The Rodents Are Coming! The Rodents Are Coming!

While most people spent the latter half of November obsessing about Thanksgiving, my thoughts were decidedly elsewhere. As I sat in the War Memorial Opera House watching a performance of Engelbert Humperdink's opera, Hansel and Gretel, I watched two children lost in the Black Forest stand before a bizarre-looking house (supposedly made of gingerbread) as they heard a stranger's voice calling "Mousey, mousey, mousey, who's nibbling at my housey?" Mice were already on my mind following news that Maria Perego (the creator of the famous Italian mouse named Topo Gigio) had recently died in Milan at the age of 95.


On Friday, November 22, in addition to reading news stories marking the 46th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, I learned that Tartine (the popular bakery just down the block which often has customers lined up for half an hour just to purchase a croissant) had been temporarily shut down by the San Francisco Health Commission after inspectors discovered a "severe mice infestation" evidenced by mouse droppings on the premises. With my taste buds feeling duller by the cruller, I imagined the Mission District acquiring a new nickname: Rodent Park.

But then I stopped to think about all the ways in which rodents (which account for nearly 40% of all mammals) have kept us inspired and entertained over the years. A Japanese artist named Gotte has gained attention for his adorable paintings of his pet hamster. Written in 1816 by E.T.A. Hoffmann, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King was transformed into a ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1892 which, since then, has been a holiday staple.


No one can deny the cultural impact of Mickey Mouse (created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks in 1928). The squeaky big-eared character that spawned an international empire of cartoons, feature films, animation franchises, and theme parks, made millions regard mice as adorably adventurous little creatures instead of vermin.




Whether one considers the popular nursery rhyme entitled Three Blind Mice, the endearing catalog of Tom and Jerry cartoons, or the raunchy jokes about an elephant and a mouse, the little rodents have never been far from a writer's imagination. In many versions of the Cinderella folktale her pet mice are transformed into majestic horses that pull bring her glass coach to the Prince's ball. Sometimes, the tiniest mouse is capable of frightening a much larger animal.

While Walt Disney's 1950 version of Cinderella gave the mice endearing personalities, other animated features have had great success featuring rodents as heroes. From 1986's An American Tail (directed by Don Bluth) to 2007's Ratatouille (developed by Pixar), rodents have done a solid job of entertaining audiences.






In 2018, New York's PigPen Theatre Co. announced plans to create two new stage musicals based on beloved novels. The first to reach fruition is an adaptation of Kate DiCamillo's award-winning 2003 children's book entitled The Tale of Despereaux (which was released in December 2008 as a full-length animated feature by Universal Pictures).




Following its world premiere this summer at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego, The Tale of Despereaux has settled in for a joyous holiday season run at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. In order to understand how this talented group of artists (who have spent years together performing as an indie folk band) found their collective voice by returning to the simplest forms of stagecraft and storytelling, it's best to watch their 2011 TEDx Talk.




There is so much to admire in PigPen's adaptation of The Tale of Devereaux that, while one could compare some of its impact to watching a Cirque du Soleil production, where Cirque has tons of money, technology, and acrobatic acts at its fingertips, PigPen's ensemble has far more accessible music and much stronger storytelling skills. Where Cirque (like many Broadway productions) can dazzle an audience with spectacle, a close look at PigPen's scenery reveals that the semicircular wall that ressembles a sculpted cyclorama made from bowl-like shapes (designed by Jason Sherwood and lit by Donald Holder) is used quite simply and strategically for magnificent dramatic effects.

Dorcas Leung (Despereaux) and Yasmeen Sulieman (Princess Pea)
in a scene from The Tale of Despereaux (Photo by: Kevin Berne)

The fluidity with which PigPen's musicians move in and out of character roles (the ill-fated Queen Rosemary, The Most Head High Mouse, and a royal cook who used to love making soup) adds strength to a narrative which is occasionally enhanced with fight scenes and acrobatics. Thus, a rat named Chiaroscuro (who was always attracted to light) becomes known by his nickname (Roscuro) while Arya Shahi appears as King Phillip, Dan Weschler as the Stained-Glass Knight, and Ryan Melia doubles as a librarian and a prisoner.

Dorcas Leung (Despereaux) and Dan Wechsler (Stained Glass Knight)
in a scene from The Tale of Despereaux (Photo by: Kevin Berne)

While Roscuro the rat (John Rapson) pines to see what life is like in a world filled with light and Despereaux the mouse (Dorcas Leung) searches for a honey-sweet sound, Princess Pea (Yasmeen Sulieman) gets a lesson in checking her privilege as Miggery Sow (Betsy Morgan) explains some of the harsher realities of life.

Betsy Morgan as Miggery Sow in The Tale of Despereaux
(Photo by: Kevin Berne)

With costumes by Anita Yavich, choreography by Jennifer Jancuska, and the production's shadow sequences and puppetry co-designed by Lydia Fine and Nick Lehane, other members of the ensemble include Curtis Gillen as Louise, Ben Ferguson as Furlough, Alex Falberg as Lester, and Matt Nuernberger as Botticelli. One cannot underestimate the contributions of co-director Marc Bruni (who did such breathtaking work directing the original Broadway production of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical).


PigPen's future projects include a musical adaptation of Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (in collaboration with Rick Elice). Next year, they will premiere their first interactive theatrical experience, The Phantom Folktales, for Richard Branson’s groundbreaking cruise line, Virgin Voyages. But, as Berkeley Rep's new artistic director, Johanna Pfaelzer, stresses:

"In these times, I especially love the fact that Despereaux tells the story of an individual who discovers their strength. Of someone (somemouse?) who comes to understand that the very qualities that separate them from the norm are the traits that will ultimately allow them to realize their own heroism and help save their community. These days I often feel that I, like Despereaux, long to be a knight, setting out to slay a dragon -- and there are so many that could benefit from some slaying at the moment! I think that’s above my pay grade but, together with the fantastic writer/performers of PigPen, their wonderful castmates, the brilliant Marc Bruni, the amazing design team, and the extraordinary staff here at Berkeley Rep, we can help to create a world in which people are brought together as a community in the presence of a story that will inspire them to marshal their resources, embrace the things that make them different, and make their kingdoms safe."

Dorcas Leung portrays a heroic mouse in The Tale of Despereaux
(Photo by: Kevin Berne)

Enhanced by the work of sound designer Nevin Steinberg, this is a show whose freshness and vitality should not be missed. Performances of The Tale of Despereaux continue through January 5 at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre (click here for tickets).

Ben Ferguson (Furlough), Dorcas Leung (Despereaux)
and Yasmeen Sulieman (Merlot) in a scene from
The Tale of Despereaux (Photo by: Kevin Berne)