James Wilson takes a look at Drinking in America from Audible Theater at the Minetta Lane Theatre:
In September 1986, Lily Tomlin took Broadway by storm in The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, Jane Wagner's play that explored, among other topics, women's issues and second-wave feminism in the United States. Nine months earlier, though, Eric Bogosian garnered raves for Drinking in America, his one-person, Off-Broadway show that examined facets of masculinity and what it means to be a man. Taken together, the works offered a portrait of cultural attitudes toward gender at the end of the 20th century. Last year, Search for Signs was revived in a middling production starring Cecily Strong, and now Audible Theater is presenting Drinking in America with Andre Royo. Nearly forty years later, Bogosian's play reveals that while some of the favored intoxicants may have changed, masculinity in general remains as toxic as ever. |
