He Wants to Run

Written & Performed by David Kleinberg

Tuesday, Apr 7, 2020 at 7:30 pm
San Francisco Main Stage

Tickets $15 at the door (cash only)
$17 online or CC at the door
Reserved $55 | $100

David Kleinberg’s latest solo theater work – “He Wants to Run” – is the story of a guy who hates running and dogs, and how he ends up running with his neighbor’s dog Butler for 13 years in rural California, and what Butler teaches David about living and dying.

When David and his wife bought a vacation home along the Russian River, David — a life-long basketball player, having no ball game around — was forced to do something HE ABSOLUTELY HATED! Running in the country by himself. Then the neighbor’s dog started following him. David told the dog repeatedly, “Go home.” He tried to talk with the dog’s owner. But Butler wouldn’t quit following David. So David just gave up, and they ran together for 13 years. In the end, it’s a beautiful meditation about living and dying as told through the story of a man running with a dog. David wants to thank his great director Mark Kenward, the Marsh’s David Ford for development, and Rebecca Fisher and Charlie Varon for guidance and moral support. And special thanks to Marsh artistic director Stephanie Weisman for creating the space for solo performers to develop and perform their works over the last 30 years. Oh, yes, at one point in “He Wants to Run,” David says to Butler, “Hey, Butler, we’ve been running for 10 years and there’s not one picture of us.” And Butler gives a look that seems to say, “Dave, this relationship has never been about Instagram!”

Artist Biography

This is David’s fourth solo show following a 34-year editing/writing career at the San Francisco Chronicle, the last 14 years as editor of the paper’s Sunday Datebook. His last two shows dealt with the Vietnam war — “Hey, Hey, LBJ!” charted David’s duty as an army combat correspondent in Vietnam in 1966. And his last work — “Return to the Scene of the Crime” — followed David’s return to Vietnam for the first time in 50 years to visit where his buddies died and try to perform “LBJ!” under threat of arrest from the communist government. Before turning to theater, David spent 10 years as a stand-up comedian, and worked with Robin Williams, “Saturday Night Live’s” Dana Carvey and “Curb Your Enthusiasm’s” Richard Lewis. David is also a native of San Francisco and still lives in the city.

Tickets $15 at the door (cash only)
$17 online or CC at the door
Reserved $55 | $100
SF Main Stage