Poolside · After Hours
Midnight
Ricardo
The pool boy no one is allowed to name.
Until midnight. Which, at this pool, is always. Learn the rule before you go.
The Legend
He was here before the pool was.
No one hired him. No one remembers his last name. He tends the water at every event, in a spotless uniform, at an hour that does not change.
Ask a character onstage what time it is and they will not tell you his name. They can't. Nobody can. The staff refer to him only by the hour. Guests learn not to ask twice.
He is called, in the program and nowhere else, ████████. Onstage, the word is never spoken. Not once. Not by anyone with a line.
That job belongs to you.
The Rule
How to play.
One answer, said by the whole house at once. It runs all night — you won't have to hunt for your cue, the show hands it to you.
- A character names a time. Any time. "Half past." "Quarter to." "Is it late?" The trigger is spoken onstage.
- The whole house answers as one, out loud: "It's Midnight Ricardo."
- Then you drink. A sip. A toast. A knowing nod into your glass.
"What time is it?"
"It's Midnight Ricardo."
— take a sip —
Off the Deck
Take it home.
The rule doesn't stay in the theater. It works anywhere, on anyone — like Jinx, or "what's that on your shirt." The bait is a simple question.
- You ask anyone: "What time is it?"
- They answer with the time — "3:15," "quarter past," "almost noon," any format at all. You spring it: "It's Midnight Ricardo." They drink.
- But if they saw it coming and answer "It's Midnight Ricardo" first — they flipped the trap. You drink.
The bait is the question. The trap is the clock. The only escape is knowing the rule.
House Rules
The fine print.
- — It is always midnight. Do not check your phone to argue. You will lose.
- — His name is never said onstage. If you think you heard it, you didn't. Keep it ready.
- — You are not onstage. You may speak it. Loudly. Together.
- — Enthusiasm is mandatory. Alcohol is not. Water, soda, and sparkling anything all count. Pace yourself — it's a long pool party.
The Payoff
Once, he says it too.
All night the line is yours to carry. Then, at the very end — one time only — he opens his mouth and says it with you. In unison. His own name, spoken at last.
It's Midnight Ricardo.
Don't miss it. It only happens once.
Midnight Ricardo tends the water at…
Swimtacular — The Poolside Fever Dream of Denise Dornoch. A new comedy musical about one woman trying to be her whole self in a country-club world gone tribal.
Learn the rule · Bring a glass · It's Midnight Ricardo
