I love the shows they put on at this beautiful little theater. It is an old building, a bit beat up in the most endearing Berkeley way. A community theater at its best. You can see high quality shows at a very affordable price. The youth productions are particularly great for young kids. When our kid was young, we took them to see shows at BPH. They were great shows but also at the price point, if my 4 year old couldn't sit still and we had to leave the show, I would not cry over the ticket price. Our kid did summer camps at BPH every year and they are now part of the youth production. BPH has become their second home. The staff are deeply caring and supportive. Kids are incredibly kind, passionate about musical theater, and supportive of each other. It is a wonderful community where our quirky theater kid found their tribe and has a sense of belonging. Being different is celebrated at BPH. I highly recommend their camps and youth programs to kids who enjoy performing on stage. read more

Unable to get into my account to buy a ticket after multiple attempts they make it almost impossible for the end user Additionally they do not answer the telephone when the box office is said to be open I would not recommend these people or else your blood pressure is normal read more

Cute, intimate theater. Here for the first time and I'm pleasantly surprised by how cute this theater is. We're in row D, but there's probably not a bad seat in the house. The stage set is pretty elaborate and I would think any performance could be wonderful! read more

Berkeley Playhouse - Stage ready for Head Over Heels! - Performing Arts Near Me - Berkeley, California

I saw "The Addams Family" yesterday (Saturday, September 27) and it was great fun. Charming, entertaining, and family friendly. Morbid with a goth sensibility, in a lighthearted way. Great for the Halloween season. Acting, dancing, music, costumes and sets all worked together very well. I saw in Row F and felt pretty close to the action. My ticket cost $59. A little pricey I thought. I went with two friends and we all had a great time. I saw a good number of kids there and I think they all enjoyed it. read more

Buy online. Pick up ticket stubs from the booth. Show vax cards. Present ticket stubs to enter the theater. There are scheduled Thursdays that you get to pay as you want. We had seen Grease and this time Into The Woods. A great way to expose the kids to theater. read more

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Today I saw the most amazing musical at the Berkeley Playhouse. It is Jesus Christ Superstar and I highly recommend it. The acting, singing, dancing, and music by the orchestra were delightful. This is one of the most energetic and enthusiastic productions of this musical and is certainly something you don't want to miss. Congratulations to everyone on a fantastic job. read more

I love this little gem of a theatre. It's had many incarnations, but the fact that it is still hosting audiences is a big win for the community. It's intimate, historic (Julia Morgan), and reasonably priced. There are a variety of programs and performances to appeal to any age group. The one caution is parking, which is entirely residential, and if there is a Cal football game, you WILL be ticketed if you park on a street designated for those games. read more

This was my second production experience, and I loved it!! I saw Matilda with a friend, and immediately bought tickets to take my family. Ambiance: It's an intimate theater, with not too many rows. My other theater experience was at the nutcracker where we could barely see. This is better because there is not really a bad seat. We were in row J. Experience: Amazing! The actors were great, the sound and lights were cleverly used. I loved the play. I will be back, and have my next visit planned. read more

Took my 13yo daughter and her friend to see Lin Manuel Miranda's In the Heights and it was FANTASTIC!!!!!!! We drove 90 miles for this production and it was absolutely worth it. We typically attend theater at SJ Performing Arts, but Berkeley has all the talent, but also the small, intimate old world feel. Even the smell of the old wood building was charming! I cried the entire 2nd half of the musical. The passion of the actors was incredible. Highly recommend! read more

Berkeley Playhouse - In the Heights stage - Performing Arts Near Me - Berkeley, California

What an incredibly fun performance of James and the Giant Peach! Lots of delight and laughs over these few hours. The cast was fantastic, the music made me want to sing along despite not knowing any of it beforehand ("Right Before Your Eyes" got stuck in my head for a bit), and the costumes/sets/production were all great as well! Special shoutouts to: + Ladahlord (James D Sasser): such engaging facial expressions! As someone who worked a bit on facial expressions as part of a choir, I really appreciated how enthusiastic he was. + James (Elliot Choate): the star of the show! Lots of solo parts and he did wonderfully + The two aunts: convincingly evil, and I'm not sure how the guy managed to walk around in his stiletto heels for so long! + The cast of bugs: I could definitely see the distinct personalities of each character This was my first time at the Berkeley Playhouse and it was overall a great experience. Lots of friendly people working here - the man at the ticket booth greeted the lady in front of me by name. TIPS: * Don't forget to check in for a free coffee or soda with your Adult ticket! * If the lines for the restroom and snack bar are too long at intermission, there's a coffee shop right across the street that stays open pretty late. Hoping they have Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (my favorite Roald Dahl tale) sometime in the future here! read more

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Cinderella enchanted is excellent & we all enjoyed the show. Parking was hard due to UCBerkeley game day.

