Bill W. and Dr. Bob

Bill W. and Dr. Bob is a solid, even night of history. The theatricality, however, is dull (like the staging), and filled with superfluous additions, like an onstage pianist for "mood music" of the 1920s. The script itself has an abundance of too-scripted lines that the hammy leads play for laughs. But the show succeeds in relating the story of two drowning men finding salvation and support in each other and in their faith. While most of the cast rings false in their recitations and recreations of actual events (or the ones that Stephen Bergman and Janet Surrey have taken liberties with), I was very impressed with Marc Carver, who plays all the unnamed men of the show. When Bill W. first meets Dr. Bob, he gives the Reader's Digest version of his first drink. In many ways, I can't help but feel that's what this show presents: a gentle, condensed history that's been edited for content.

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Also blogged by: [Patrick]