Dark comedy on the menu in Butler Little Theatre’s ‘Vino Veritas’
A particular bottle of wine unlocks hidden truths among two couples on Halloween night, leading to splashes of dark comedy, but a lot of personal drama in an upcoming play at Butler Little Theatre.
“Vino Veritas” is a 2017 play by David MacGregor, which features a cast of four in a simple living room set on Halloween. While the script has its comedic moments, the director of the Butler Little Theatre production, Katie Moore, said the story is more of an unraveling of personal lives than a laugh-out-loud romp.
“There are moments where you will laugh,” Moore said. “I cannot stress enough that this has very, very adult themes … It is likely to push the limits of people’s belief systems at times — just strong themes.”
The play features two couples — Lauren and Phil, played by Megan Flannery and Ben Roth, respectively; and Claire and Ridley, played by Rachel Frank and Grant Clark. They all meet at Lauren and Phil’s house to prepare for a Halloween party happening later in the evening and break out some alcoholic beverages, including the unusual bottle of wine.
Drinking the wine compels a person to tell the truth, which leads to uncomfortable situations among the characters.
“Everybody has the thing the filter catches. They hold back and know not to say things in company,” Moore said. “The wine totally removes it.”
Although the cast and crew of the show agreed that “Vino Veritas” is a dialogue-heavy play that balances several character relationships, Clark said the basis for the story can be relatable to everyone.
“It’s a lot of people airing dirty laundry and reacting to secrets they didn’t know,” Clark said. “Everyone has quite a range, every character is all over the place.”
Flannery said the characters are all flawed but likable in their own ways, and she enjoys getting to play a role that has different sides.
“I like a meaty role, I like to hit the audience with something,” Flannery said. “I feel like a lot of what my character says is pretty heavy, so there is that balance of being delicate and getting the point across.”
Each of the actors also said there is a shocking moment in the show that they are excited for the audience to see. The “emotional roller coaster” of the show culminates in a big moment that the cast said will probably elicit some gasps.
“It’s a big night and it gets bigger,” Frank said.
“Vino Veritas” shows at Butler Little Theatre at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 19, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27; and at 2:30 p.m. Sept. 21. Moore said the show contains strong language and adult themes that are not appropriate for children.
For more information or to buy tickets, visit butlerlittletheatre.com.
