What would you do for love, fame, and wine?
Drinking Habits follows the lives of the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing over two days, when two journalists infiltrate the convent to discover if they are the anonymous and widely acclaimed wine makers that everyone in the area have been talking about. Their presence, along with a new nun makes things tricky as the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing worry about the rumours of Rome sending a spy to potentially shut down the order. Water turning into wine is the least of their worries when love, secrets, and family are at stake.
Drinking Habits Poster. Photo provided.
From the moment they set foot on stage to curtain call, these characters will make you cackle, and have you wonder when winemaking became so funny. The set is simple, and acts as a great anchor for the characters and their chaos. It has multiple doors, allowing entrances and exits from multiple places, keeping the visual aspect of this play dynamic. Being more muted, the set does not distract from the conversations that are happening and enhances the focus towards the actors.
The acting is explosive and most of the characters bring a very physical quality to the stage with running, jumping, and overall being very physically expressive. The characters are witty and quick and get exponentially funnier as the show goes on. Word play is very much in the cards as they go through many synonyms for the words ‘wine’ and ‘alcohol’, each getting funnier than the last.
Photo from Drinking Habits rehearsal. Photo provided.
While there were small technical mishaps throughout the presentation, the quality of the performance and enthusiasm and energy of the performers made up for it and then some. This group of actors has a lovely synergy and the passion they all have for this project is clear in the way they bring their characters to life.
This play is appropriate for all ages, but adults would get the most out of it as the concepts that are explored are generally considered more mature topics, such as winemaking, religion, relationships, etc.
Drinking Habits was at the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Center until May 4th.
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