Aurora Theatre Company Presents BREAKFAST WITH MUGABE, Now thru 12/7

Aurora Theatre Company continues its 23rd season with the West Coast Premiere of Fraser Grace's provocative BREAKFAST WITH MUGABE. First produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2005, this recent off Broadway hit was inspired by newspaper reports that Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe, severely depressed and convinced he was haunted by the ghost of a dead comrade, sought treatment from a white psychiatrist. Shedding light on Mugabe's demons, the sessions soon become a precarious power struggle between doctor and patient. Set against the aftermath of colonialism and revolution, BREAKFAST WITH MUGABE delves into the mind of one of the world's most vilified leaders.

Jon Tracy, who directed Aurora's productions of Gidion's Knot and The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity, returns to helm BREAKFAST WITH MUGABE, called "[a] taut meditation on guilt and power" by TimeOut NY, and about which The New York Times said, "In Mr. Grace's capable hands, Mugabe rightfully deserves a seat alongside Macbeth, Richard III and other tragic, power-siphoning Shakespearean antiheroes." L. Peter Callender, who previously starred in Aurora's productions of The Soldier's Tale and Permanent Collection, returns to the company to play the title role of Robert Mugabe. BREAKFAST WITH MUGABE also features Dan Hiatt (Wittenberg, The Arsonists), Leontyne Mbele-Mbong (African-American Shakespeare Company, Lamplighters), and Adrian Roberts (TheatreWorks, California Shakespeare Theater, Berkeley Repertory Theatre).

For tickets (Previews $35; Regular Performances $32-50; Limited Opening Night Seating $60) the public can call (510) 843-4822 or visit auroratheatre.org. Half-off tickets for Under 35, student, and group discounts available.