Drink the Past Dry at Ghostlight Ensemble

The nondescript neighborhood bar in the middle of Chicago looks like every other bar in every other neighborhood in the city. A few regulars sit sipping drinks, making small talk, doing the things people always do in bars. But this bar has a secret. It can take you anywhere in time….

…but only once and only within the walls of the bar, so it turns out not to be as popular a place as one might think.

But there are some souls who still need to reach out to the past — or to the future — and this is where they come when they do.

Their stories include: a young adult searching for a lost family recipe, a street fair attendee looking for an old friend and a woman facing a life and death decision. Traveling to the past isn’t that simple though and they all find more than they bargained for.

Drink the Past Dry was imagined as a site-specific piece of theater and takes place in the upstairs bar at Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro (3905 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60613) on Fridays & Sundays and select Thursdays & Saturdays from May 2 to June 1, 2025. A preview performance is scheduled on Sunday, April 27. The show takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays.

Tickets are on sale now and are pay-what-you-will, with an average donation of $25. Audience members who are financially able to donate more help offset the cost for those who can’t afford to give. A preview performance is scheduled for Sunday, April 27. Suggested donation for that performance is $10.