lusy
i see from your profile you're from my hometown.
and i see you're into musical theatre which may mean we have some common acquaintances.
anyway, i think the "hito wo nomu" thing might be different in the case of your proverb. i didn't know that one, but i know the words. mind you "brandy" sounds an old fashioned way to translate "sake" which i would translate as "alcohol".
i think the "hito wo nomu" that comes from the stage is related to "hito wo mikudasu", looking down on people. exactly why i'm not sure, but it seems if you can look down on the people you are performing to you have nothing to fear.
sounds kind of scary. i always tried to look on my audience as friends and that helped me.
maybe you should have three drinks of brandy before your show, and to hell with translations!
break a leg!
william