Clowning Around In Berkeley: FOOL LA LA! OVER THE RAINBOW Comes to The Marsh

This holiday season, The Marsh Berkeley celebrates the return of the Bay Area's beloved Clown Prince of Fools, Unique Derique, in his zany holiday and New Year extravaganza Fool La La! Over the Rainbow. Featuring a sweet new bag of tricks and side-splitting physical comedy, this all-ages show will leave audiences laughing and dancing through the holidays and beyond. Fool La La! Over the Rainbow will perform at various times (see schedule below) from December 20, 2017 to January 7, 2018 at The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. For tickets ($15-$35 sliding scale, $55-$100 reserved), the public may visit www.themarsh.org or call 415-282-3055 (open 1pm-4pm, Monday through Friday).

Among the new surprises this year, the family-friendly clown will take audiences on an unforgettable journey somewhere over the rainbow in the premiere of Unique Derique's "The Five Fool La La's." This comedy music video celebrates five generations of foolish fun, including the Clown Prince, and his grandmother, mother, daughter, and granddaughter. Following the show, Derique will lead a free 20-minute Hambone and juggling workshop so the whole family can put a little zip in their step for the New Year.

The San Francisco Examiner wrote that Fool La La "leaves them laughing coast to coast," adding Unique Derique "plays himself and the result, percussive and dynamic, is exhilarating." Fool La La! Over the Rainbow, a playful celebration for the whole family, encourages kids from 1 to 92 to let their imaginations take flight. This circus-inspired show features slapstick comedy punctuated with dance and percussive music, transforming Unique Derique into a live one-man dancing-band. Touting a one-of-a-kind blend of physical comedy and Hambone body percussion, Derique has performed around the world in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and South Africa.

Unique Derique, also known as Lance McGee, has been delighting audiences with his special brand of clowning for many years. Derique has performed with such entertainers as Bobby McFerrin, The Temptations, Laura Nyro, Jim Nabors, Tuck and Patti, Lou Rawls, and the late Sammy Davis Jr. He has performed at prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center, and has been featured on the Disney Channel, as well as on the Emmy Award-winning children's television show "Short Stories and Tall Tales" on KQED. At the age of 15, Derique began clowning in Berkeley with Circus A La Mode, and later joined San Francisco's Pickle Family Circus and Make-A-Circus. When not entertaining audiences as Unique Derique, Lance McGee is a Wellness Consultant and Mindfulness Coach providing trauma-informed care and support at an Oakland school.

The Marsh is known as "a breeding ground for new performance." It was launched in 1989 by Founder and Artistic Director Stephanie Weisman, and now annually hosts more than 600 performances of 175 shows across the company's two venues in San Francisco and Berkeley. A leading outlet for solo performers, The Marsh's specialty has been hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as "solo performances that celebrate the power of storytelling at its simplest and purest." The East Bay Times named The Marsh one of Bay Area's best intimate theaters, calling it "one of the most thriving solo theaters in the nation. The live theatrical energy is simply irresistible."

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