BILL W. and Dr. BOB

Trying to explain the power of "Bill W. and Dr. Bob" to friends the other night, I knew my enthusiasm was not coming across.  We were at the end of a long talky dinner; what needed to be said required more time.  Or was it that the idea of a play about AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) either piques your interest right away or does not.  The moment I saw the ad for previews, mentioned it to Ron, it was on our calendar.

But will you care?  The acting is very powerful--particularly by the two men playing the founders of AA.  Alcoholism has surrounded my own adult life.  If it has not come into yours, I'm surprised.  So many of us drank too much in 1950s and 60s in New York City.  Me too.  That it never took over probably has more to do with luck than anything else.  Golden-Daze Ginnie is an elderblog where I found a woman my age who lived in the same time in the City.  She wrote about her struggles and her recovery in a way that touched me deeply.  Perhaps she will tell readers of this blog where those posts can be found in her 2006 archives. 

In the mid-seventies, I did not learn much in a one-credit class on substance abuse in my graduate studies in social work.  Too bad: I was living in Baltimore, a very wet town. In my psychotherapy practice women and men often arrived with the struggle of living with an alcoholic parent  or spouse.  Or their own unacknowledged substance abuse. 

By chance again, my consciousenss was raised when Ron connected with two men who were starting a therapy group for "impaired" physicians.  Translation:  alcoholic and drug abusing doctors.  The three of them led the first group organized by Maryland medical society's to require these doctors  to attend.  Finally, through their work and further education, I began to learn what I had missed.  My work with clients took on greater depth.

Chance is how Bill W., trying to stay sober, and Dr. Bob, a falling-down drunk, met.   The playwrights are a married couple--Stephen Bergman, a psychiatrist, Janet Surrey, psychologist, who had worked with many alcoholics.  We were fortunate to attend one of the "talk-back" previews.  Dr. Bergman, after audience questions, said he wanted to know if the work had resonance for those with no connection to substance abuse.  Behind me, a woman immediately spoke up, "Did for me.  I came here tonight knowing nothing about this and really got drawn in."

At the play's website, billwanddrbob.com, there's more about the play, video interviews.  This is an open run which seems to mean that everyone involved is waiting to see how the public responds.  It sold out in Boston; I hope it runs a very long time in New York.

Yesterday a very positive review  appeared in the New York Time.  In her review, Gina Bellafante, points out how successfully the playwrights reveal the struggle that went into the bonding between Bill W and Dr. Bob, and how this interpretation demystifies the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. 

...perhaps even in an unintentional way, [the play] releases Wilson from the trap of hagiography that the culture has kept him in...He is all showman all the time--a very unlikely savior.  But that, perhaps, is the point.

Two notes I'll add.  The live piano often playing in the background works well with the all the set changes.  With few props, the sense of bar, upper class home, hotel--many scene changes-- worked well.   The wives of Bob and Bill come across as both long-suffering and sturdy; these two actresses deserve more notice in reviews along with Marc Carver, an actor who morphs through twelve supporting roles--from hospital doctor to reluctant alcoholic--with ease. 

Comments

[Ginnie]

Naomi: Last June I went to Akron, Ohio for the 71st celebration of AA. It was fascinating to watch a portion of the play that you refer to performed there...at the Seiberling estate, where Dr. Bob and Bill met. It meant so much to all of us there.
I've found that it is very hard to explain alcoholism to a non-alcoholic so I've tried to introduce it quietly in my blog, hoping that it will resonate with those applicable. For those that don't know my blog I am just an ordinary housewife who had no idea she had a problem until my family intervened.
Here are the dates that refer to my alcoholism in my blog:
July 22nd, "Cease Expecting..."
Sept 6th, "Spirituality..."
Sept. 19th "My license plate.."
Sept. 27th, "1963..Dr's orders"
Oct. 7th "It takes many..."
Nov. 6th "Sins of Omission..."
Dec. 2nd "Taking Stock"
Dec. 22nd "An Un-merry ..."
Jan. 9th "In loving..."
Jan 15th, "Surviving Survival.."

[naomi dagen bloom]

Thanks, Ginnie, for sharing your blog posts with readers here. There are some I missed and look forward to reading. -naomi

[maryec]

interesting stuff....a bunch of my in-laws have struggled with alcoholism. but not us. ha. hmmm.

[MotherPie]

THanks for the review. One of my family members caught the ad for this in the program when we went to see Grey Gardens and I might have not taken note had you not written about it and provided the links.

There are more people with problems than we know and unfortunately the stigma keeps walls up. The HBO series on addiction (14 parts) has just started. I've missed the first segments but have heard others talking about it and how the scans of the brain show the biological connections.

[doulicia]

Naomi, if I were in town, I'd love to go to a matinee with you. It sounds great, as does having a long lunch with you afterward. Sadly, I'm in Michigan with no plans to head east (though my spouse and older son will be in the city in a few weeks for a Yankees game!) and will have to settle for your vicarious experience until the show tours.

-d