Once a month I get drunk and let my theatre nerd run wilder than that guy who wrote Our Town.

I am part of a group of hilarious actors, comedians, improvisors, and puppeteers called Drunk Restoration Comedy.

Generally we take a Restoration comedy and read it on stage while getting shit-face! With a script in one hand and a beer in the other, what might sound like old fuddy-duddy text gets a lot funny. Especially when we mock the rampant sexism and racism of the period!

Despite the name however, we don’t always do plays from the 17th century. Sometimes we adapt wildly popular movies from the 20th century and make them sound like restoration comedies! Last Friday we nerded extra hard with…wait for it…

HARRY THE FIRST,
The Knave Who Hath Liv’d

This Shakespearean adaptation of the first of everyone’s favorite wizarding franchise was such a blast. Host and script adapter Mike Gregorek always makes sure everyone has a blast- actors and audience alike. No one takes themselves too seriously, the alcohol freely flows, and everyone is part of the group at a Drunk Restoration Comedy show. We played ever so many drinking games, starting with “Drink every time there was a chance Warner Brothers© might sue us!.” The audience drank pints of Butter Beer while us poor actors choked down a special dram, “Bertie Botts Shots”- appropriately vile tasting, but festive!

Festive drinks, magical creature puppets, hovering candles, some sweet, sweet broom stick effects, and the most terrifying HE WHO SHALT NOT BE NAM’D New York City has ever seen. My hangover may have subsided, but the nightmares from Robert Price‘s V-morty never will.

Who did I play? McGonagall. Cause I’m a bad ass WITCH! My drunk Scottish accent is subtler than Hagrid meeting the Dursleys for the first time, knowest thee. Our ‘ogwarts ensemble included David Friedlander, Laurel Andersen, Gabe Templin, Maura Lefevre, Chris McIntyre, Lindsey Kelly, Eric Austin, A.J. Cote, Mackenzie Menter, and Paul Mitchell Wilder.

I bet you’re feeling so sad  (sadder than Hermione felt after overhearing Ron say she had no friends) to have missed this awesome, silly, and SOLD OUT night of HP over-age drunken madness. Never fear, there’s no need to go off and cry with trolls, there’s another performance of Harry the First at the end of August! I’m moving so I have to skip it, and I do need thee all to attend in my stead! Come out August 31st at QED Astoria and I promise you’ll laugh more than you would at Cursed Child! Besides, tickets are only $8. For more info on Harry the First and the upcoming Drunk Resto season, visit http://drunkrestoration.com