Howdy y’all! I’m the Big Tulsan, and it’s mighty fine to meet ya! My good buddy, Todd, and I have called T-Town home for a very long time. I’ve been around so long I have fond memories of having fun at places like Cimarron Ballroom, the Orpheum and, of course, riding the Wildcat at Bell’s Amusement Park. I’ll never forget fun meals at The Louisiane, Crystal’s Pizza and Utica 21 Club.
My hobbies? Meeting new folks and sharing my memories of Tulsa’s past as well as my thoughts on current happenings around town. Send me your burning questions about anything and everything pertaining to Tulsa. Send your questions to bigtulsan@tulsaflyer.org, and Todd and I will see what kind of fun we can get into by digging into the mail bags and responding to some of our favorite Qs.
Dear Big Tulsan,
Is “The Drunkard” at Spotlight Theater really the longest-running play in America?
– David in Kendall Whittier
Howdy, David!
For many years, I kept hearing “The Drunkard and The Olio” at Spotlight Theatre is the longest-running play in American history, and I decided I better not miss this important piece of our cultural history. It was a Saturday evening when I took my seat in the beer garden setup inside the historic, intimate theater designed by Bruce Goff. For the next few hours, I laughed and I drank a lot of beer while being entertained by dancers, jugglers, magicians, musicians and comedians. We threw tomatoes and time flew by. The next thing I knew we were all singing “God Bless America” before departing for a night on the town.
The fine folks who operate the Spotlight tell me it all started Nov. 14, 1953 and has never stopped in 72 years, making it the longest running performance in the U.S.A. That also means today is “The Drunkard’s” birthday. Cheers!
Now if you go on the World Wide Web and ask the Google what it has to say about the matter, it might claim it’s some show called “The Fantasticks,” but the historical info is sketchy. There isn’t a written record stating it’s been happening every Saturday for 72 years, so we’re saying “The Drunkard” is the easy winner.
I’ve also been told it’s still a popular show, so be sure you get a reservation. And don’t just show up at the door looking to enjoy it. You might be outside the circle glass window looking in.
Your pals,
The Big Tulsan (and Todd)
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