Misha Berson covers the Seattle theater scene for the Seattle Times. She moved to the Emerald City in 1991 from San Francisco, and is the author of several books, including The San Francisco Stage and Between Worlds: Contemporary Asian American Playwrights. Her latest is: Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination. The Monarch Review had a chance to chat with Misha about theater, where she likes to eat in town and baseball.

Jake Uitti: Seattle is a beautiful city full of bright, talented artists; yet, there is always this sense of growing in the city only to move out to L.A. or N.Y.C. What do you think Seattle could do to help its artists – its actors and playwrights and directors and producers – to stay here?

Misha Berson: Theater people are, by tradition, gypsies who go where the work is – either on tour, or to other cities if necessary.  I think we’re lucky that so many talented stage artists have wanted to remain here, and put down roots in Seattle, but I think we can’t expect them all to do this.  When they get a break elsewhere, we can be glad we had them around for a time.  As for what Seattle as a city can do to keep talent here, more funding for the arts would certainly help, as would a greater push by the city and state for the kind of bread-and-butter movie and TV jobs that are coming more to Portland, and of course to Vancouver BC (where the government is very aggressive in making it financially attractive to film there).

JU: How have you found Intiman Theater’s novel strategy of offering a summer festival of performances versus a more traditional year-round production schedule?

MB: The Intiman’s strategy seems smart in concept, because the company does not have the resources to maintain a building or pay for all the expenses, in the millions of dollars, needed for a year-long operation.  It’s still unknown whether their new model will be sustainable, financially or artistically, but it’s been interesting to observe and worth a try.

JU: What brought you to Seattle from San Francisco? What do you miss about the Bay?

MB: I came to Seattle in 1991 for a temporary position at the Seattle Times while the previous theater critic, Wayne Johnson, was on sabbatical.  When he retired, I applied for the permanent job and was pleased to get it.  I still miss old friends and family in San Francisco, the ocean and redwoods, and some aspects of the arts scene – particularly the experimental theater vitality in SF.  But Seattle has become home, and to be employed in a livable city with such a strong cultural footprint is something I’m very grateful for.

JU: What is the one thing you wish Seattle audiences understood better about the performances going on in town?

MB: I don’t operate in terms of what audiences “should” think or understand.  I’m told often, by out of town artists who come here, that in general Seattle theatergoers are unusually smart, alert and open-minded.  My job is to write about what’s happening on stage and what informs it, and hopefully to entertain and contextualize it for Seattle Times readers.

JU: You and I have a mutual friend, Mr. Reginald A. Jackson, can I ask a question germane to his roles in town: What is your favorite role you’ve seen him in and what would you like to see him play in the future?

MB: Reggie is one of a number of very skilled classical actors, which is the mode I’ve seen him in most often. I’ve seen him in too many roles to pick one out, but I do recall being impressed by his Macbeth, his Pericles, his work in “All My Sons” and his scripted adaptation of the children’s book “Bud, Not Buddy” for Book-It Repertory Theatre.

JU: Do you spend much time outside of the theater world? Where do you like to see music, improv., comedy? Where do you like to eat in town?

MB: Keeping up with the theater scene demands a lot of my time, but I also love (and occasionally write about) music – from opera and classical, to R & B and jazz.  I’m a big indie movie fan, and I’m also a baseball fan, though that’s hard given how bumpy a road it’s been for the Mariners over the past few years.  Where do I like to eat?  Can you be more specific?  There are so many good restaurants in this town.

JU: Where might you frequent for a nice Sunday brunch?

MB: For brunch I like Vios at 3rd Place Books, 40 North, Tilth, among other places.

JU: Is there something you’d like to see more of in town in terms of theater or art coverage or criticism?

MB: I’d like to see more and better experimental theater, particularly “site specific” work that utilizes a variety of indoor and outdoor settings creatively. When I was a critic in San Francisco, this sort of work was often quite original and inspired, and it gave artists and audience members a fresh perspective. There’s been more of this happening here in dance and theater, but on an occasional basis and semi-under the radar.

JU: What’s one performance in history that you wish you could have seen that you haven’t?

MB: I would have loved to see Olivier play Hamlet live, the ancient Greeks do Euripides, the Moscow Art Theatre do Chekhov, and the opening night performance of “West Side Story” on Broadway. Among many, many other possibilities.

JU: Since you’re a Mariners fan, I have to ask: what intrigues you about baseball?

MB: Character and time. I like that it develops over nine innings – which I know basketball fans often find boring, but to me it’s like reading an entire novel at one sitting. Sometimes not much happens of interest, sometimes it’s continually exciting. And the whole game can shift with a single hit, or homer, or a great play out in center field. As for character, baseball players get to display athletic skill but also personality, since they’re not wearing masks and helmets or whizzing by on a court. You feel you get to know them, even if it’s as much of an illusion as knowing characters in a play. They also have great nicknames, and the game itself has a long and colorful history. Of course, having a winning team in Seattle would make me a more loyal and active fan.