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A CurtainUp Review
Rum and Vodka


Alcohol
Why do you do it?
You ain't gonna do it to me
You give some people a real good time
And you cause some untold misery
-- from "Alcohol" by the 1980s rock group The Specials -- which might have been written for Rum and Vodka.
Celia Farran’s sweet, lilting voice fills the Ohio Theater as you enter its chamber of a space. Her evocative lyrics draw from her "Irish Tales" cd and have the effect of hushing the audience as they settle in for an evening of soul-baring storytelling.

To date, playwright Conor McPherson has devoted more than his fair share of words waxing poetic on drink and cigarettes. In 1999 his spare ghost story of a play, The Weir, received the Olivier Award for Best Play.

As Rum and Vodka, which McPherson wrote at the tender age of 20, is a monologue, casting is key. In Mark Alhadeff, McPherson has found his muse -- a perfect conduit for the material, which unspools more like a Bukowski short story, than an Irish drinking tale.

Our anti-hero holds down an office job in the suburbs of Dublin. He and his mates are fond of their daily routine -- a stopover at the pub after a hard day’s work. But somehow his devotion to drink spirals out of control, and Alhadeff finds himself at work fingered as being drunk. In a blind fury he hurls his MacIntosh through a window, which has the misfortune of crashing through his supervisor’s car. This sets in motion a lost weekend, where he puts away some 52 pints over a three-day period. In the course of this sad sack tale, we hear his backstory. While he courted a childhood sweetheart, he was forced into marrying a one-night stand, on account of her pregnancy. Despite having a responsible job with two kids and a wife, in one short weekend the glue of responsibility to his ad-hoc family, and himself, comes utterly undone.

With a wry wink here and a jot of contrition there, Mark Alhadeff achieves the impossible. He casts a tale of a self-destructive sod, but somehow he is a cad –- likeable, if not redeemable. Alhadeff’s seasoned dialect is hard won; to perfect it he sought out Irish ex-pats in Woodside, Queens to craft his taut, regional speech. The audience is rewarded for his efforts.

Rum and Vodka, a libation which is said to have the "power to wake the dead," is a ghost tale in a tumbler. Rather than a plea for forgiveness, it shows an Everyman enduring a sudden and fatal fall from grace. If you are the mood for a tale well-told, this is hard luck on the rocks, but with a twist.

Rum and Vodkas are available at the makeshift bar for a suggested donation of $3. Conor McPherson’s Dublin Carol will have its New York premiere at the Atlantic Theater next spring.

LINKS TO OTHER REVIEWS OF MCPHERSON PLAYS:
Dublin Carol
The Good Thief
Port Authority
St. Nicholas
This Lime Tree Bower Conor
The Weir (London)
The Weir (NY)

Rum and Vodka

Written by Conor McPherson
Directed by Samuel Buggeln
Cast: Mark Alhadeff
Costume Design: Mattie Ulrich
Vocal/Dialect Coach: Ann Klautsch
Technical Director: Jay Sterkel
Running time: 1 hour 15 minutes, no intermission
Produced by the SOHO THINK TANK at Ohio Theater, 66 Wooster Street, 212 206 1515
Performances Tues-Fri, 8pm; Sat 3 and 8pm; Sun 3pm-- $15
From 10/03/02;-11/03/02 opening 10/07/02. Reviewed by Jerry Weinstein based on October 5, 2002 performance.
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