Princess Leah's Wishful Drinking at Berkeley Rep

"The hottest ticket in town just went on sale! This February, as part of its 40th birthday festivities, Berkeley Repertory Theatre welcomes Hollywood legend Carrie Fisher – and the general public can now purchase seats for her hilarious new solo show directed by Tony Taccone . Everyone can enjoy the party, because Berkeley Rep recently introduced a new ticketing system that features lower prices for every performance," says the press release.
"When I was an adolescent--which was not interesting, just intense--I was writing to manage the intensity," admitted Fisher during her summer visit to Berkeley Rep to meet the press. "There are things that are very painful, but if you can make them funny, it's the best thing in the world."
Sitting in an armchair in a girlish position, with one leg tucked under, the fifty-year-old actress, dressed in black and with simply styled hair, said that to this day "Princess Leah is following me around like a faint exotic smell..."
As a mature writer (she wrote "Postcards from the Edge") Fisher shared that she likes writing dialogs "after spending years as an actor trying to say unsayable words" written by others.
In "Wishful Drinking," directed by the Theatre's Artistic Director Tony Taccone, Fisher wrote her story herself, hardly holding back, boldly exposing herself, her exes, her childhood, her stepmother... "A man died in my bed--he was gay--that was unique," she noted dryly, talking about her play.
"I am brutally honest about my life" she said. "It's ugly, it's a bloodbath."
Fisher's brutal honesty was met with laughter of approval from the audience when she extended her sage advice to the likes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan on how to avoid unwanted exposure: "stay home, get a driver, wear underwear."
Taccone, who obviously enjoyed interviewing Fisher for the press, concluded with a smile, "Carrie is a fantastic writer," and invited all to the Theatre's 40th anniversary season.
Berkeley Rep is located on Addison Street in downtown Berkeley , close to BART and AC Transit bus lines. For more information, call 510.647.2949 or 888-4-BRT-Tix (toll-free) – or just click on berkeleyrep.org