The Composer Is Brought to Life at Berkeley Rep

The Berkeley Rep is adding another dimension to The Composer Is Dead, with an original theatrical adaptation of this wildly popular marriage between Lemony Snicket’s story and Nathaniel Stookey’s musical score. The work comes to the stage Dec. 2 – Jan. 15, with actor Geoff Hoyle, five puppeteers, and film, promising to be a deliciously silly world premiere — a spectacle for all ages to enjoy.

According to Tony Taccone, Berkeley Rep’s artistic director, staging the show: “This may be the most ambitious project I've ever worked on because of the way it combines live performance, film, puppets, and music. It's a fun show for the whole family that unfolds in the ironic world of Lemony Snicket, a writer who is completely eccentric, wildly imaginative, with equal parts humor and smarts. I'm delighted to team up with Geoff Hoyle once again, and enjoying the challenge of working with puppets. As a director, you tell them what their motivation is and you get nothing but the same facial expressions. Fortunately, we have the brilliant folks from Phantom Limb to create the puppets as well as the sets and the costumes.”

The San Francisco Symphony originally commissioned home-grown composer Nathaniel Stookey to write the music for the work back in 2006. A San Francisco native and former violinist in the Symphony’s Youth Orchestra, at 17, Stookey was the youngest composer ever commissioned for the New and Unusual Music Series. He served as resident composer under Kent Nagano and the Berkeley Symphony from 1993 until 1996.

Another native, Daniel Handler, also know as the glumly humorous Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events and others, created and narrated the story. They premiered and recorded the piece in July 2006 with conductor Edwin Outwater. Numerous orchestras have since performed The Composer Is Dead, and it is sold as a book and CD set. In the vein of Peter and the Wolf, the tale is meant to introduce kids to the sounds of the orchestra; a whodunit with a dead composer, and multiple suspects among the ranks of the string, wind, percussion, and other sections of the orchestra.

In his typical tongue-in-cheek, morose fashion, Lemony Snicket says, “I have been asked if I might say a word or two about the text of The Composer Is Dead, and the one or two words are 'Boo hoo.' The story — which, as far as I know, is absolutely true — is so heartbreakingly glum that I cannot imagine that you will be able to listen to it without dabbing at your tears with a nearby handkerchief.”

This show features set design, costume design, and wacky puppetry by Jessica Grindstaff and Erik Sanko of Phantom Limb; lighting and projection design by Alexander V. Nichols; and sound design by James LeBrecht. Actor Geoff Hoyle performs alongside five accomplished puppeteers: Jenny Campbell, Frankie Cordero, Marta Mozelle, Edouard Sanko, and Ronny Wasserstrom. The presentation also includes an interactive film entitled The Magic of Living and Breathing Theatre, written by Lemony Snicket and produced by Lisa Cook. Martin Rosenberg served as director of photography.

With such vivid visuals, funny script and music, and active stage antics, this experiment is a “holiday” show you and your kids won’t soon forget.