Drunkards, gender-benders and conniving villains will take over
the Gavilan College theater this weekend hoping to provoke cheers,
boos and hisses as they perform
”
The Drunkard! or Down With Demon Drink!
”
Drunkards, gender-benders and conniving villains will take over the Gavilan College theater this weekend hoping to provoke cheers, boos and hisses as they perform “The Drunkard! or Down With Demon Drink!”
An old-fashioned melodrama complete with theme-setting, character piano tunes and vibrant costumes, “The Drunkard” tells the story of the hero, Edward Middleton, who is pretty well off financially since he just inherited his father’s wealth. One day, the villain, Squire Cribbs, lures Edward to have some drinks at the inn, and the intoxicating effects of the alcohol sink in instantaneously. Edward becomes a lush and slowly dwindles into a life of poverty.
“This is basically a story about a man who has everything, loses it all and then through the support of good friends and a loving wife, gains it all back again,” actor Raymond Gerst said.
Gerst plays the role of Edward and said beyond the humorous story line, the message the play portrays is to not to take things in life for granted.
“During the play, you watch Edward lose pretty much everything he has, and in the end you see him just sobbing because he has realized he did it all to himself,” he said.
Squire, played by Cherise Mantia, enjoys wreaking havoc on Edward and all over town. Not only does Squire contribute to Edward’s drunken stupor, but he attempts to have his love interest, Mary Wilson, and her family evicted from their cottage. In the end, Edward’s foster brother William finds out what Squire is up to and, of course, good conquers evil.
“Squire Cribbs is a typical villain,” Mantia said. “He is very charming to everyone’s face but behind the scenes he is causing heartache and turmoil.”
Being a woman and acting as a man, Mantia said, this role has been challenging for her, but the gender-bending aspect of the play adds so much comedy.
“I think it’s one of the funniest parts about it,” she said.
Along with Mantia playing Squire, Ms. Spindle is performed by Andrew Sellen.
Director Jim Cave said he wanted to do something with mass appeal, and even though the play is called “Drunkard,” it is a family-oriented melodrama.
“The play may be called drunkard but the theme is temperance and overcoming alcoholism,” he said. “Edward is good, gets drunk, overcomes it and is good again.”
Although casting performers in drag adds comedy to the show, Cave said his decision to break gender roles also had to do with the experience and performance level of the actors he worked with.
“There are some actors like Cherise who I knew had lots of experience and could handle a role like Squire,” he said. “And I think it makes things more fun and challenging for them.”
One of the reasons Cave chose to direct “Drunkard” was because of its popularity and history. The original production was performed in 1844 at the Boston Museum, and was written to capitalize on the Temperance Movement, which sought to wipe out alcohol use in the United States. After 140 performances there, P.T. Barnum discovered it and brought the show to New York City, where the curtain was raised 150 more times.
“The style is fun and some of the first plays performed in California were melodramas, so I thought it would be a nice genre to perform,” he said.
Performances will be held the following two weekends May 7, 8, 14 and 15, at 8 p.m. at Gavilan College theater. General admission is $8, students and seniors are $7 and children under 12 are $6. For more information, call the box office at 408-846-4973.
Christine Tognetti can be reached at 637-5566, ext. 330 or at [email protected].