I've been attending shows here for 10 years and every show has been fun, entertaining, and always family friendly. Today, I saw Becoming Robin Hood. A young cast and Romelo Urbi was a good looking, enthusiastic, and talented Robin Hood. I can't wait to see how he matures in 5 years. Great overall cast. read more

I just attended the opening night performance of "The Prom" at the Berkeley Playhouse. This was my first time at this venue and I wondered how it would compare with the Best of Broadway performances that I regularly attend. I was very pleasantly surprised. In fact, it was amazing to be in a small venue with such a talented and energetic cast. I was very impressed with the casting, direction, choreography, and fluid staging. Standout performances all around, but especially loved the vocal strength and variation by the lead, Arri Toshiko Glenn. She is a recent grad of the Boston Conservatory Berklee school of music. I expect to be seeing a lot more of her in the future. Wonderful performances by seasoned veterans and newcomers alike. If you want to hear some moving ballads perfectly performed and some lively numbers all addressing an important issue, don't miss this show! read more

The people that run this place are the rudest people I have ever met. They are hostile and foul and I would personally never let these people entertain me or my children. Their productions are extremely loud and their play-goers often lurk around the neighboring homes in the neighborhood. I am a huge fan of the theater but these people tarnish the good name of Broadway and run it through the mud...I personally would NOT recommend. read more

"One of the most groundbreaking and romantic musicals ever written, West Side Story resets Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to the 1950s and the turbulent and passionate streets of New York's West Side. Tony is a dreamer, ready to leave his street gang behind and face the future head-on; Maria is idealistic and looking to explore womanhood and the world beyond her family's dress shop. When the two meet, their worlds stop--and cultural divides and societal expectations give way to star-crossed love. Featuring one of the most exciting scores ever written for the stage, and a story that tackles topics of prejudice, street violence, and the need for compassion between communities, this Berkeley Playhouse premiere will rumble in your heart long after the final note is sung." read more

Berkeley Playhouse - Cast - Performing Arts Near Me - Berkeley, California

This is such a find. A little gem of a theater designed by Julia Morgan, in a nice neighborhood easy to get to. Parking can be a hassle but you can find it if you try. And there are really no bad seats in the house. Over several years we have seen Avenue Q, Fiddler on the Roof, Willy Wonka, Peter and the Starcatchers, Grease, Mamma Mia, etc. Prices are reasonable, and most of the shows are more family and kids-oriented with the very rare adults only production. read more

Are you ready to have your mind blown? Read this: PAY WHAT YOU CAN THURSDAYS. We took our 6-year-old to see a wacky musical called Lucky Duck and got an incredibly cheap price for tickets. Fantastic. Get onto their Facebook page for updates. YAY. read more

It's pretty easy to get here and there seems to be plenty of parking in the area, seems to be in a very residential area (hard to tell as it was dark and raining) which gives it a more homely feeling. When you get there, it's a cute little theater. There aren't any bad seats here as far as I can tell. It's not quite stadium style seating so if you have a really tall person in front of you and you aren't the biggest it may be an issue. Also some if someone spills something, it rolls all the way down from the back! read more

Berkeley Playhouse - Sound of music stage - Performing Arts Near Me - Berkeley, California

I just saw "Fun Home" at Berkeley Playhouse and they knocked it out of the park! And I saw the original in New York (along withy MANY other Broadway shows) so that is high praise. "Fun Home" is a challenging musical that could easily have flailed. Instead it soared. The direction, actors and singing were fantastic, and my theater-loving (but not-easily-impressed) nephew, who has also seen many Broadway shows, was extremely impressed. I was blown away by Berkeley Playhouse's production of "In The Heights" but thought maybe that was an exceptional exception. Nope. Berkeley Playhouse is on fire, as is director William Thomas Hodgson, who also beautifully directed "Passing Strange" with the Shotgun Players at the Ashby Stage. Keep doing what you're doing Berkeley Playhouse, and more shows by Mr. Hodgson please! read more

