Preview
DRINKING IN AMERICA
Sage Theatre
Starring David Trimble
Written by Eric Bogosian
Directed by Kelly Reay
Runs until November 27
Pumphouse Theatres
It’s 1984. New York City. A man takes the stage and performs for 85 minutes. Straight. No chaser. It’s not on the rocks. But it is rock ’n’ roll. At least as much as it can be. Twelve characters. Twelve different stories. And they all share one thing in common – the American Dream. Some of them see it, some of them have it, and others fall victim to it. Some dream – more like an illusion.
Eric Bogosian’s Drinking in America is as powerful as it must have been the first time it was performed 20 years ago. All of these characters are familiar – we’ve been privy to several versions of these hopeful beings for decades, some of them watered down and some of them pretty potent. They all want something more than they have – even if they don’t admit it. And they reflect right back at the audience who is watching them. Have you ever been so drunk that you said something stupid, did something ridiculous, even passed out? Ever judged somebody for doing any of the aforementioned? Welcome to the system! The self-medicating, enabling, numb-the-pain system. And, as Bogosian proves, we’re all a part of it.
Calgary actor David Trimble is excited to be tackling this one-man show for Sage Theatre, citing the writing and its incredible rhythm as a couple of reasons.
"Every actor works in a different way. I’m voice-driven," he says. And so is Bogosian’s piece. "It’s very specific – you go from the Jewish producer to the Baptist priest to the Texas salesman; that’s what I appreciate. It works for me in terms of my process," says Trimble, nailing every accent he has just described with effortless precision.
A standard rehearsal period usually lasts around three weeks, but Trimble and director Kelly Reay began meeting twice a week in mid-August. By the time October hit, the two were discussing the work four times a week before the actual rehearsal process was even supposed to have started.
With so much material to digest, Trimble is glad the process started so early. "Bogosian is emphatic that (his shows) are one-person shows – they are very muscular, very physical. The audience is aware of and taken away by the different stories, but they are also aware of the struggle this actor is going through and their epiphanies."
Given that Drinking in America is a couple of decades old, there are some specific references to people and situations from the time that may not be familiar to everyone today. But, despite the mentions of Ricky Schroder, Harvey Milk and Bernie Getz, Trimble insists that the piece is not dated. "It’s basically saying, ‘Nothing’s changed!’ In 20 years, nothing has changed in terms of the American presence," he says. "Nothing has changed. Twenty years, still the same problems."
In order to have one person tell the stories of 12 different characters, the staging has to be tight and the transitions even tighter. Bogosian knew this and has written seamless conversions that rarely allow the actor or audience a chance to slow down.
"(Bogosian) was trying to present rock ’n’ roll on stage," says Trimble. "It’s a funky way of putting it and I know what he means. It really is a rock show (in terms of) that energy.
"It’s a shared energy," he adds. "You’re playing with the audience directly. And the audience has to care about every single character. If you don’t care about them, you’re going to be disengaged."
The immense range of these characters guarantees that you will not care about them all in the same way, yet they are carefully arranged to ensure maximum saturation, accompanied by a few shots of irony.
"(The monologue) ‘No Problems,’ about a guy who sees himself as having just that, back to back with ‘Godhead,’ about a heroin addict – one’s right after the other to make the point," says Trimble. "The point being, whether you’re a billionaire oil executive or you’re a junkie on the street, we’re all part and parcel of the same problem. Because you can’t have a top without a bottom.
"(Drinking in America) is important because it’s actually theatre that can make a difference," claims Trimble. Even though Bogosian insists that he’s not making a political statement, he gives you enough material to extrapolate one. "It’s something people should see because it’s a little masterpiece. It’s a little Guernica," he says, referring to the great Picasso work, "and it’s only getting better with age. The older this play gets, the more relevant it becomes.
"It is not about drinking in America, it’s about the inebriation of fantasy and power," he concludes, "and that’s the American dilemma." |
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