Derick Snow puts on makeup to become Willie Hammond before a performance of The Drunkard at Tulsa Spotlight Theater in Tulsa on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. This production of The Drunkard and The Olio is the longest continuously running play in the country. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World
Seen at The Drunkard and the Olio. America's longest running production and a piece of Tulsa's history.
Published: 1/27/2013 7:00 AM
Last Modified: 1/25/2013 10:10 AM
The last time I was in the Tulsa Spotlight Theater on a Saturday night was in 2003. The theater was celebrating its 50th anniversary back then.
And the show is still going — much as it has been since 1953.
In the dressing rooms, the actors are getting into costumes and makeup. Richard Robertson grimaces into a mirror as he smears on a thick layer. A retired geologist, he’s been acting in “The Drunkard and the Olio” for 38 years. He counts off all the characters he’s played on his fingers. Tonight he’s Joe Morgan.
Robertson likes working with the people in the cast and says that he has gotten addicted to the applause. He likes the theater. “Its a place where you can do your absolute best and not hold back,” he says.
As the show begins, I read the walls, signed and scribbled on by actors from years past, and watch Jere Uncapher silently mouth the words to the show as the actors recite them just a few feet away.
Jere’s been a part of the show since he was 12 years old. He acted for a while, but these days he’s the stage manager on Saturday and runs the theater the rest of the week.
It’s a sold-out show Saturday night with more than 80 people sitting at neatly arranged tables, cheering the hero and booing the villain.
Backstage, the actors feed off of the energy. It’s a good crowd tonight.
This week, they’ll rehearse again on Wednesday night. Maybe audition a new member before they get started. The show starts all over again on Saturday night, just like it has for years.
Stage Manager Jere Uncapher watches backstage, waiting to lower the curtain during a performance of The Drunkard at Tulsa Spotlight Theater in Tulsa on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. This production of The Drunkard and The Olio is the longest continuously running play in the country. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World
Tulsa Spotlight Theater near 17th and Riverside in Tulsa, houses the longest, continuously running play in the United States. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World
A wig sits backstage in the women's dressing room at Tulsa Spotlight Theater during The Drunkard and The Olio in Tulsa on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World
Larry Stockard stands in his costume as Romaine in The Drunkard at Tulsa's Spotlight Theater on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. This production of The Drunkard and The Olio is the longest continuously running play in the country. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World
Courtney Padgett puts on makeup as she prepares to play Little Mary Morgan in The Drunkard at Tulsa Spotlight Theater in Tulsa on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. This production of The Drunkard and The Olio is the longest continuously running play in the country. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World
Members of the audience sing along to songs before a performance of The Drunkard and The Olio in Tulsa on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World
Servers Jennifer Musick and Jack Harker rent stuffed tomatoes for the audience to throw at the villian during The Drunkard and The Olio in Tulsa on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World
John Hansen greets Sue Wiedemann and other actors backstage at Tulsa Spotlight Theater on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. The actors greet each other with the traditional "break a leg" before another presentation of The Drunkard and The Olio on Saturday night. This production of The Drunkard and The Olio is the longest continuously running play in the country. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World
Britt Wade, John Hansen, Derick Snow and Tom Rowe play Harvey Green, Sample Switchel, Willie Hammond and Simon Slade (from left to right) while Stage Manager Jere Uncapher holds up song lyrics for the audience during a performance of The Drunkard in Tulsa on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World
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John Clanton
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