"Drinking in America" Opens at Henry Ford Community College

By Angie M. Lai

Henry Ford Community College's summer theater production, Eric Bogosian’s Drinking in America, will run weekends Aug. 23-31 in the Adray Auditorium.

According to press notes, Bogosian questions stereotypes by embodying them. He forces us to question our own carefully contrived boundaries when confronted with his fierce portrayals of people on the edges of society, whose inner tirades sound strangely like our own.

Director Mary Bremer has been acting and directing professionally for the past 25 years. She has won several awards from the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News, including "Best Actress" and the Distinguished Career Achievement Award, and the Kennedy Center’s National Irene Ryan Competition award.

For 20 summers she, along with her husband Dr. Arthur Beer, ran the University of Detroit Mercy’s study abroad program in Greece. Together they directed and toured ancient Greek plays (translated into English), which were performed in actual amphitheaters.

Bremer chose this show because she highly admires the work of playwright-actor Bogosian, best known for playing Capt. Danny Ross on NBC's Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

“He depicts life as it is, grit and all. It gives students a fabulous opportunity to hone their craft and stretch their talents. Theater imitates life, and life is made up of the good the bad the ugly. As audience members, we come to analyze, understand and see all sides of every issue," she said.

Bremer also sees a connection between Bogosian and some of her past work.

“Greek tragedy was very brutal. It encompassed incest, violence and betrayal. I feel on a certain level, his work can be compared to those tumultuous Greek dramas.”

Zaina Berri, the production’s stage manager, agrees.

“The production is very gritty, raw and uncensored,” Berri said. “It shows that things are not always positive.”

But, she adds, “There is some optimism, because we end the show on a high note. There is always someone to lean on.”

The student actors have found their work cut out for them.

Josh Neilson plays Jesus, a Hispanic bartender who Neilson describes as “crazy."

To him, the character has proven a challenge because his behavior is “almost bipolar.”

Having to jump into different emotions so quickly is very demanding, Neilson said, but he has learned how much he needs to commit and follow through with those feelings.

Fellow cast member Zach Ross finds the piece to be a welcome challenge.

“In my second monologue, I go from boastful and eccentric to being incredibly angry. Having to play that wide range accurately is very draining. I performed in shows in high school, but it’s very different here at HFCC, where it’s much more professional," he said.

"This is my first show, so I’m just dipping my toe in the water, but I love it.”

The show is centered entirely in and around a bar, which scenic designer Gerry Dzuiblinski decided to create using selective realism. That approach “suggests the locale without filling in the details, which allows the audience to focus more completely on the characters,” Dzuiblinski explained.

The audience is seated in close proximity to the action, contributing to the overall atmosphere.

Drinking in America contains strong language and mature themes. No one under 18 is admitted unless accompanied by an adult. Adray Auditorium is located in the MacKenzie Fine Arts Center on the HFCC campus.

The six performances run Friday through Saturday at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday the first weekend; and Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. the second weekend.

For tickets, visit http://theater.hfcc.edu, or call 313-845-9817.