BILL W. AND DR. BOB Comes to North Shore Center for the Performing Arts

“Bill W. and Dr. Bob,” produced by Theatre 68 and directed by and starring Ronnie Marmo, is returning to the Chicago area – opening Friday, May 30 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts and running through June 8. This critically acclaimed production, written by Samuel Shem and Janet Surrey, portrays the powerful, funny and profoundly inspirational true story of the two founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: New York stockbroker Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, a surgeon from Ohio. Tickets, starting at $69, go on sale tomorrow, Friday, Jan. 31.

“Bill W. and Dr. Bob” captivated both audiences and critics alike during its sold-out 11-week run at the Biograph Theater in Lincoln Park last year.

Ronnie Marmo will be playing the role of Bill W. with Rick Yaconis starring alongside him as Dr. Bob. Katherine Wettermann will play Bill W.’s wife Lois Wilson while Elizabeth Rude will take on the role of Dr. Bob’s wife Anne Smith. Sharing the stage with them are Phil Aman in the role of Man and Marla Seidell as Woman. Understudies include Joe Red (Dr. Bob), Phil Aman (Dr. Bob), Cynthia Suarez (Anne Smith), Sara Copeland (Woman), Joe Bushell (Man), and Janelle Marmo occupying an understudy role for Lois Wilson.

In 1929, famous New York stockbroker Bill Wilson crashes along with the stock market and becomes a hopeless drunk. Dr. Bob Smith, a surgeon from Ohio, has also been an alcoholic for 30 years, often going into the operating room with a hangover. Through an astonishing series of events, the two meet and form a relationship, each helping the other to stay sober. The play tells the remarkable and humorous story of the two men who pioneered Alcoholics Anonymous, as well as the story of their wives, who founded Al Anon.

Artfully illustrating the two men’s journey from the pain and isolation of alcoholism to the hope and inspiration they find in sobriety and helping others, the play originally opened at the New World Stages off-Broadway in New York, to outstanding critical acclaim and has been staged over 350 times in theaters, and at AA conventions and special engagements over the last two decades.

"I first walked through the doors of an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at 17, and I can say without question that it saved my life,” said Marmo. “The story of its founders is nothing short of extraordinary—a profound testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of connection. Their work has touched and healed millions since the 1930s, and it’s an honor to bring their journey to life for Chicago audiences."

Variety called the show “a remarkable story… By sheer dint of intelligent writing, a leavening of humor and the innate power of its biographical storytelling, this play touches its audience.” LA Weekly hailed Marmo’s direction, saying it “sensitively guides the action,” while Backstage West raved "passion is felt in the urgency, honesty, and power of this simple staging.” The production was also described as “an endearing portrait of friendship uplifted by warm humor” by The New Yorker, with the Huffington Post calling it “a reminder that there is power in community.”

Don't Miss a Chicago News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Summer season, discounts & more...