About us > Past productions > 2007/08 > Wishful Drinking
Wishful Drinking
written and performed by carrie fisher
directed by tony taccone
in association with jonathan reinis productions
main season | roda theatre
february 8–april 12, 2008
Running time: 2 hours,
including one 15 minute intermission
the art
Carrie Fisher is the life of the party on Berkeley Rep’s 40th birthday with Wishful Drinking, an uproarious and sobering look at her Hollywood hangover. Fisher tells a true and intoxicating story with the strong, wry wit that she poured into bestsellers like Postcards from the Edge. Born to celebrity parents, she was picked to play a princess in the original Star Wars when only 19 years old. Alas, aside from a demanding career and her role as a single mother, Carrie also spends her free time battling addiction, weathering the wild ride of manic depression and lounging around various mental institutions. It’s an incredible tale—from having Elizabeth Taylor as a stepmother, to marrying (and divorcing) Paul Simon, from having the father of her daughter leave her for a man, to ultimately waking up one morning and finding a friend dead beside her in bed. Entertainment Weekly declares Drinking “drolly hysterical,” and the Los Angeles Times dubs it a “Beverly Hills yard sale of juicy anecdotes.” Don’t miss this outrageous chance to get Carried away.
the artists
The daughter of Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher became a cultural icon when she starred as Princess Leia in the first Star Wars trilogy. Her star-studded career includes roles in countless films such as Austin Powers, The Blues Brothers, Hannah and her Sisters, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, The Man with One Red Shoe, Romancing the Bride, Shampoo, When Harry Met Sally and Wonderland. Fisher’s first novel, Postcards from the Edge, leapt onto the New York Times’ bestseller list—and she turned it into a screenplay for a hit film starring Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep. Fisher followed this with three more bestsellers: The Best Awful, Delusions of Grandma and Surrender the Pink. Her television credits range all the way from Laverne and Shirley to Jack and Bobby. Fisher hosted her own show on the Oxygen network, Conversations from the Edge, and is currently a celebrity judge for Steven Spielberg’s On the Lot. Her experiences with addiction and mental illness—and her willingness to speak honestly about them—have made her a sought after speaker and respected advocate for this community.
After his Broadway success with a completely different one-woman show—Sarah Jones’ Bridge & Tunnel—Tony Taccone directs another wild ride. Last year, he took two shows from Berkeley Rep to New York City: Brundibar sold out its run and was nominated for two Drama Desk Awards while Bridge & Tunnel extended its Broadway stay for five months and won a Tony Award. Taccone’s other recent hits here at home include Continental Divide, Culture Clash’s Zorro in Hell and Honour.
