Theatre That Is Making Me Happy Today, vol 1

Nine Parts of Desire at Berkeley Rep

Admittedly, it feels decidedly wrong to say a play about the lives of Iraqi women is making me "happy." But seeing amazing theatre is a rush for me, and Nine Parts of Desire is the definition of amazing theatre.

Written by Heather Raffo, Desire is the product of interviews with Iraqi women whose stories are told in a 90-minute one-woman show. Raffo performed the show herself from its 2003 debut in Edinburgh to runs in London and New York. The Rep's production features Mozhan Marno, and while I can make no comparison to Raffo's performance, I can say Marno is phenomenal. She seamlessly transitions from character to unique character, all while maintaining a consistent connection with the audience. And she does this for 90 straight minutes. The stories are overwhelming enough, but as a former actor, myself, I couldn't help but get lost in the power of Marno's work. Her program bio says she holds a MFA from the Yale School of Drama, and I can attest that her degree is well earned. There are few things that affect me the way watching the work of a good actor does.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that the show is pretty good. Thanks, Terry. Gotta love that girl's media passes. Desire runs through March 5, if you're interested, by the way.

And because good things all seem to happen at once, it just so happens that Fox also showed four new episodes of the fabulous, if ratings-challenged, Arrested Development last night. I taped them all and can't wait to watch. Huh... Nine Parts of Desire and Arrested Development; I guess I have varied tastes. I'm not sure when my Arrested mini-marathon will happen, though. I had to be at work before the crack of dawn this morning, and then, after running, I met Cheryl and Maya for snacks and tea. After that I caught up with my friend Gabriella for a little while. And I'm about to go out again to see a little live jazz.

I wonder when I'll sleep?