Look At Historic Entertainers In Unique Derique's FOOL LA LA: GIFT! At The Marsh Berkeley

Bay Area's beloved “Clown Prince of Fools” Unique Derique will return to The Marsh Berkeley and streaming with Fool La La: Gift! for four family-friendly performances in February and March.

Filled with goofy goodies, circus surprises, and classic slapstick humor as sweet as a valentine, this foolishly funny show invites audience members (ages 3 and up) to dive into the imagination of Unique Derique as he embarks on a whimsical adventure. In honor of Black History Month, each week the riotous performer will shine light on different African American entertainers who have contributed to the performing arts. Following the performance, Unique Derique welcomes audiences to stay after the show to enhance their circus fun with a hambone and juggling workshop for clowns of all ages.

Fool La La: Gift will play Saturdays at 1:00pm PT, February 17-March 9, 2024, with performances at The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley and streaming online. For information or to order tickets (Live show: $20-$35 adult general admission sliding scale; $50-$100 reserved; $20 children ages 3-years-old and up; Live Stream: $20 per computer/device), the public may visit themarsh.org. NOTE: Strobe lights are used briefly during a portion of the performance.    

 

Fool La La: Gift! encourages kids from 1 to 150 to let their imaginations take flight. It is the latest iteration from Derique, who the San Francisco Examiner wrote that Derique “leaves them laughing coast to coast,” adding “he plays himself and the result, percussive and dynamic, is exhilarating.” Hailed by The New York Times for “his rapid-fire hands as they passed over his body in a blur of motion,” he was also lauded by the San Francisco Chronicle, which declared, “Derique will be back… remember the name.”  

 

Unique Derique is a longtime San Francisco Bay Area favorite whose dual careers merge the performing arts and healing with the belief that the world can be a brighter place, one breath—and one laugh—at a time. Internationally acclaimed “Clown Prince'' Unique Derique's appearances have spanned the globe from South Africa to Scotland, Taipei, London, Paris, and Tokyo— and he has shared the stage with entertainers such as Bobby McFerrin, The Temptations, Laura Nyro, Jim Nabors, Tuck and Patti, Lou Rawls, and Sammy Davis, Jr. His clowny past includes the famed Pickle Family Circus, Children's Fairyland, Prescott Circus Theatre, and Bread and Roses Presents. Past television credits include PBS-KQED, Univision, and the Disney Channel. Derique's Fool La La plays annually at The Marsh with a delightfully different twist each season. When not entertaining audiences as Unique Derique, Lance McGee is a Trauma-Informed Wellness Consultant and Mindfulness Coach providing support to school educators, administrators, staff and students. He also leads workshops on trauma-informed care practices and mindfulness for non-profit organizations, health clinics, colleges and educational systems. 

 

The Marsh is known as “a breeding ground for new performance.” It was launched in 1989 by Founder and Artistic Director Stephanie Weisman, and pre-COVID hosted more than 600 performances of 175 shows across the company's two venues in San Francisco and Berkeley. A leading outlet for solo performers, The Marsh's specialty has been hailed by the San Francisco Chronicle as “solo performances that celebrate the power of storytelling at its simplest and purest.” The East Bay Times named The Marsh one of Bay Area's best intimate theaters, calling it “one of the most thriving solo theaters in the nation. The live theatrical energy is simply irresistible.” Since its launch in April 2020, the theatre's digital platform MarshStream has garnered more than 100,000 viewers. Notable MarshStream moments include the debut of MarshStream International Solo Fest 1 and 2, The Marsh's first-ever digital festivals, and the U.S. premiere of The Invisible Line, a new documentary about one of the world's most famous social experiments gone wrong. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic MarshStream has hosted over 700 live streams, providing some 300 performers a platform to continue developing and producing art. The Marsh offers digital content on MarshStream, as well as in- person performances.

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