Sloan Brettholtz has returned to Brooklyn Art Haus for a rerun of their iconic cult comedy play Officer Scott, and two performances remain on the calendar this July. It is a spectacle you will not want to miss. The hilarious sketch, expanded into a fully realized solo production and accompanied by three equally playful supporting actors, is an absolute gag you can’t help but grin and laugh along with. The product is designed to foster audience participation and pull the crowd directly into its orbit, and Brettholtz embraces that mission wholeheartedly. If you’re looking for a little levity in a city built on beautiful chaos, gather some friends and settle into a seat at Brooklyn Art Haus this July for the final showings of Officer Scott – and while it may not be Broadway, it’s every bit as intentional, and some of Brooklyn’s most memorable stories bloom in its hidden corners.
The evening opens with our teachers standing onstage, welcoming the students – or, more accurately, the audience – to a D.A.R.E. presentation spearheaded by none other than the infectiously enthusiastic NYPD officer, Officer Scott. From the outset, the crowd becomes woven into the fabric of the story, cast as fourth graders participating in the assembly, and the simple act of being staged as children invites our inner mischief to reawaken. The script actively encourages crowd commentary, and the contagious wit radiating from the cast inspires participants to volley jokes right back. Before long, the room feels less like a theater and more like an adolescent classroom spiraling delightfully off the rails.
Officer Scott barrels onto the stage and immediately requests a teacher volunteer to assist with the presentation. A member of the audience is chosen, and if you’re hoping to truly surrender yourself to the experience, I highly recommend planting yourself front and center – who knows, you may genuinely fall in love with Officer Scott for a night and an hour. From the moment Officer Scott locks eyes with his teacher companion, he becomes completely infatuated, and slowly his aspirations begin to unravel before us: a sanctioned partner, recognition, and respect from the institution he’s devoted his life to. The teacher volunteer becomes a crucial thread in the evening’s tapestry, but it’s far better experienced than spoiled. Take a front-row seat and allow yourself to become a character rather than a spectator.
If there is one thing that goes without question, Sloan Brettholtz inhabits Officer Scott with such conviction that it feels less like acting and more like possession. Every detail, from the vocal inflections to the physical mannerisms, lands with uncanny precision. You’re not merely watching a performance unfold; you’re suddenly transported back to fluorescent-lit classrooms, trapped in a presentation you probably once yawned through as a child, only this time you’re doubled over laughing from beginning to end. The nostalgia is immediate, but the comedy sharpens it into something entirely new.
And that’s where the story takes a turn, because of course, this isn’t your average D.A.R.E. presentation – not when Officer Scott is running the curriculum. Rather than simply explaining the effects of drugs, Officer Scott decides to demonstrate them firsthand, and that’s when the plot begins to spiral into wonderfully absurd territory. Suddenly, Officer Scott is visited by hallucinations of Jesus, his late mother, and the original cast recording of A Chorus Line. While these moments arrive wrapped in comedy, they slowly expose the deeper insecurities lurking beneath the surface: what life might look like if Officer Scott allowed himself to believe he deserved love in the first place.
The story pivots once more when Officer Scott receives a call from his commander to save a life. It is in this moment that the audience uncovers the purpose and conviction driving him forward, and when he arrives at the building, dangling from a ladder suspended beneath a helicopter – a feat somehow executed flawlessly despite the intimate scale of a tucked-away Brooklyn theater – Sloan Brettholyz delivers a monologue that becomes the emotional heartbeat of the production. For a play advertised as a comedy, it arrives as a surprisingly tender moment of introspection, and its sincerity is precisely what allows it to resonate.
By the end of the play, Officer Scott discovers a sense of identity separate from the uniform he hides behind, and the revelation lands with genuine empowerment. The production concludes with a jubilant dance-party sing-along that welcomes the entire cast back to the stage for one final burst of adrenaline. It’s the perfect curtain call for a production built from chaos but rooted in something far more meaningful: finding unity through individuality.
And of course, I cannot overlook the supporting actors. While Officer Scott is primarily a solo vehicle, Sloan Brettholyz found three collaborators who understood the assignment impeccably and threw themselves into it without hesitation. Their contributions inject even more color and personality into the evening, and their confidence radiates through every scene. The chemistry between the cast members transforms already funny moments into something even more memorable.
It goes without saying, but if you’re searching for a quirky night in Brooklyn, Officer Scott extends a hand and invites you to disappear for just over an hour into a world that is hilarious, absurd, heartfelt, and surprisingly resonant. Tickets are still available for the final performances this July – and trust me, this is one invitation you won’t want to pass up!