In terms of Berkeley Playhouse's professional performances, they get a 5+ star rating. We were so impressed by the theater's performances, that we signed our 5 year old daughter up for a week at their theater camp. Boy, this was a night and day experience. The camp itself is quite expensive, but I thought it would be worth it because we love this theater so much. To start, our daughter's camp teacher was impersonal, cold, and appeared to care less about the kids. I was so put off at pick up and drop off: no updates on the day, no care to greet us, and it just seemed generally uninterested in small children. I really wished I could get at least a few words on the day. The real kicker was that at the end of the week, they put on an adorable performance and my daughter did such a wonderful job, but then at the end of the performance, the kids were ordered to bring back their costumes and grab a prize from the prize box. My daughter walked away from the prize box with tears in her eyes. I asked her what happened and she stated that the kids all got points throughout the week based on their behavior and she only received 7 out of 20 points. I was totally taken aback by this: she's always been very calm, relaxed, and sweet. Here we just had a high from a cute performance and now she was in tears because she interpreted this to mean that she had been "bad" all week. We went back to the teacher and inquired about the low score. My daughter very sweetly asked, "what could I do to improve in the future?" and the teacher replied, "nothing, you did fine." So why the low score? And why did I pay $350 for the week only to have my daughter essentially graded for prizes? I thought this was about performing and doing it well and having fun. What started as a sweet day of performing ended very sourly. What a disappointment. read more

(In Terminator Voice): I'LL BE BACK! Date night! Yeah, after a 16 months of have a long distance relationship with my husband he has lots of date night catching up to do! Lucky for both of us, we enjoy going new places. So when my boss mentioned this playhouse in Berkeley and a wonderful showing of "Guys and Dolls" he saw there, I looked in to it. Funcheapsf.com had $5 tickets for the musical at the beginning of the month but our $35 tickets weren't unreasonable. Neither of us had ever seen the production before. We left there very happy. We both agreed that we enjoy plays more than musicals, but all of the performers did an amazing job. Parking was kind of a hassle. We asked about garages but were told street parking is easy during the week. We didn't find it all that easy but ended up getting a spot relatively close - it just took a while. The playhouse itself is really nice. it's much bigger than the one in Point Richmond (I was expecting something similar, but should have gone in with no expectations). This one is very nice. They allow food inside the actual playroom itself. Concessions are sold just outside of here. Good thing too because we needed a slice of the pizza they had at the Intermission. The prices were fair on all the goodies. Husband ate most of the pizza (the slice was pretty small $4) and I had a Cutie for $0.50. Water was free in the corner and they ask that you don't bring your own water bottle (not sure why). Bins are set up for compost, recycling, and trash. And also one bin for donations (food) so read the signs and don't just start throwing your pizza plate wherever you want. Like my husband :) We'll definitely be back to see another show here. Not a bad seat in the house!! read more

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Not sure why I waited so long to see a show here! Such a great venue with a great production. I took my little man to see Annie. Ok, maybe I "dragged" my 9 year old cause I wanted to instill some culture in him. Being a parent with electronic devices is pretty annoying. I would have loved if my parents wanted to take me out of the house to do something. Nope, not this kid (I'm noticing a lot of other kids too). I purchased the tickets through the TodayTix app and scored a great deal (to me, I'll explain more later) on my "rush" ticket purchase that I bought at 1pm for a show that started at 7pm. Parking is not easy but not necessarily difficult. We found street parking about 1.5 blocks away. We arrived to the venue with a line formed for will-call. Come to find out that when we went, it was a special "Pay What You Can Night" and you can score tickets for as low at $5. Whaaaa??? I thought my $20/ticket price was decent. Turns out that the tickets I purchased are reserved seats so that was nice to not have to fight for the best seat. However, how amazeballs is it that Berkeley Playhouse has this great community feature. You shouldn't have to get a 2nd mortgage for a fun night at the theater (Yes, you Hamilton people that charge soooo much). Thumbs up from this gal to Berkeley Playhouse. The production of Annie was sooo great, my son really enjoyed it. So this mama felt good exposing her son to some culture. The staff at the theater was also super nice too! Definitely will be coming back! read more

