Raúl Esparza to Star in The Waves, an Online Musical Based on Virginia Woolf's Novel

Three-time Tony nominee Raúl Esparza will star in an online edition of his theatrical passion project, a musical adaptation of Virginia Woolf's The Waves, for Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

The Waves in Quarantine: A Theatrical Experiment in 6 Movements will be presented this fall, with exact dates to be announced. Conceived by Esparza and Lisa Peterson, it is based on a stage adaptation of Woolf's novel, created by Peterson (book and direction), late composer and lyricist David Bucknam, and Adam Gwon.

The Waves, which ran at New York Theatre Workshop in 1990 and premiered in a revised edition in 2018 at the Powerhouse Theatre, follows the lives of six friends from first memory to the end of life, while also tracking the progress of the sun through one glorious day.

Berkeley Rep will also present a streaming edition of Hershey Felder's A Paris Love Story, featuring the music of Claude Debussy. Written and performed by Felder, directed for screen by Stefano de Carli, and directed for stage originally by Trevor Hay, the stream will take place September 22, with on demand broadcast available through November 29. In addition, the theater will present Place/Settings: Berkeley, an audio experience crafted by 10 writers about specific locations in Berkeley.

These shows join Romantics Anonymous, live from the Bristol Old Vic, on September 26 at 4pm ET, and It Can't Happen Here, featuring David Strathairn and David Kelly, on October 13 at 8pm ET.

Berkeley Rep hopes to reopen for live performances next spring.