– Here you celebrate in your bathrobe
The “Big Lebowski Night” has been taking place regularly in the Salzhaus for several years. Many people appear in costumes for the film – and play a big drinking game.
Published today at 5:30 am
At the film night, guests appear dressed as characters from “The Big Lebowski”.
Photo: Enzo Lopardo
“Big Lebowski Night” is written on a yellow illuminated sign at the entrance to the Winterthur Salt House. In front of it, people smoke or drink in bathrobes and pajama bottoms. They take the place of the dance enthusiasts who stand in line here on normal weekends. Otherwise, parties or concerts usually take place in the Salzhaus.
Since 2016, an event team at the “Salzi” has been offering a film night approximately every six months, inspired by a similar event at the Kulturhaus Royal in Baden. “The Big Lebowski” is by far the most frequently shown at the Salzhaus – because it is best received by the audience.
In the cult film from the late 90s, Jeff Bridges plays the main character Jeffrey Lebowski, known as “Dude”: an unemployed man who spends most of his time bowling with his friends, smoking joints or drinking White Russians. When he is mistaken for a namesake who is a millionaire and has a girlfriend with a lot of debt, the dude’s usual lifestyle goes a little out of control.
The film is so popular in the USA that there is even a religious organization, the “Church of the Latter-Day Dude,” which glorifies the film character’s lifestyle. In addition, film festivals lasting several days are held in various US cities every year.
In the Salzhaus you can travel in a comparatively moderate manner. Here, the audience and the event team dress up as characters from the film – like with bathrobes or pajama bottoms – the hall is decorated thematically, and the cult film flickers on two screens.
“I think it’s important that a cultural center like ours also offers such cult phenomena a stage and doesn’t just organize parties,” says a man from the event team with sunglasses, long hair and pajama pants. Even if a film night is of course less profitable than the club business.
The event team in full gear.
Photo: Enzo Lopardo
After the first “Big Lebowski Night” received a great response, plans were made to repeat it – and to invest even more in the film night. “For the second time, we sewed and made the elaborate costumes that we are wearing now,” remembers one of the organizers, who is dressed as the millionaire’s daughter.
Sitting next to her in the backstage area are several Jeffrey Lebowski, a Valkyrie, women with bowling pins on their heads and a man in a skin-tight red one-piece. It is said that no other film night in the Salzhaus puts such effort into costumes.
The hall is decorated with armchairs, sofas and a checkerboard pattern carpet.
Photo: Enzo Lopardo
“Four more minutes,” says the millionaire’s daughter, a countdown running on her cell phone. Then Jeffrey Lebowski will drink a White Russian for the first time in the film. At this point the comedy is interrupted and the event team serves the drink made from coffee liqueur, vodka and milk to all those who have bought a ticket including “White Russian Service”.
“White Russian anyone?” is currently on the screen in the hall. Next to the lettering, the main character dances or flies between the spread legs of countless women wearing bowling pin hats.
“Big Lewbowski Night” in the Salzhaus: People go there dressed up, watch the cult film and are served the signature drink White Russian if it is drunk in the film.
Enzo Lopardo
Over the course of the film, the Dude drinks nine White Russians – that means nine times drink service for the audience. “We learned from the first screening that we shouldn’t serve a whole drink every time and that we should mix in milk instead of cream,” says the organizer in a skin-tight red suit. At that time, some people in the audience would have vomited.
The program has now been perfected and the event has become a highlight for the team. “I don’t actually work here anymore, I just come to the film night,” says the man in the red unitard.
“And I’m currently considering staying for an eleventh year just because of moments like this,” says a Lebowski. “We heard that…!” shouts one of his doppelgangers.
At the end there is applause and enthusiastic whistles from the audience.
Photo: Enzo Lopardo
The audience is also enthusiastic after the credits and nine small White Russians with milk instead of cream. That was their first “Big Lebowski Night,” say two men in dressing gowns, one of them rolling a cigarette: “But definitely not the last!”
You probably have to sleep over a hundred nights before the next “Big Lebowski Night”. But at least the current one still resonates a bit. “Experience has shown that the stage and hall will smell of White Russian for another two weeks,” reveals one of the Lebowskis from the event team.
More about culture in Winterthur
Found an error? Report now.
0 comments
2023-10-09 03:31:36
#Big #Lebowski #Winterthur #celebrate #bathrobe
