Berkeley Rep Closes TINY KUSHNER to London, 9/25

Today, Berkeley Repertory Theatre and the Guthrie Theatre announced that their production of TINY KUSHNER is headed for London. A series of short scripts by legendary playwright Tony Kushner, TINY KUSHNER debuted at the Guthrie in May 2009 and played to acclaim at Berkeley Rep last fall. Staged by Berkeley Rep's artistic director, Tony Taccone, the production will transfer to London's Tricycle Theatre with its original cast and design team intact. The show runs from September 1 to September 25.

The Tricycle Theatre has gained renown in Britain for presenting plays that examine contemporary issues and investigate cultural diversity. This fall, in a complementary exchange, both Berkeley Rep and the Guthrie welcome Tricycle's production of THE GREAT GAME: AFGHANISTAN to their stages.

"This has been a fertile time for Berkeley Rep," Taccone remarks. "Our commitment to new work, and the support of our adventurous audience, has allowed us to collaborate with exceptional artists on remarkable shows. It is always gratifying when those productions travel and people in other places can get a taste of what we're creating here. I am honored to bring TINY KUSHNER to London, and pleased to work with the Tricycle Theatre to bring THE GREAT GAME to America."

This is the second show that Berkeley Rep has shipped to London. In 2004, Taccone's production of David Edgar's two-part CONTINENTAL DIVIDE transferred to the Barbican after playing at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Berkeley Rep, La Jolla Playhouse, and England's Birmingham Rep. In the last five years, five shows have also moved from Berkeley Rep to Broadway: Sarah Jones' BRIDGE & TUNNEL (2006), Stew's PASSING STRANGE (2008), Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking (2009), Sarah Ruhl's IN THE NEXT ROOM (OR THE VIBRATOR PLAY) (2009), and AMERICAN IDIOT (2010), which opens next week at the St. James Theatre in Manhattan.

In TINY KUSHNER, the celebrated playwright brings his brilliance and humor to bear in a sparkling string of one-act plays. And his gilded language is guided, as always, by an unwavering moral compass. Travel to the moon - and to the afterlife - with Laura Bush, Nixon's analyst, the queen of Albania, and a host of real-life tax evaders, all adrift in an increasingly fragile world. Don't miss these gems from a theatrical giant.

It's a tale of two Tonys: Kushner and Taccone first collaborated on A BRIGHT ROOM CALLED DAY at the Eureka Theatre in 1987. Then Taccone commissioned the playwright's masterpiece, ANGELS IN AMERICA, and co-directed its world premiere at the Mark Taper Forum in 1992. Berkeley Rep has presented five previous works by Kushner. Taccone staged SLAVS! in 1996, the West Coast premiere of HOMEBODY/KABUL in 2002, and the West Coast premiere of BRUNDIBAR in 2005, which featured designs by Maurice Sendak and went on to enjoy a sold-out off-Broadway run. The Theatre also produced THE ILLUSION in 1991 and HYDRIOTAPHIA in 1998.

The actors from the American cast - J.C. Cutler, Kate Eifrig, Jim Lichtscheidl, and Valeri Mudek - reprise their roles at the Tricycle. The London production also features the original designs of Annie Smart (sets), Anita Yavich (costumes), Alexander V. Nichols (lights and video), Victor Zupanc (sound), and Marcela Lorca (movement). The Tricycle Theatre is located at 269 Kilburn High Road in London. Tickets, ranging in price from £8.50 to £20.00, may be purchased by calling 011 44 020 7328 1000 or visiting www.tricycle.co.uk.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.

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