"The way I see things, life is both sad and funny. I can’t imagine a comical situation that isn’t at the same time also painful. I used to ask myself: What is a humorous situation? Now I ask: What is a sad situation and how can I tell it humorously?" -- Neil Simon

The Gingerbread Lady A Play by Neil Simon

HTG Proposal for Fall ‘05 Production Staff:

Producer: Melissa Mollen

Director: Kenny Fuentes

Stage Manager: Anna Mereport

Sound Designer: Chris Guillory

Lighting Designer: Josh Kaufman

Set Designer: Matt Francis

Set Construction: Dave Sagaser Budget:

Estimated Expenses: Rights- $250 Scripts- $60 UTC Fee- 25% of Estimated Ticket Sales= $500 Theater Fee- $1 per seat per show * 100 seats * 4 shows= $400 Programs- $300 Posters- $100 Tickets- $35 Costumes- $250 Set- $800 Lights- $75 Sound- $50 Emergency- $250

Total Expenses- $3,070

Estimate Income: Ticket Sales- 4 shows * 100 seats/show= 400 seats total- 20% of 400 seats * $5 (in advance) + 80% of 400 seats * $6= $2000 Program Ads- $400 Coffeehouse- $100 Money from F-Board- $1000

Total Income- $3,500

Profit- $430

*Profit estimate at base level and expected to be higher. Numbers based on past proposals and subject to change. Plot Synopsis: After ten weeks of intensive therapy at a rehab clinic, a failed singer named Evy Meara returns to her New York apartment determined to restart and rebuild her life. Everything seems to be going great for her at first, but she slowly (or not so slowly) falls back into her old lifestyle. Her friends and family begin to realize that Evy is not as rehabilitated as they had hoped. Her teenage daughter, Polly, is protected and treated as a child despite her unique grasp on the whole situation. She is forced to take on the role of parent as her mother deteriorates. Her two closest friends, Jimmy and Toby, sincerely attempt to care for Evy but are too caught up in their own dramas (both literally and figuratively) to notice Evy’s unstable mental state. Meanwhile, a musician former lover reappears at this critical period of Evy’s life with the intent of getting back together. The combination of events are too much for Evy who finally one night collapses into her previous self, alienates her family and get beaten by her musician ex. Evy makes amends to all who she had alienated during her breakdown but not without ongoing conflict and drama. Cautiously optimistic, Polly forgives Evy as she has so many times before. Polly and her mother are forced to cope with the fact that Evy will never be completely free from her alcoholism and must continue to fight an uphill battle for both her daughter’s and her own sake. Character Breakdown:

Evy Meara: A former singer who holds the record for number of times falling off the stool during a performance at Pittsburgh Club. She has just returned from ten weeks of rehab with renewed vigor and a determination to get her life back on track and find a stable, normal career. However, she hides her frantic inner struggle with her alcoholism behind a false sense of security and confidence.

Polly Meara: Evy’s sixteen year-old daughter. Polly possesses a maturity and wisdom uncommon amongst most her age. She is treated like a child by everyone but Evy who relies on Polly as her Pillar.

Toby Landau: An aging beauty obsessed with maintaining her sex appeal. Toby is one of Evy’s two closest friends. She is currently in the midst of a dull, childless marriage. She is bored by her husband who uses her as a professional asset but seemingly content. She thinks of Polly as the daughter she never had and sometimes treats her as such. She is sincere in her care of Toby, but often oblivious.

Jimmy Perry: A 40-someting out of work actor and Evy’s stereotypical “Gay Best Friend”. Jimmy is neurotic, self absorbed, irritable but genuinely good at heart. He has been maintaining Evy’s place during her stay in rehab and strives to support Evy and her return to normalcy. However, he has a habit of making situations worse despite his sincerity. He is not entirely out of the closet, but makes no attempt to hide his homosexuality.

Lou Tanner: A struggling musician, down on his luck and looking to get Evy back in his life. He’s a confident skirt chaser who fails at masking his selfishness.

Manuel: The self-assured delivery boy. He takes pride in his status as a hardworking immigrant despite how often people look down on him. Why UTC?

This show will have a fair amount of technical and artistic demands that the Shapiro Theater and UTC are suited for. While the cast is not huge, they will require a fair amount of stage space. Lights in particular are going to be very important for this show as I plan to use them as a visual device in certain scenes. The UTC will also attract a strong pool of talent for auditions that this show requires. Why HTG? When I first began telling people that I wanted to propose “The Gingerbread Lady”, the scene went as follows:

Miscellaneous Non-Freshman Individual: What are you proposing? Me: “The Gingerbread Lady” by Neil Simon (Miscellaneous Non-Freshman Individual gives a smile, a chuckle and a nod) Miscellaneous Non-Freshman Individual: Ah…another Neil Simon play… Me: Eep! When I learned that Neil Simon had become an unofficial standard for HTG for three years in a row before I arrived, I realized that perhaps this might pose a problem. How do I justify proposing “The Different Neil Simon Play” after so many “Different” Neil Simon plays?

I don’t like the idea of trying to justify a show, but luckily “The Gingerbread Lady” needs no more support to convince me that it deserves to go to the stage. When I first read this play, I was struck at the juxtaposition of a comedy that is set around characters living and experiencing such dramatic situations. Alcoholism, physical abuse, and bigotry are clearly not happy subjects. In fact, some would go so far as to say they are bad things. I am one of those people. This distinction makes “The Gingerbread Lady” not just another comedy. There is no Schedenfreude. The laughter is not as a result of the misfortune of others like many comedies. You laugh because the characters cannot. This makes it not just another Neil Simon play. This is a show that walks along the thin line that separates many contrasts while dipping its toes on each side constantly.

This aside, Neil Simon writes wonderful plays. He's more than just a great Jewish playwright, he's a great playwright, period. I feel that "The Gingerbread Lady" is one of his best.