On our family’s to-do list for the weekend is the show, Singin’ in the Rain, produced by Berkeley Playhouse.
It promises to be a delight, with excellent singing, great dancing, and a wonderful sense of fun.
How do I know, when I haven’t seen the production? Because I have loved every other performance this Berkeley group has done.
From Seussical to Once on This Island to Peter Pan and others, Berkeley Playhouse, led by artistic director Elizabeth McKoy, has really brought a new level of performance to the East Bay. The adult productions for kids are delightful.
My family first got introduced to McKoy about five years ago, when my youngest daughter was a fourth grader at Park Day School. McKoy had just enrolled her son at the school and offered to lead drama classes. She was a theater veteran, having performed with the Seattle Children’s Theater and various companies around the Bay Area. Soon, my daughter was hooked. She fell in love with McKoy’s exuberance and the magic of theater. She would perform in a play every few months and developed a tight band of theater-loving friends.
McKoy had been directing children’s productions for years when she started Berkeley Playhouse in 2007. Her idea was to use some of the phenomenal talent in the Bay Area and put on high-quality musicals for children. The group started out on the Ashby Stage but moved last year to the much-larger Julia Morgan Theater on College.
In addition to adult shows, Berkeley Playhouse has a series of classes for kids and adults. It also takes theatre into the Berkeley public schools.
Singin’ in the Rain will run through March 21. Find out about tickets here.
