The Drunkard and The Olio
The Drunkard has been performing for 70+ seasons at Spotlight Theater. These seven decades make it “the longest-running stage production in the history of the United States” — and yet I’d never been! Thankfully, a friend recently joined the rotating cast, giving us even more of a reason to go. Showtimes are Saturday nights, and we finally made it out on Saturday, April 11.
The Drunkard
The Drunkard is essentially a morality play warning against the dangers of alcohol. But while this doesn’t necessarily sound like a lighthearted premise, the play itself is a lot of fun, especially because audience participation is encouraged! The plot revolves around a miller-turned-barkeeper, Simon Slade, and the ruin (/redemption) that his new business venture brings. Will Simon’s young son resist the dangers of alcohol as he starts helping out behind the bar? Will Joe Morgan (the drunkard) ever reform his ways? (And are the hero/villain roles really as defined as they seem to be at first?) You’ll have to watch to find out!
The audience participation comes in mainly when it is time to BOO the villain (Harvey Green) and CHEER for the hero (Willie Hammond). Plus, for just $1, you can rent a cloth tomato to throw at the villain when the time comes. This tomato-throwing bit went on for a few minutes, and the villain had a wonderful time taunting the audience. (Joss actually got called up on stage to help clean up the tomatoes before the third act. They gave him a KitKat in appreciation!) Before the show begins, one of the cast members will walk you through how to boo/cheer, to help everyone get comfortable with this kind of vocal participation.
The script for The Drunkard, as performed at the Spotlight Theater, is in three acts. Richard Mansfield Dickinson adapted this script based off a script originally written in the mid-1800s.
Because The Drunkard performs every weekend, you might well realize that that’s a long-time commitment for potential cast members! But not to worry; the actors (all volunteers) rotate based on their availability. Auditions and rehearsals take place Wednesday evenings, and when they’re ready to take to the stage, actors are able to sign up for their available performances. So even if you see The Drunkard more than once, it will probably be a totally different experience thanks to the rotating cast.
The Olio
This is a talent show portion of the evening, which takes place before the play. On the night we attended, one of the Drunkard actors recited Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss. It was very enjoyable! I hadn’t heard the poem in a while, so it was nice to be reminded that it’s not all “sunshine and rainbows,” but acknowledges that life can be difficult at times. While still being ultimately uplifting.
The other act was a magician. Joss and I both ended up going on stage to help with one of the tricks. (I wasn’t trying to volunteer, but had semi raised my hand to give Joss a thumb’s up when he walked up, and got called on!) The tricks were pretty impressive, in my opinion! And again, the acts switch up, so you’ll never see the exact same Olio twice.
The overall experience
Doors open at 7 p.m., and the play concludes around 10:15. We got home around 10:30. So plan on spending a solid 3+ hours when you go! It’s a whole evening of entertainment! Book your tickets in advance, as they may sell out.
When you arrive, you’ll check in at the box office, and then someone will show you to your seat. Everyone sits at a table, and there is a nice menu to order from as you wait for the show to begin. A couple of volunteers will come to take your order. We ordered a couple of Mood Brus and popcorn (the popcorn was just $2, which was appreciated!). Other options include beer and wine/seltzer, soda, chips, candy, cookies, etc. So you’ll want to eat dinner ahead of time, but being able to snack and sip while there is certainly a nice aspect.
A Master of Ceremonies will welcome you and talk everyone through the evening so they know what to expect. Between Olio acts and The Drunkard acts, there will be audience sing-alongs led by a pianist playing Spotlight’s 100-year-old piano. Bill Rowland, who plays the organ for Circle Cinema’s Second Saturday Silents series, was playing the night we were there. I didn’t know all the songs, but the words are all listed out in the program, so you can figure it out as you go along.
Getting involved
Speaking of the program, it includes quite a bit of history about The Drunkard and the Spotlight Theater, which is interesting to read. It is thanks to this program that I realized that Richard Robertson, who played Simon the barkeep on the night we were there, has actually been performing with The Drunkard since 1973! He also created a lot of set design for Spotlight Children’s Theatre starting in the 1990s.
It definitely seems like a nice community. And if you want to be part of it, simply show up for auditions/rehearsal on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. (Open to ages 13+). You can just watch the first rehearsal to get a feel for things. And they also could use volunteers for back stage or hospitality.
