Mildred Whiskey

by David MacGregor

A dramedy. In a run-down neighborhood bar, four people gather on Thanksgiving Eve, the busiest bar night of the year. However, thanks to a hellacious fog blanketing the city, they are the only ones there. Sue, the divorced bar owner, inherited the place from her father and it's her only connection to her past; Mike, the cook with aspirations of being a great chef, is trying to stabilize himself after a traumatic...

A dramedy. In a run-down neighborhood bar, four people gather on Thanksgiving Eve, the busiest bar night of the year. However, thanks to a hellacious fog blanketing the city, they are the only ones there. Sue, the divorced bar owner, inherited the place from her father and it's her only connection to her past; Mike, the cook with aspirations of being a great chef, is trying to stabilize himself after a traumatic combat experience; Bree, the bartender, is a walking encyclopedia ostracized from their very religious family due to being nonbinary; and Jimmy is an ex-factory worker jettisoned by the corporation to which he had devoted his life once he became expendable. There is an Icelandic word, "huldufólk," which means "hidden people." This is the story of four hidden people who find one another.

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Mildred Whiskey

Recommended by

  • The Depot for New Play Readings: Mildred Whiskey by David MacGregor
    “

    In David MacGregor’s “Mildred Whiskey,” four people gather in an old neighborhood bar on the night before Thanksgiving. Their interactions are fast and funny, like a situation comedy, but as the fog outside thickens and the night wears on, the four tell stories about profound rejections in their lives, and the weight of these memories leads them to ask what makes life worth living. MacGregor’s answer is a deeply humane protest against greed, overweening ambition, and technologies that promise to connect us but don’t. A funny, serious, luminous play with a perfect ending. Highly recommended.

    In David MacGregor’s “Mildred Whiskey,” four people gather in an old neighborhood bar on the night before Thanksgiving. Their interactions are fast and funny, like a situation comedy, but as the fog outside thickens and the night wears on, the four tell stories about profound rejections in their lives, and the weight of these memories leads them to ask what makes life worth living. MacGregor’s answer is a deeply humane protest against greed, overweening ambition, and technologies that promise to connect us but don’t. A funny, serious, luminous play with a perfect ending. Highly recommended.

    ”

Development History

  • Reading, The Purple Rose Theatre Company, 2024