It has been said that God invented alcohol so humans could get through his birthday party every year. If that’s true, then Oklahoma City Theatre Company’s Alcoholidays has a chance to be the most relatable play of the season.
Written by native Oklahoman husband-and-wife team Melanie Wilderman and Ted Satterfield, Alcoholidays follows Meg and Jacob as the couple hops from requisite party to requisite party, tipping back multiple drinks along the way as they numb the misery that comes with dealing with a frustrating assortment of friends, associates and kin.
It’s the latest home-grown production from OKC Theatre Company and runs through Dec. 20.
Managing director Christine Jolly said Alcoholidays tickets are selling quickly and guests would be well-served to plan ahead.
The production’s opening weekend shows Dec. 4 and 5 sold out the intimate CitySpace Theatre, located inside Civic Center Music Hall at 201 N. Walker Ave.
Love-hate relationships
What can audiences expect? Call it a Yuletide story with a twist, said director Rodney Brazil.“It’s definitely a comedy about the dysfunctions of Christmas, but instead of glossing over them in favor of something nicer, it celebrates them,” Brazil said. “It’s a story about how those dysfunctional things are something that can be appreciated, as well.”
We know the types of people who bring their pathologies to the party, too, he said. Whether it’s prying relatives, overly dramatic friends, drunken managers or people you haven’t seen in years (and for good reason), everyone is familiar with the social minefield any holiday party can be, much less four of them in a row.
“Every single character in the show reminds me of someone I know in real life — either somebody I love, or somebody I love to hate,” Brazil said. “The script really goes into all those personalities that you encounter, the old friends and family, the workplace environment, and [it] deals with how we get through those situations.”
Stripped-down stagecraft
In keeping with OKC Theatre Company’s tradition of tackling scripts that demand stripped-down, New York-style stagecraft where cast members play multiple roles, Alcoholidays features two lead actors — Holly McNatt and Keith Ferguson — and a supporting cast that performs a rotating series of cronies, cousins and colleagues.It’s a challenge, Brazil said, but a fun one.
“The tone of the play has a very sketch comedy feel, but because of the rotating cast, there’s a lot of vibrant colors, costume changes, large personalities,” he said. “After all, every party they go to is somebody’s home, so we move the set around a little bit and it takes us to a new place every time.”
To learn more about the show and OKC Theatre Company, visit okc.theatrecompany.org.
"Print Headline"; Alcohol, tolerance, This couple uses a lot of both to get through Oklahoma City Theatre Company’s comic holiday production.
