Curtain Calls: West Coast premiere of The Hills of California' coming to East Bay

"Berkeley Repertory presents the West Coast premiere of Olivier and Tony Award-winning playwright Jez Butterworth's The Hills of California, playing Oct. 31 through Dec. 7. A co-production with The Huntington, The Hills of California weaves the compelling yet funny tale of the Webb sisters return to their childhood home in an English seaside town. Their mother had trained them for a singing career a la The Andrews Sisters. As they visit the guesthouse, memories resurface as the girls explore the sibling bonds that both sustain and suffocate them."

"As the eldest of five sisters, this intense, mysterious and often hilarious homecoming story resonates deeply for me as the slippery layers of a complicated past collide with the equally messy present, said Greco. I'm thrilled to create the first American production of this big-minded West End hit in partnership with Berkeley Rep and especially over-the-moon to return home to the actual hills of California to share this beauty with all my friends in the Bay."

"Running through Sunday, the vaudevillian-like comedy features performers at The Music Hall Royale, all of whom take a bow when introduced by The Chairwoman (the wonderful Shiv Harris who brought the house down with her hilarious Mayor Sapsea). The actors are attempting to put an ending on Charles Dickens' unfinished work while their characters endeavor to find the missing Edwin Drood."

Berkeley Repertory stages the West Coast premiere of Jez Butterworth's The Hills of California Oct. 31–Dec. 7 in co-production with The Huntington. The play follows the Webb sisters returning to their childhood English seaside home, recalling a mother who trained them for a career like The Andrews Sisters and probing memories and sibling bonds that both sustain and suffocate. Loretta Greco, former artistic director of San Francisco's Magic Theatre, directs the West Coast debut. Pinole Community Playhouse concurrently offers Rupert Holmes' The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a vaudevillian-like comedy in which performers attempt to finish Dickens' unfinished tale.

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