If religion is the opiate of the masses, then Reilly Steel ’11 is the crack of the American People, as proven in his performance of Drinking in America. The one-man show by Eric Bogosian explores various characters’ reliance on drugs and alcohol as a mechanism for coping with society today. Reilly plays all of the characters, showing off his wide range as an actor in his strong and distinct choices for each character. Through a flurry of white powder he lets us (or forces us) to peer into the heart of America.
The show began with Steel reading from what was allegedly his father’s college journal. As the reading goes on, Reilly was transformed into the character of his father on an acid trip. After being turned down by a “hot” woman, he concluded, “that [he] must be the kind of man that women find irresistible.”
The first skit prepared the audience for an unorthodox form of theory where the lines between actor and character, character and audience and theater and reality blurred into a Technicolor haze.
The next setting was New York City, brought to us by a homeless man swigging deep on Carlo Rossi and spouting delusions of grandeur, not to mention some choice obscenities, at a couple in a Cadillac. Steel encapsul
ated both the sharp charm as well as the ugliness of poverty, deftly avoiding the romanticized happy beggars of, say, My Fair Lady. We feel empathy for this powerless man grasping at the American Dream by drinking himself into oblivion.
Another scene that stood out was that of a mild-mannered middle-aged man also living out his piece of the American Dream. He addressed the audience directly, listing off all the reasons why his life was great. As the list went on, what was a hint of satisfaction turned into devastating discontent with the American Dream. He revealed himself as the myopic little man that he was with comments such as, “I make myself watch [the news] because I know I should. For their sake.” Steel approached us with an uncomfortable view of the life that no doubt many of us will choose.
Steel introduced us to a quiet-spoken heroin addict armed with anger and a rural accent. Though the darkest and quietest of the pieces compiled in Drinking in America, it was also one of the most intense. It was one of the roles that brought Reilly farthest away from himself, but he played it with such faithfulness, and without commentary, so that I was entranced by the story of a man who finds his only peace in heroin.
The heroin addict was eventually replaced by a fire-and-brimstone preacher, who broke the serene high with chilling lines such as, “If you have to take a bottle, fill it up with gasoline, light it on fire, throw it into one of these abortion clinics, then do it.” The simplicity with which Steel played the madness was seductive. Even so, he lacked perhaps all of the gravitas of a real preacher capable of selling any ideology over the radio in 10 minutes. Steel did succeed in giving us access to the language, which made the scene very satiating.
The show concluded with Steel bringing everyone onstage to dance as he emceed a heavy metal concert. As we danced with him, he overdosed and passed out after a dramatic seizure. This ending was a stroke of genius in that it forced us to live in the world he created in the production.
Steel did a masterful job with Drinking in America and has hopefully started a trend of groundbreaking one-man shows. The show was originally slated to go up at 51 Main but scheduling issues prevented it. 51 Main might have actually been a better location because even the Zoo felt a little formal for the material. This production worked because the truthfulness of Steel’s acting style allowed him to present a grim but honest snapshot of America without superfluous social commentary. I was sobered by his skillful portrayal of inebriation.
Reilly Steel ’11 performs one-man show as senior 700 project
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