Reviewed by Judy Richter
I don't have any solid
statistics, but I'm sure that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives
have been saved by Alcoholics Anonymous. Probably many more nonalcoholics have
found solace in Al-Anon, a support group for people involved with alcoholics.
The two organizations' influence spreads even wider into groups using AA's
principles to help people with other addictions such as narcotics and gambling.
"Bill
W. and Dr. Bob"
tells how AA was started by two seemingly hopeless alcoholics who found each
other and a way to achieve sobriety. Married couple Samuel Shem (pen name for Stephen Bergman) and Janet Surrey relate the men's story in a
two-act play being given its West Coast premiere by San Jose Repertory
Theatre.
The
story is set mainly in the Depression and focuses on Bill Wilson (Ray
Chambers), a
former New York-based stockbroker whose reputation and finances were ruined by
his drinking, and Dr. Bob Smith (Robert Sicular), an Akron, Ohio, physician with
a serious drinking problem.
Thanks
to a friend who had become sober through his involvement in a Christian
organization known as the Oxford Group, Bill stopped drinking. However, when
confronted with bad luck while on a business trip to Akron, he was sorely
tempted to drink. Instead he made some calls in search of another drunk to talk
to. As luck would have it, he was introduced to Bob, who was intrigued by what
he had to say.The two of them then set out to help other drunks and ultimately
founded AA. In the meantime, their long-suffering wives, Lois Wilson (Carrie
Paff) and Anne
Smith (Kandis Chappell) formed a support group of their own -- a group that evolved into
Al-Anon.
Director
Richard Seer skillfully
paces the action as it moves between the two couples and various experiences.
The people they encounter along the way are all definitively portrayed by Cindy
Goldfield and Mike
Ryan.
It's
an interesting story told in an engrossing, theatrical manner thanks to the
play itself, as well as the director and outstanding cast. Perhaps the main
question in this story is why the two wives chose to remain with their
husbands, who were clearly on downward spirals. One can only surmise that these
women loved the sober men they had known and that divorce was not an easy
option in those times. They also might have been unknowingly serving as
co-dependents.
The
dominant element in Robin Sanford Roberts' scenic design is a long wall of shelves filled
with liquor bottles of all shapes and sizes and backlit as part of Trevor
Norton's
lighting design. Costumes by Cathleen Edwards reflect the era, while Paul
Peterson's sound
design is unobtrusive.
Besides
some background in the program, San Jose Rep provides fascinating in-depth
information in a study guide available in the lobby. One can only wonder if it
might be read by someone who will be influenced to seek help through AA or
Al-Anon. If so, then the guide and the play go far beyond providing just
thought-provoking entertainment and information.