2010/11 season > Steve Jobs/Last Cargo Cult
The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs
in repertory with
The Last Cargo Cult
written and performed by mike daisey
directed by jean-michele gregory
main season | thrust stage
january 11–february 27, 2011 
the plays
The New York Times dubbed Mike Daisey “the master storyteller” and “one of the finest solo performers of his generation.” Our audiences loved Great Men of Genius, The Ugly American and 21 Dog Years: Doing Time @ Amazon.com. Now Daisey returns to Berkeley Rep in an incredible doubleheader: two provocative new monologues that examine our obsession with commerce. With his wry eye and eccentric intellect, Daisey delivers two adventure stories—presented on different days—that cut deep with hilarious social critique.
- In The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, Daisey dives into the epic story of a real-life Willy Wonka whose personal obsessions profoundly affect our everyday lives—and follows the trail to China where millions toil in factories to create iPhones and iPods.
- With The Last Cargo Cult, Daisey travels to a remote island in the South Pacific whose inhabitants actually worship America and its goods. He observes their rituals as the world’s financial system collapses, spurring a soul-searching assessment of what money means and who is paying the price.
the players
Mike Daisey’s monologues, 15 and counting, have been seen across the country and around the world. Weaving together autobiography and gonzo journalism, they tell hilarious and heartbreaking stories that cut to the bone.
Jean-Michele Gregory focuses on unscripted, extemporaneous works. Her shows ranked among the best plays of 2009 in New York Magazine, TheaterMania and Time Out New York.
the buzz
“The monologuist Mike Daisey has a masterful command of his art. Sitting alone at a simple desk, he is all-powerful for 100 minutes. When he wants you to laugh, you laugh; when he wants you to think, you think. Often, he can even get you to do both of these things at once…He doesn’t draw you into the stories he tells—not exactly. Rather, he shows how, perhaps unawares, you have been part of them all along.”—Time Out New York
“Mike Daisey’s rousing, hilarious monologue The Last Cargo Cult [is] an invigorating and infuriating examination of our relationship with money.”—Time Out Chicago
“[The Last Cargo Cult is] a stem-winding solo meditation on the meaning of money from the prolific storyteller Mike Daisey…The way Mr. Daisey makes his arguments, more than the arguments themselves, is what makes him one of the elite performers in the American theater.”—New York Times
“Mike Daisey has proven himself that rare theatrical creature: An entertaining performer with something valuable to say…He can be everything from a hysterical drinking buddy to the most convincing town council member, and his shifting energy keeps his work alive.”—Variety
“[The Last Cargo Cult] may constitute the finest hour—actually, make that two hours—ever devised by Daisey, a tale-spinner of amusingly footnoted outrage. His brand of bombast is perfectly calibrated for examinations of the colossal follies of our time.”—Washington Post
In 2011, Mike Daisey debuts two audacious new monologues at Berkeley Rep: The Last Cargo Cult and The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs.
(Photo by Ursa Waz)
Save 20% on tickets!
See both The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs and The Last Cargo Cult and save 20%. We’ll also waive the $7 service charge. Special offer only available by phone. Call our box office at 510 647–2949. Hours are noon to 7pm, Tuesday–Sunday. (Discounts are off the full price only and are not available retroactively.)
press photos
production sponsor
Wealth Management at
Mechanics Bank
season sponsors