Got tickets from good star for this show and come to find out they were REALLY good seats! Row "C" but there was only one row in front of us, so not sure where A was unless it's A then C...the show was really good, avenue Q, and was a nice intimate setting. Got free snack bar tix with each ticket for anything u want for free!! AND I checked in on here and got my free soda! AWESOME! Who hates free?!?! They have some huge black and white cookies, well not huge but definitely a good size! I wanted to eat one of everything there! Looked so yummy!!! Wouldn't mind going back for another show. I don't mind driving or BARTing all the way out there because my fav pizza place, artichoke Bastille, is out there as well as my fav BBQ place, Everett & Jones. Hopefully get to go back soon for a different performance! SUPPORT YOUR COMMUNITY! read more

Berkeley Playhouse - Stage - Performing Arts Near Me - Berkeley, California

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I saw Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird here yesterday. The performance was moving and adapted to the intimate stage wonderfully. The Berkeley Playhouse feels large and intimate at the same time. The wood structure echoes its Berkeley surroundings. The staff is friendly and the cast greeted all the theatergoers after the show. I plan to subscribe next season you enjoy the Berkeley Playhouse on a regular basis. read more

Berkeley Playhouse - Performing Arts Near Me - Berkeley, California

10 stars!! My husband and I went to see the Christmas story musical here and were blown away. The playhouse doesn't look like much when you walk in but woweewowowow the talent! All of the actors were incredible and the show was amazing. I definitely want to come back for further shows read more

Great place to see a show. Our two family families rolled in to see A Christmas Story and it was wonderful. Cast was excellent and very talented. Venue was cozy and perfect for the show. Our kids all loved the show and had a great time. Passed by this place tons of times over the years - glad we decided to check it out. We all will be back. Only drawbacks were parking ( arrive early and search the neighborhood ) and the fact that they ran out of most concessions at intermission ( we brought our own so we were ok). Neither a big deal just be prepared. Recommend. read more

We LOVE Berkeley playhouse - both the productions and the conservatory! We saw Tarzan last summer and Annie in the fall, and were blown away by the production value at such a small theater company. Our 5 year old became really excited about theater and music! So we signed her up for the Conservatory Makebelievers class for James and the Giant Peach. The teachers were enthusiastic and great at getting the kids excited. They let the kids decide which part to play, and had no qualms about there being 5 jameses. She couldn't wait to go to class each week! What a great way to introduce kids to theater arts to pair a class at their level with a professional production! We will absolutely be back for more. read more

My son and his cousin are now enjoying their third year as season ticket holders at Berkeley Playhouse. Together we've seen Oliver, Annie, Suessical the Musical, Cinderella and a whole host of other performances. This weekend we saw Sound of Music and it was outstanding. You have to love a place that encourages kids and families and provides theater appropriate for kids of all ages. But Berkeley Playhouse executes extremely well. They have stunning performances, reasonably priced, while creating a community of children-inclusive theater. They have their "professional" theater with adult stars and then they also have theater for the youth rising stars. We saw a wonderful production of Geppetto's Pinocchio with an all youth cast who did an outstanding job. Berkeley Playhouse has theater classes as well. Now as to The Sound of Music. I have to reveal that I fell in love with Julie Andrews when I was 6 and saw the movie in the theater. Then I saw the movie almost every year growing up. And I had memorized every song on the album. So how could the theater version possibly compete? Well, I was amazed at how much more personal the story was, with staging happening all around the theater. I still loved the songs every bit as much, loved Maria, knew why she fell in love with the children. I was enchanted as the story unfolded, even though I knew the ending. When the production was over, I couldn't help but leap to my feet and applaud. This is why we are season ticket holders. Berkeley Playhouse is MAGICAL. Sound of Music is wonderful. Go see for yourself. Go fall in love. read more

