The Marsh Berkeley Presents “Poetic Justice” - the True Lives of Three Distinguished Writers
The Marsh Berkeley audiences will take a deep dive into the true lives of three distinguished writers with Lynne Kaufman’s “Poetic Justice” this fall. Starring Bay Area favorites Charles Shaw Robinson and Lorri Holt, this double bill features ‘You Must Change Your Life’ and ‘Divine Madness’ – one-act plays written by Kaufman and directed by Sheila Balter. “Poetic Justice” is currently playing through November 5, 2023 at The Marsh Berkeley (2120 Allston Way), in Berkeley, CA.
The performance begins with ‘You Must Change Your Life,’ revealing the creation of Rainer Maria Rilke’s timeless masterpiece, ‘Letters to a Young Poet.’ Torn between becoming a writer or an officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army, 19-year-old Franz Kappus writes a poem for Rilke in 1902, asking for feedback. A single letter turns into a series of correspondences. After Rilke’s death, Kappus compiles and publishes Rilke’s letters to him. But what about his letters to Rilke? A recent discovery provides a surprising answer.
‘Divine Madness’ recounts the love story of poet Robert Lowell and writer Elizabeth Hardwick, who were famously divorced when Lowell, who suffered frequent debilitating bouts of manic depression, left Hardwick to marry an English heiress. He then documented the end of his marriage in a volume of poetry, ‘The Dolphin,’ that scandalized the literary world and won him the Pulitzer Prize. ‘Divine Madness’ follows the couple as they consider reuniting and invites audiences to explore the questions: Is art worth that much? Can love survive madness and betrayal?
A familiar face on Bay Area stages who received his theatre training at Julliard, Charles Shaw Robinson has been seen locally in leading roles at San Francisco Playhouse, Marin Theatre Company, California Shakespeare Theatre, and Berkeley Repertory Theatre,
Lorri Holt is a longtime leading actress in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she was a company member for 10 years with the Eureka Theatre.
For information or to order tickets ($25-$35 sliding scale, $50 and $100 reserved), the public may phone (415) 282-3055 or visit themarsh.org.
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Photo caption: Lorri Holt stars in Lynne Kaufman's "Poetic Justice" at The Marsh Berkeley. (Photo credit: Heidi Grass)