Belly Up To 'Bill W. and Dr. Bob' at New Repertory Theatre

"Bill W. and Dr. Bob" by Stephen Bergman and Janet Surrey

Directed by Rick Lombardo

Anita Fuchs, Scenic Design

Jane Alois Stein, Costume Design

Daniel Meeker, Lighting Design

Todd C. Gordon, Original music, music arranger, pianist

CAST

Robert Krakovski as Bill Wilson, Patrick Husted as Dr. Bob Smith, Rachel Harker as Lois Wilson, Kathleen Doyle as Anne Smith, Marc Carver as Man, Deanna Dunmyer as Woman

Performances through March 26, 2006 Box Office 617-923-8487 www.newrep.org

The play opens on a stark set with the two protagonists standing downstage, about fifteen feet apart, and they each address the audience. First, we hear, "I'm Bill and I'm an alcoholic," greeted by, "Hi, Bill" in response. Next, the announcement, "I'm Bob and I'm an alcoholic," followed by a similar echo. This clever device creates the feeling that we are all at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting and about to hear the life story of each of these founders of the international organization. That is both the good news and the bad news, for there is much of interest in the tale of how these two men met, got sober, and revolutionized treatment for drunks. However, at just under three hours, the play is simply too long.

One of the key tenets of AA is "keep it simple" and the playwrights would have done well to heed that advice. While it is easy enough to follow the back-stories of Wilson and Smith as they spiral down to their rock bottoms, there are numerous other characters for whom we see only a snapshot of their lives. It is often unclear as to who they are or where they came from to be part of Bill's or Bob's world. In addition, Marc Carver represents all of the men and Deanna Dunmyer plays all of the women, to the point where they are almost indistinguishable.

The crux of the story is that Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith meet by happenstance in Akron, Ohio, in December, 1934, and through their own personal connection figure out that drunks are best helped by talking to other drunks, telling their stories to each other. One of the challenges they face in bringing their message to other drunks is conveying the idea of one day at a time. The play illustrates their repeated failures in persuading others to join them in their untried venture. Perhaps Bergman and Surrey thought the tedium of the task and the frustration felt by Wilson and Smith could be made palpable for the audience by repeatedly showing their failures, but it felt like overkill to me.

Act one is nearly ninety minutes long, but provides a great deal of exposition to make us feel the desperation of these two men and their families. Robert Krakovski and Patrick Husted are both totally believable in the roles of Wilson and Smith respectively, as are Rachel Harker and Kathleen Doyle as the long-suffering wives (and founders of Al-Anon). The second act is almost equal in length, but with much less purpose than the first. There is certainly a good supply of factual information about drunks, and platitudes such as "the only way to keep the gift of sobriety is to pass it on," but there seems to be something missing. This is a most compelling story, but I did not find the play compelling.

The sets slide in and out on tracks so they become recognizable as the Smith's living room, wife Lois Wilson's writing desk, or a sanitarium bed. The play includes twenty-five scenes, so that's a heckuva lot of sliding. Todd C. Gordon's onstage piano accompaniment provides more than a nice distraction, as it is also evocative of the time period (1925, 1934-35).

It is worth noting that there were many representatives of the so-called recovery community on hand for the sold out opening night performance with whom "Bill W. and Dr. Bob" resonated loudly. For the average theatergoer, the outstanding cast and technical aspects of the production, as well as the importance of the AA history make it a worthwhile take. But be prepared for the three "f's" – fatal fanny fatigue!