We saw BP's modernist production of Wizard of Oz at the Julia Morgan Ctr this weekend. My son's first response when I asked him what he thought of the show was "weird." And it was that. A wonderfully weird, somewhat abstract, version that managed to break out the black light, strobe light, colorful glowing balls and tinsel wigs (it's Berkeley remember) during the course of almost 3 hours (with intermission) of entertainment. A Wizard of Oz base with a little Seuss (or R. Dahl?), Cirque du Soleil, jazz and what have you thrown in. All good fun for the audience of mostly families with young children. The cast seems comprised of local folks, with a couple of equity actors (which officially make this "professional" theater) to round it out. Music was live. I thought overall the singing was the strong suit, rather than the quality of acting and choreography. The Julia Morgan is a comfortable theater, with good sight lines. They apparently have a brand new lighting and sound system. Still working out a few kinks with microphone feedback in the show we saw. I get that this type of show generally costs more to produce than they earn in ticket sales...still $53 (1 adult + 1 child) is more than we've paid to see other plays this year, and it wasn't incrementally more entertaining. read more

We went to see "A Christmas Story" there. The production was stunning. We were happy to support the non-profit. Be aware of the rush ticket seating though. It is in the very far left or right and you cannot see the stage fully because you are sitting behind the posts. Buy tickets ahead of time to get good seats. read more

I love Berkeley Playhouse! As a patron, I can say I thoroughly enjoy supporting community theaters with such a great breadth of community outreach. They have a fantastic educational enrichment programs, and a lot my friends are teaching artists here. Needless to say, a lot of my friends also perform here, and I enjoy the shows that are put on in such a diverse fashion with a different flair of directorial personality. This place is a wonderful family-oriented venue, and it would please parents and children alike to become involved with this theatre on any level. If you go to the show: buy your tix in advance. It's just easier than waiting in line. Go to the concessions! They have amazing baked goods from local bakeries (Grand Ave Bakery, Sweet Adeline's). The Julia Morgan Theater is beautiful, but don't sit too close. Center is best a few rows back. read more

This place is not new, it's not fancy, and it's clearly warn around the edges, but it's worn with talent and engaged audiences, not neglect. I look forward to coming here and almost always forget to check in because my focus is on the show. The facility is much better than most community theaters in it's stage setup. I don't know if they rotate stage mangers and scenery crews with shows or if they have people they specifically work with this theater over and over but they make incredible use of the space. Sometimes the sets are complex, sometimes they are simple, but they are always effective and appropriate (to my eye) for the show they support. That casts I've seen through here are also a clear step above most community theaters. Some I've bookmarked their social media presence to see where they go next. I like the concession stand. The cookies are really good and there is a nice selection to choose from. I do recommend ordering what you want from them when you arrive and not deal with the long line that appears during the intermission. Your pre-order is setup for you across the room so it's easy to access. The only real problem with the place is the bathrooms. They are cramped, you can't even open the door to the mens room if someone is using the sink next to it. But for the rest of the experience I don't mind this one thing. In (almost) short: There are a lot of theaters in the Bay Area, and while I've not been to all of them (or probably even half of them) I have been to many and this is my favorite. The mix of size (not too small, but large enough to hold the sound just right) and the people who put on the productions mean I have yet to leave with criticism of my experience. We left our last performance and realized that each season we see more of their shows and finally broke down and bought season tickets. read more

UPDATE: Berkeley Playhouse has been a gift in our lives-specifically for my son who has grown up in their classes and now is performing in the youth ensemble in their current mainstage show. He started with a one week camp in Kindergarten and over the years went on to take 2 week, 3 week, and 5 week performance camps. He has taken classes during the school year and performed in numerous shows as ensemble and leading roles (Kidstage). What makes this theater program different and superior to other theater/drama programs is their understanding of children and teaching, and their ability to tap into the wonder and fun of each child. My son is on the shyer, quieter side but the instructors have brought out the best in him, he feels most confident and known when he's there. As a relatively new and growing organization, they have gone through growing pains, and turn over. This can be frustrating. But as someone who needs to know information in advance (like me, as a working parent, juggling schedules), I reach out and ask when something isn't clear. And if I don't get a ready response, I ask again. And this has worked relatively well. And recently, they hired a new education manager who is REALLY organized and responsive. Rik is a lovely guy who is GREAT with both the kids and parents (not always so easy). I already see a few of the positive changes in how information is being shared. So if you are expecting perfection, you may not find it, but if you are looking for a loving, professional, kid--focused theater program for your child, this is the place. read more

