The Gingerbread Lady
Encyclopedia
The Gingerbread Lady is a 1970 play by Neil Simon
, written specifically for actress Maureen Stapleton
, who won both the Tony Award
and Drama Desk Award
for her performance.
A major departure from Simon's previous lighthearted romps, The Gingerbread Lady was a dark drama with comic overtones centering on Evy Meara, a cabaret
singer whose career, marriage, and health all have been destroyed by alcohol. Having just completed a ten-week stint in a rehab
facility to overcome her addiction
, she returns home to the welcome of friends with their own problems - an overly vain woman who fears the loss of her looks and a homosexual actor in danger of losing a part in a play - her devoted but anxious teenaged daughter, and a worthless ex-lover. Evy's efforts at hosting a party crumble when she falls off the wagon and careens toward a tragic end.
After twelve previews, the Broadway
production - directed by Robert Moore
- opened on December 13, 1970 at the Plymouth Theatre, where it ran for 193 performances. It proved to be one of Simon's least successful plays on Broadway, although it frequently is performed in summer stock and by community theater groups.
In 1981
, Simon adapted his play for the screen under the title Only When I Laugh
, with his then-wife Marsha Mason
in the lead role. His reworking of his original script transformed it into a comedy with dramatic overtones, and the film was a critical and commercial success nominated for three Academy Awards
.
Neil Simon
Neil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
, written specifically for actress Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton was an American actress in film, theater and television.-Early life:Stapleton was born Lois Maureen Stapleton in Troy, New York, the daughter of Irene and John P. Stapleton, and grew up in a strict Irish American Catholic family...
, who won both the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
and Drama Desk Award
Drama Desk Award
The Drama Desk Awards, which are given annually in a number of categories, are the only major New York theater honors for which productions on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway compete against each other in the same category...
for her performance.
A major departure from Simon's previous lighthearted romps, The Gingerbread Lady was a dark drama with comic overtones centering on Evy Meara, a cabaret
Cabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
singer whose career, marriage, and health all have been destroyed by alcohol. Having just completed a ten-week stint in a rehab
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
facility to overcome her addiction
Substance dependence
The section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
, she returns home to the welcome of friends with their own problems - an overly vain woman who fears the loss of her looks and a homosexual actor in danger of losing a part in a play - her devoted but anxious teenaged daughter, and a worthless ex-lover. Evy's efforts at hosting a party crumble when she falls off the wagon and careens toward a tragic end.
After twelve previews, the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production - directed by Robert Moore
Robert Moore (director)
Robert Moore was an American stage, film and television director.-Biography:Born in Detroit, Michigan, Moore is best known for his direction of the ground-breaking play The Boys in the Band, his Broadway productions , and his collaborations - three plays and three films - with Neil Simon,...
- opened on December 13, 1970 at the Plymouth Theatre, where it ran for 193 performances. It proved to be one of Simon's least successful plays on Broadway, although it frequently is performed in summer stock and by community theater groups.
In 1981
1981 in film
-Events:*January 19 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer acquires beleaguered concurrent United Artists. UA was humiliated by the astronomical losses on the $40,000,000 movie Heaven's Gate, a major factor in the decision of owner Transamerica to sell it....
, Simon adapted his play for the screen under the title Only When I Laugh
Only When I Laugh (film)
Only When I Laugh is a 1981 film based on Neil Simon's play The Gingerbread Lady.The story is about an alcoholic Broadway actress who tries to stay sober while dealing with the problems of her teenaged daughter and her friends: an overly vain woman who fears the loss of her looks and a gay actor...
, with his then-wife Marsha Mason
Marsha Mason
Marsha Mason is an American actress and television director.She received four Academy Award nominations as Best Actress for her performances in Cinderella Liberty, The Goodbye Girl, Chapter Two, and Only When I Laugh. She is also known for starring in the 1986 film Heartbreak Ridge.-Life:Mason was...
in the lead role. His reworking of his original script transformed it into a comedy with dramatic overtones, and the film was a critical and commercial success nominated for three Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
.