PERICLES, PRINCE OF TYRE

I was back up in Berkeley this weekend and my friend got tickets for us to see British director, Mark Wing Davey's take on this Shakespeare work at the Rep.

I have a real love for this theater as I have actually performed here a few years back before the refurb which i was excited to see, it is pretty stupendous. The glass ceiling with all the reclaimed wood is so cool architecturally.

The play was good, I've seen quite a bit of Shakespeare outdoors in LA, this production stands out, very light, modern and fun for Shakespeare. Spraying the whole stage with water, real water and lots of it and some special way to drain it all away was a feat of theatrical engineering I've never seen before, memorable and the costumes made the show for me.

There are two auditoriums, personally I prefer the more intimate Thrust, but the Roda is cool too.

Berkeley has some great culture, with Cal performances at Zellerbach Hall on campus www.calperfs.berkeley.edu so if you are in town make sure you stop by and check out this space. Susie Medak, the theater director has done a great job.

RANT OR RAVE?