Subject of alcoholism stirs audience response
ValleyNews.com
Contributed by: Judith King on 9/6/2007
Something peculiar has been happening to Granada Hills resident Linda L. Rand, who currently plays an alcoholic in Neil Simon's The Gingerbread Lady; she is amazed by the stream of people who come up to her after the show who are either alcoholics themselves or those who have survived (not without considerable damage) a dysfunctional alcoholic household.
It seems that her portrayal is so real that they relate to her on a totally unexpected and deeply personal level.
"When a recovering alcoholic approaches you after a performance and thanks you profusely for how you portrayed a character struggling with the same addiction...rather than puffing up your actor's ego, it gives you an important lesson in humanity," says Rand.
The reactions she has been experiencing happen every weekend after a performance at the Sierra Madre Playhouse, where she plays the role of Evy Meara, a fading cabaret singer and recovering alcoholic who is just out of rehab and trying desperately to cope.
"Mostly what we wanted to achieve with this production," says Rand, "was to bring to light the devastation alcoholism inflicts on everyone involved with alcoholics. What we didn't anticipate was how personally and profoundly our audience members would be affected."
Rand co-directs The Gingerbread Lady with Melanie Ewbank.
From personal experience in a family riddled with alcoholism, Rand totally comprehends the complexities, the nuances, and fragility of a character so wrenched by addiction, self loathing, and inner turmoil. She has taken an unhappy personal history and turned it to her advantage. "The character of Evy Meara," she says, "is a compilation of my mother, my aunt, and my grandmother, with a little bit of me (the performer) woven in."
The play has had a variety of effects on audience members. One woman who grew up in an alcoholic household said that the play had "released a flood of emotions" she'd been storing for years. She went back to therapy, where she's been making, in her words, "fantastic progress."
Another playgoer thanked Rand for showing the alcoholic's side of the story, along with the effects it has on family and friends. "None of the cast members can take credit for that," says Rand. "Neil Simon's brilliant words were there...all we had to do was interpret them.
"So far, we've been incredibly touched by the audience's reaction. It's almost better than getting a Tony!"
The play runs through September 22, 2007. For tickets or more information, call 626-256-3809 or visit www.sierramadreplayhouse.org.
About Linda L. Rand
Linda L. Rand is a veteran actor, award-winning playwright, and director. In addition to her current run in The Gingerbread Lady,Rand can be seen in the recurring lead role of Dr. Judy Wolfe in The Learning Channel's Diagnosis X, airing Wednesdays at 10:00 PM (PT/ET).