Highly recommend this delightful musical. The cast is very talented and energetic, and keeps the audience entertained throughout the performance; the orchestra was superb. You will enjoy every moment! Maureen read more

Had a wonderful time at the Mary Poppins production this weekend. The music, dancing, and acting were simply fantastic. It's great to have such quality theater that you can bring the whole family to enjoy. Highly recommended. read more

I cannot emphasize how great this place this. The play cast is absolutely amazing. I started going here for musical and seen Peter Pan, Beauty and the beast, urine town and lately Tarzan! I sincerely enjoy each one of the place. The production value and stage setting is really Impressive for a local play and I seen Broadway plays in NYC and SF quite often. The cast is always pretty talented. I really enjoy the smaller audience stage so you can feel close with the play. Always fun to watch! I am definitely going to buy a season membership for next year for sure! One downside: sometime it gets kind of hot in there haha I don't think AC can fully vent the whole place. read more

Overall unorganized and poorly run. We are taking acting classes there now, and half way through the semester we are on our third teacher. The first class was spent just getting organized. The second class was getting organized at a new location. The third class was coloring. The fourth class was moving again to another location. It is an expensive class to be this unorganized and unprofessional. A couple of the staff members are very nice and try to be on top of it, but something is clearly wrong with the background management. The classes are expensive for this level of output. Conversely, we also took classes with BACT and found those to be very well run, engaging and maximized the children's engagement, stage time, and had a theme throughout. read more

We love the Berkeley playhouse and their productions are often quite wonderful, but I am writing about the after school camps. My granddaughter is kind of shy and also is a person of color and we had a not so positive experience in the after school "camp" for kids this spring (2013). She was often ignored and then given a part as an "indian" in peter pan (and we couldn't help noticing that all of the "indians" in the play were kids of color) The teacher never talked to her or helped her out in any way. A couple of times when I went to pick her up she was left to her own devices just sort of drifting around in the hallway (she is 6) with no one paying the least attention to her When we tried to mention this, tactfully, to the teacher, he got pretty insulted and defensive. This is not a cheap camp and part of the billing behind it is to help kids build social skills, or at least that was my understanding. This was not played out in our experience. I also submitted some feedback after camp was over, but my concerns were never addressed. so anyway, just some thoughts, if you have a shy kid, maybe not the best environment, not sure if the person of color stuff was real, or just seemed like it to us during the experience. We will be going elsewhere in the future for sure. read more

Just went to the evening showing of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. This is a beautiful little theater. You feel close to the stage no matter where you sit, yet the seats are sloped enough that your view isn't blocked by anyone too tall sitting in front of you. Nice concession stand with sweets and drinks and wine. The show itself was great fun. I was so impressed by the young actors, and you could tell the whole cast was really enjoying the show. The set design was truly ingenious, and they handled some challenges of the show (the chocolate river, the fizzy lifting drinks, etc...) very creatively. I would definitely return for another show. They have "The Sound of Music" up this fall once "Willy Wonka's" run ends. read more

Just to clarify upfront, I am rating them 5 stars based on delivering what they intend to, "A Professional Theater For All Ages." Its neither parents sit through it for the sake of their kids children's' theater nor need to get a baby sitter purely adult's theater. With their performance of Suessical the Musical they managed to deliver an experience that was interesting and enjoyable for a theater experienced mom, a theater numbnut dad and 2 young boys. Its a small theater company with a cast of very mixed ages. I think that's part of the reason they can deliver to the mixed generational audience. Obviously the production value is not that of a big SF theater, the costumes were minimalist and the stage although effectively used, was small. But the seating climbs at a semi dramatic angle up which is of particular importance when the audience members are of drastically different heights. (One note on the stage, I am not sure what their relationship with the stage is, but it is not at the address location above which is probably their office. Suessical is performing at the Ashby Theater, 1901 Ashby, in Berkeley) The performance had a good sense of humor but once again, to be clear, the performers did not play strictly for children. The talented singer that played Horton delivered it with such honesty and heart that we wanted to take him home. The orchestration was also good and the restyling of some of the parts like the rapping wickersham brothers was welcome. Overall it was a great experience and well worth the drive into Berkeley. I am looking forward to their next production and my 5 year old had such a good time he insisted on wearing the suit jacket he wore to the play to school the next day. read more