Out There :: Hotel California

Writer, performer, and storyteller Don Reed is a Bay Area treasure, a comic genius who over the years has mined his life story for a series of very entertaining one-man shows. He's brought his solo hit "The Kipling Hotel: The 80s" back to The Marsh Berkeley, where it's been extended through Oct. 22 due to popular demand.

Reed grew up on East 14th St. in Oakland, the son of a pimp, and has told many stories of his unusual upbringing. But the "Kipling Hotel" part of his straight coming-of-age saga mostly concerns his misadventures in 1980s Los Angeles, where he moves as a young go-getter after he is awarded a partial scholarship to UCLA. "Partial scholarship," he tells us, "roughly translates to, 'not enough fucking money.'"

We follow Reed through his various attempts to make a living in the shadow of the Hollywood dream factory. In one unforgettable sequence, he tries out to join a performing troupe of male strippers. He shows up to the audition sporting a Jheri-curl perm, gallons of baby oil, and a revealing purple G-string. He's not sure he likes the stage name he's given - "Little Chocolate " - but he does get the callback. By that time, however, he's taken a job serving breakfast to the residents at the Kipling Hotel, a retirement home set in a somewhat sleazy slice of LA. His recompense includes room - the size, he tells us, of a baby's cradle - and board.

Most of the fun of Reed's relating his self-deprecating but spirited story comes from his vivid characterizations of his fellow employees, managers and the tenants of the Kipling Hotel. He shows a touching regard for the hotel's elderly residents, crotchety and challenging as they may be. In a few deft gestures, vocals and postures, he's able to bring characters of every age, gender, and race to life. He can do criminal, he can do earnest do-gooder. He can do mentally challenged with no condescension. It's a pleasure to see the human comedy come alive in his confident caricatures.

Then there's Reed's amazing capacity to create eerily convincing sound effects, and his lively little dance routines. As the immortal entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. tells him in an anecdote he relates from his early career, Don Reed definitely has the chops. Don't miss this opportunity to catch up with a piquant part of his back story.

Plays Sat. at 5 p.m., Sun. at 5:30 p.m. through Sept. 30; times then change to 8:30 p.m. Sat., 5:30 p.m. Sun. for the remainder of the run (Oct. 7-22). The Marsh Berkeley, 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. Tickets ($20-$35 sliding scale, $55-$100 reserved): (415) 282-3055, or themarsh.org