Lennon And Thatcher Mix It Up In The U.S. Premiere Of WHISKEY & SODA At The Off-Central Players

Imagine if two of Great Britain's most potent minds should come together? In Whiskey & Soda, playwright Ben Randall pits beloved ex-Beatle John Lennon against Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Sparks fly, wits are matched, laughs exchanged, and life lessons learned, some with repercussions that might well be felt across the universe.

The Off-Central Players begin the new year with the United States premiere of Whiskey & Soda Feb. 1-11, directed by Mike Nower.

It's December 17, 1979, at the British embassy in Washington, D.C. That evening, the newly-elected Thatcher (Sara Nower) is to deliver a speech – her first in America – at the White House, in the presence of President Jimmy Carter.

At her behest Lennon (Cody Farkas) has come for a private afternoon meeting. Lennon, who because of immigration issues with the U.S. government hasn't been back to his homeland in nearly a decade, is asked if he would like to return to England … and the Iron Lady has a plan for making it happen.

The PM and the cultural icon are diametrical opposites, but as they get to know each other – through fevered discussions that encompass the political, the professional and the personal – a grudging understanding develops.

The combination of her steely reserve and his cocky irreverence, both fueled by mutual respect (and a steady stream of drinks from the embassy bar), leads to an explosive – and unexpected - conclusion.

The U.K.'s Hastings Independent called Whiskey & Soda “a taut yet expertly crafted weave of humor and gravitas,” and praised playwright Randall: “The pure intelligence needed to write such a multi-layered piece which is based on such an unlikely, almost absurd, premise is inestimable.”

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