The one page program announces A COCKTAIL IS A BEAUTIFUL THING in capital letters. “It transcends its base ingredients to become something new and exciting.” The theatrical event A Cocktail Party Social Experiment is also a beautiful thing. The premise is simple: invite some friends over, pour some drinks and play a game. If the moon is aligned, meaningful conversations will emerge. Happy people will return to their homes invigorated, refreshed and just a little bit more connected to their fellow Earthlings.
Based on a real game he co-created, Wil Petre hosts, essentially, the playing of a game on stage at the Chelsea Music Hall. In his introduction he notes that all you need is a beautiful living room, delicious cocktails, a banging playlist, party guests and his Cocktail Party game. The mission is to “create an analog experience.” Phones down, all. Fair disclosure: we host game nights in our apartment so I’m on board immediately.
Nine chairs are placed on the stage. Each is equipped with a microphone. Our host explains the “procedure.” Each round has a maître d and a guest of honor. That person picks two cards which determine their conversational question. After they finish, a toast. Then that guest becomes the maître d and a new volunteer is selected from those wishing to participate. Everyone else watches and sips away. I enjoyed a drink called the Paper Plane.
Ricardo, the Negroni drinker, came first. Mr. Petre superbly manages a positive tone throughout to foster a safe engagement for all participants. He eases into each conversation lightly with a silly question. Ricardo never eats pizza with a fork and knife. After receiving his cocktail order, the real question is posed. “What is a recent teachable moment you experienced?” Ricardo was recently seeing someone who lived in a negative space and seemed to wallow in sadness by choice. The man seemingly had “an addiction to sadness.” Ricardo shared that he is “not a fixer. I’m too irresponsible.”
Right out of the gate things were funny and lighthearted but also a tad serious yet effortlessly listenable. A follow up question was then asked. “What are you working on for yourself?” Clarity was the answer. The older Ricardo gets the more he wants to keep things simple. “Clarity in speaking,” he adds so people cannot “superimpose unintended meanings to those words.” A toast! The doorbell rings. Enter Beth Champagne.
Beth prefers Seinfeld over Friends. She’s not a bridge burner. There’s a downside, she warns. “People come in that should’ve been out.” Her fellow bubbly enthusiast Erin Champagne from San Francisco pops the cork next. She is asked to “Describe the Beginning.” After gulping down her quaff of choice, thoughtful pearls of wisdom emerge. Everyone came from the Earth to become millions of people. Treat everyone like a friend of a friend. “We all come from the same thing.”
The admittedly “very neurotic” Adam Cider arrives before intermission. He tells a story about a co-worker. “He’s a faucet. I’m a sponge.” A brief intermission to replenish cocktails is followed by the arrival of Ze “One Of The Bourbon Drinks.” “Marriage is hard,” she muses. Why is her current situation her most difficult relationship? “All of the others I knew were not going to last.”
Duruk Tequila & Soda contemplates religion and the afterlife. Olivia Whiskey Rocks discusses an unfortunate date at “The Box.” A staff member of that nightclub happened to be in the audience. A baby boomer squealed for information. Erotica would be the gist. Finally, last guest Aidan arrives and is asked, “What is your revolution?” His answer was “Bernie.”
While that might seem to be an expected response, the fact that we are all listening rather than talking allows a person to add nuance and depth of meaning to the quick quip. Think about this insight: “A generation not talking about politics and religion has created a generation that does not know how to talk about politics and religion.” Aidan believes in the “interchange of ideas; it’s called a society.”
The entire evening was fascinating to watch, endlessly interesting and always enjoyable. How do you know if your cocktail party is successful? When I was putting on my coat, all of the game participants were enthusiastically conversing on stage. People in the audience were coming up to talk to them and with them. The energy level was very high (and not simply fueled by excessive Monday night drinking I should add).
I expect A Cocktail Party Social Experiment will catch on big and fast. The actual game is expected to be produced later this year. In the meantime, grab a seat and volunteer to share. Or, better still, listen. Allow people to talk without constant interruption. Theater should always be a place to share fascinating stories and different perspectives. Nearly every person I know – and those from our game nights especially – would find this experience both intellectually stimulating and extremely entertaining.
A Cocktail Party Social Experiment is currently scheduled for two more performances at Chelsea Music Hall on March 16 and April 13, 2020.
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