The Drunkard and The Scheme of the Driftless Shifter
NEYT is proud to present two Senior Company Melodramas, The Drunkard, or Down With Demon Rum, directed by NEYT founder, Stephen Stearns, and The Scheme of the Driftless Shifter, directed by Nick Bombicino, one of Stephen's first students and an NEYT alumnus.
Melodrama was a hugely popular theatre form in England and the United States in the 19th Century. It is likely that President Abraham Lincoln would have seen some of these. P. T. Barnum, of Barnum and Bailey Circus fame, was a great devotee of the form. The plays were full of songs reinforcing the main themes and feelings of the characters, hence the term "Melo-Drama", and most had to do with the themes of vice and corruption. There was always a nasty villain, a woman or family in distress and a stalwart hero to save the day.
Audiences were coached to boo, hiss and cheer the characters as they strove to either create or conquer dastardly plots. The Drunkard, Ten Nights in a Barroom and East Lynne are three of the most famous American melodramas. Many others were penned to reinforce the moral ideal of temperance when it came to "demon rum". Titles such as The Drunkard's Children, The Drunkard's Doom, The Drunkard's Glass, and fifty more, abounded.
These plays were full of great language and lofty rhetoric, which is all part of the style and the fun. Why say things in a drab manner when you can say them with high-flown style and class? As always, virtue in the end prevailed, for it was a strongly held Victorian belief that evil must, in the end, be punished and virtue rewarded; to write a play that said otherwise was unthinkable. This form of theatre, as popular then as is Saturday Night Live today, represents NEYT's entry point of actor training, where students find huge archetype characters to play, motives are clearly spelled out in asides spoken directly to the audience, and exaggeration is not only tolerated but required. In this style, “hamming it up” is considered wonderful acting. There can be no timid hanging out in the shadows, whispering one's lines. No! Lines must be hurled into the air like firecrackers and the audience must hurl back their responses in a great game of bluff and risk, "don't do it" and "I dare you!"
The plot of The Drunkard revolves around a villain "of the deepest dye," Squire Cribbs, who determines to bring about the ruination of Edward Middleton, a hero with a lesson to learn. In the process he wreaks havoc on dear Mrs. Wilson and her sweet daughter, Mary, the heroine. Will Edward's poor, demented sister, Agnes, ever regain her sanity, and what drove her mad? Can William Dowton, a simple rustic, expose the villain? And will Arden Rencelaw, the wealthy philanthropist, save the day or send the drunkard to prison forever!? The play abounds with humor, but, like Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice," it is a beautifully crafted drama, full of twists and turns, deep yearnings, and the conflict between heart wrenching despair and eternal hope. The Drunkard is for people age six and older; younger children will enjoy the spectacle and action but will not understand much of the language. In the end, the moral is clear: "drink, un-checked, is the sure road to ruin." Come and join in the fun: cheer the heroine, hiss and boo the villain and applaud the good and true!
In The Scheme of the Driftless Shifter, we watch an amateur theatre troupe do its best to entertain the audience with a classic melodrama. The father, Henry Pompington, tries to protect his family and his darling daughters Petunia and Marigold from whatever danger surely lurks outside their small house. When Petunia reveals that she loves the penniless upstart, Victor Strongheart, her father becomes outraged and vows never to allow her to marry. Then Rex Holmes, the dastardly villain, arrives to kidnap Marigold and hold her for ransom. It looks like all hope is lost. Fortunately, all along the way, nothing seems to go right for the actors. The audience will watch them try to save their show amidst forgotten entrances, phantom door knocks, and even a set that falls apart. Throw into the mix an overly anxious director with a stage manager who wants only to work her way onto the stage, and the recipe for disastrous success is complete. Can Victor save the day and redeem himself in Pompington's eyes? Will Holmes succeed and get his ransom? Will Pompington remember his lines? Can ANYONE manage to say "Shiftless Drifter"? Come for a performance full of laughs as these fearless young actors poke fun at the classic melodrama form; in fact, at the art of theatre itself.
Performances of The Drunkard are on Friday July 4 at 12:00 PM, Saturday July 5 at 7:30 PM and Sunday July 6 at 3:00 PM.
Performances of The Scheme of the Driftless Shifter are on Friday July 4 at 3:00 PM, Saturday July 5 at 11:00 AM and Sunday July 6 at 7:30 PM.
All tickets are $7.00