"Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche"

"Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche"

Playwrights:  Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood

Venue:  Wesley Chapel, 1290 Folsom St., Boulder

Produced by:  Square Product Theatre Company

Date of Performance:  Friday, April 6, 2012

If there were a prize for the most interesting title of a play, I'd nominate "Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche."  Try to get THAT image out of your head.  So here's some inside information for the curious:  five lesbians eating a quiche.  That's what this play is about.  You will get to see precisely what the title promises.  And you will be engaged, entertained, and impressed with those five southern belles when they get together in 1956 for their annual quiche breakfast.  

It's the annual meeting of the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein, and there are 50 quiches entered into the contest for "Quiche of the Year."  All are perfect variations on the perfect food (the egg), and all are meatless.  If this sounds like fun, you're right.  It's knee slapping, belly laughing, eye rolling fun from start to finish.  

The Wesley Chapel is not really a "theater," and the space is very limited.  The audience is virtually on stage with the actors.  To her credit, Rebecca Easton's direction makes the maximum use of the limited space.  She makes the audience feel like part of the performance.  And in a way, the audience IS part of the performance, if only by being inches away from the performers at times.  I sat in the first row at this performance, and I could smell the delicious aroma of the prize winning quiche.  Whoever bakes the quiche for the show should be listed in the program credits.  Add some slices to the concessions and give "bake sale" a whole new meaning.   I know I would have bought a slice, as I enjoy a good quiche as well as the next guy...or gal. 

And the five thespians/lesbians?  All talented actresses who play it over the top from start to finish.  This is a show where "overacting" may be a requirement, not a detriment.  While all the performances are delightful, Emily K. Harrison ("Dale") stands out as the lesbian martyr.  Lori Lee Wallace ("Ginny") literally "takes the cake."  Or should I say "takes the quiche?"  Her enthusiasm for prize winning breakfast food is titillating.

The Square Product Theatre Company asks little of its audience.  If you come to the show with an open mind and a sense of humor, you will be entertained.  In fact, you may not have laughed this hard in a very long time.  But they do ask the audience not to divulge specifics about the show, so that others may fully enjoy it.  So, no spoilers here.  But if you're looking for a rollicking good time, get some tickets for you and your boyfriend, or girlfriend, or both. "Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche" will not disappoint you or your date(s).

NOTE:  This is not a family show.  It includes adult themes and adult language.  

This show runs through April 28, 2012.

Director:  Rebecca Easton

Cast: Joan Bruemmer, Emily K. Harrison, Laurie Lynch, Michelle Moore and Lori Lee Wallace