter's father: Ghost Light conjures an imaginary world based on the historic assassination of Mayor George Moscone. The 30-minute documentary combines reflections about the late leader, and the era in which he lived, with a look at the artistic process behind creating a new work for the stage. In the play's fictional world, the main character is directing a production of Hamlet, and KQED's documentary takes its title from a line in that script.
The Memory Be Green premieres on KQED 9 at 7:30 PM on Tuesday, January 17. The film will also be screened at Berkeley Rep as part of its free Page to Stage on Monday, January 23 at 7:00 PM. Repeats will be shown on KQED Life and other KQED channels and will also be available online at kqed.org. The Memory Be Green, a co-production of KQED and Dave Iverson, is funded in part by San Francisco Foundation. Ghost Light, a co-production of Berkeley Rep and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, plays on the Thrust Stage through February 19.
But first Great Performances features Let Me Down Easy on Friday, January 13 at 9:00 PM. Those fortunate enough to have seen it live know that this show is a tour de force. Conceived, written, and performed by Anna Deavere Smith and staged by esteemed director Leonard Foglia, Let Me Down Easy explores the depths of human strength. Smith conducted 320 interviews on three continents to create this show - and now she paints indelible portraits of more than 20 unforgettable individuals. Together, their voices tell a stunning story about the vulnerability of the human body, the resilience of the spirit, and the price of care. Let Me Down Easy broke box office records at Berkeley Rep and played to sold-out houses for an astonishing ten weeks! Now Great Performances offers the opportunity to experience it again - or to marvel at it for the first time.
Finally, Mike Daisey's monologue about the CEO of Apple appeared at Berkeley Rep last January. It attracted international headlines and went on to Seattle and Washington, DC before occupying off Broadway for an extended run. Now it's caught the attention of Ira Glass and his colleagues at NPR. Last Sunday, public broadcasting fans across the nation heard an hour-long program devoted to this controversial show. To listen to This American Life's investigation of The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, just visitthisamericanlife.org.
See tomorrow's shows today at Berkeley Rep. There's still time to catch the American premiere of The Wild Bride, which extended its run by three weeks thanks to rapturous reviews. Next Steven Epp, the star of Figaro and The Miser, returns to unleash another Molière masterpiece with A Doctor in Spite of Himself. Then Les Waters bids Berkeley adieu with his staging of John Logan's Red, a feverish script that won the Tony Award for Best Play in 2011, and Dael Orlandersmith delivers a fierce and unforgettable performance in the world premiere of Black n Blue Boys / Broken Men. To top it off, Berkeley Rep is offering two special presentations this spring: In Paris, a beautiful romance starring Mikhail Baryshnikov, and the world premiere of Eve Ensler's Emotional Creature. For details, call (510) 647-2949 or click berkeleyrep.org.
