There’s a fine line between genius and madness. There’s an even finer line between great writers and alcoholism. But when one puts on a play about writing and drinking, throws rambling Christmas trivia, paganism, blow job confessions, and an invented religion called “12” into the mix, the line goes from fine to “wha?” Such is the fate of "Drinking and Writing Vol IV: The 12 Steps of Christmas", a 90-minute self-indulgent rant by two beer-bellied men, (Steve Mosqueda and Phil Ridarelli) who sit on barstools and talk about how much they like beer. And Christmas.
What’s meant to be a heartfelt connection between the holidays, personal anecdote and writers like Kerouac, Carver, Dickens and Dr. Seuss instead comes off as a corny and somewhat pitiable attempt at a history lesson interspersed with hoots and hollers from rambunctious audience members and, of course, a plentiful supply of booze. It was like watching two grown men, at last call, attempt a karaoke version of "Bohemian Rhapsody." Jokes ranged between feeble (“Do you know what a pagan is?” “Someone from California!?”) to downright lame (a lip-synched version of “Mamacita, Donde Esta Santa Claus”). While the history of Christmas traditions like wrapping paper, the origin of the Christmas tree and the pagan rituals of winter solstice were interesting, in the context of a play whose themes are supposed to be drinking and writing, they seemed to be more of a time-filler than anything.
The incoherence and lack of structure of the play turns the subject matter, which has plenty of potential to be funny and thought-provoking, into a kind of rendition of the “Whazzup guys” reciting scripture. Two-thirds of the play was read off of note cards and the other third they didn’t even bother committing to memory, having to keep checking in with each other about whose turn it was to speak. In order to have a slight chance of enjoying this play, it is recommended that you be sufficiently sloshed.
Reviewed by Centerstage!
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