This playful, irreverent melodrama, a splendid performance of the 2007 Capital Fringe Festival, is a presentation of Solas Nua, the nonprofit dedicated to presenting the contemporary works of Irish artists to better acquaint the District with modern culture of the Emerald Isle. Tom Murphy, the play’s celebrated playwright, has created this modern adaptation to reflect Irish politics of the Land League and tenants rights. As you might imagine, The Drunkard is fraught with Irish stereotypes, but its vernacular wit and vaudevillian roots come together to form a good ol’ fashioned story of justice served.

The Drunkard’s whimsical guitar and fiddle intro hints at the lyrical performance to follow. The narrative follows the playful mishaps, the nightly binges, and the triumphant luck of the lovable hero Edward Kilcullen (Patrick Bussink). It chases Edward through many years, beginning with the news of his father’s death and of his disinheritance of his father’s fortune – real estate holdings in a small, quaint village. He’s down and out, and up ahead, the road does not seem too green. But even with the evil plot of the miserly lawyer McGinty and his taste for brandy working against him, Edward comes out on top.