Maureen Stapleton won Broadway’s Tony Award as Best Actress for the role of Evy Meara, a popular cabaret singer who has hit the skids in Neil Simon’s The Gingerbread Lady. Set in New York City in 1972 after Evy’s short stay in rehab, her best friend, the age-defying Toby, her daughter Polly, and Jimmy Perry, a gay actor, all try to help her adjust to sobriety with a jolly birthday party. Enter Lou Tanner, a former lover, who ends up giving her a black eye. The party is a wash out, the “gingerbread lady” falls off the wagon and hits the ropes once again. With Neil Simon’s characteristic wit and humor, his serious story of lost misfits is genuinely and deeply touching. The play was later rewritten by Neil Simon as the film Only When I Laugh starring Marsha Mason.
There will be a champagne and dessert reception between 7:00-7:30pm for subscribers and members attending the July 15 performance.