Kneehigh

The Devil is at the crossroads, a girl/​wild/​women (played 3 ways) is in peril, and love is gloriously indestructible in the exhilarating «The Wild Bride». Gayle was amazed and I was enthralled during a recent performance at Berkeley Rep. This wildly imaginative theatrical, musical, and poetic ride through one of the Brothers Grimm’s grimmer tales, was a special Holiday gift from director-​adapter Emma Rice and Cornwall’s brilliant Kneehigh Theatre. Thank you for traveling all this way from the UK to put on this outstanding production.
Gayle also mentioned that this was one of the few plays that she’s seen where she wanted the production to go straight through without any intermission to break up the magic. The Wild Bride was a Christmas Eve Present that kept on giving. It starts as an enchanted and bluesy folktale, dips into creepy nightmare terrain, and then soars on the wings of grit, resolution and fantasy. There’s 6 Kneehigh professionals on the stage and whether they were singing, acting, or playing instruments, it all fit together in an irresistible package, with an exhilarating bow on top. I particularly enjoyed the singing by «The Girl» (who I’m sure I saw in the Cirque Du Soleil production of Quidam), the larger than life Devil, and the Father’s asking the Audience for help when he figured out that he had just unwittingly sold his daughter to the Devil (You’re smart University folks aren’t you? — Can’t you help me figure something out?). The «Turn Off Your Cellphone» warning before the play started was also funny and clever.
This is the first year that Gayle and I have purchased season tickets at Berkeley Rep and so far our experience has exceeded our already high expectations. What we particularly enjoy are the fruits of theatrical collaboration, whether it’s Rita Moreno, Bill Cain, and now Kneehigh providing the extra creative spark. And just like our annual travels up to Ashland for similar high quality experiences, I’m sure that we would also relish a visit to the Kneehigh Asylum if given half a chance. However, I’m sure that we won’t need any help from the Devil to do so.

Brilliantly inventive theatre company creating challenging, accessible and anarchic theatre for a diverse local and national audience