5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche
Written by Andrew Hobgood and Evan Linder
Directed by Sarah Gitenstein
at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division (map)
thru June 8 | tickets: $35 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
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Delightful cast, slick staging make for deliciously campy ‘Quiche’
The New Colony i/a/w Chicago Commercial Collective presents
5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche
Review by Oliver Sava
I missed the annual quiche breakfast of the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein when it first took Chicago by storm in 2011, and after a sold-out engagement at the 2012 New York International Film Festival (where it won "Best Overall Production") and a run Off-Broadway, expectations were high for my first campy quiche experience. The basement of the Chopin Theatre is the perfect venue for this show, and the homey, antique-decorated lobby begins the time warp that ends when the audience members take their seats at the 1956 annual meeting of, uh, "widows."
These five actresses are clearly having a great time on stage and that creates an engaging experience for the viewer, but they also have a sharp understanding of the beats in the script to keep the momentum moving quickly through the show’s 65-minute running time. I’m not going to spoil much because so much of the fun comes from having no idea what is going to happen next, but the actresses have become so accustomed to those twists and lean into those sharps turns so heavily that it becomes a bona fide thrill ride in the second half.
The quiche isn’t as important as the egg in Andrew Hobgood and Evan Linder‘s script, which explores different aspects of femininity through baked fluffy yellow goodness. The egg is something sexual, it’s something emotional, it’s something spiritual, a physical representation of the bond that all women share and the reason these sisters gather once a year to stuff their faces. The five Joan Cleaver-styled lesbians in charge of the proceedings haven’t yet come to terms with their sexual orientation in the conservative 1950s, but horrific circumstances give them the freedom to embrace what they truly are.
If you can’t tell from the title, this show is pure camp, but there’s a wonderful balance of brash, exaggerated comedy and more substantial social commentary. The writers tackle topics ranging from sexual repression to Cold War nuclear anxiety in their script, drawing connections between the political tension of the era and the sexual liberation of women who could be facing the end of the world.
Vern (Thea Lux) is the major source of paranoia in this group, rigging the sisters’ meeting room to be a fallout shelter in case of nuclear attack, and Lux plays the character with a stern certainty of doom that is a hilarious contrast to her more peppy companions. Wren (Elise Mayfield) and Dale (Kate Carson-Groner) are the most effervescent of the group, but Dale’s perky energy hides a tragic childhood secret that she reveals in a monolog late in the play. Caitlin Chuckta’s young, eager Ginny gets one of the best laughs of the play when she finally gets her chance to taste the illustrious Prize Quiche, and the cast is rounded out by Rachel Farmer’s Lulie, the group’s aggressive Southern belle leader who has an eggy secret of her own.
With a delightful cast, layered script, and slick staging from Sarah Gitenstein, 5 Lesbians Eating A Quiche exceeds expectations. Anyone that missed this show the first time around should take advantage of this new opportunity to join the fun, because this annual meeting of the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein is probably the last one for the foreseeable future.
Rating: ★★★½
5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche continues through June 8th at Chopin Theatre, 1543 W. Division (map), with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 7:30pm, Sundays 2pm. Tickets are $35, and are available by phone (773-404-7336) or online through Vendini.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at 5LesbiansEatingAQuiche.com. (Running time: 65 minutes, no intermission)
Photos by Michael Courier
artists
cast
Caitlin Chuckta (Ginny), Rachel Farmer (Lulie), Kate Carson-Groner (Dale), Megan Johns, Elise Mayfield (Wren), Thea Luxe (Vern), Christina Boucher, Ashley Rountree (understudies)
behind the scenes
Sarah Gitenstein (director), Brian Loevner, Aurélia F. Cohen, John Arthur Pinckard (executive producers), Keaton Wooden (producer, general manager), Majel Cuza (production manager), Will Rogers, Adam Lord (company managers), Jenniffer J. Thusing (stage manager), Smyra Yawn (asst. stage manager), Joe Schermoly (scenic design), John Kelly (lighting design), Stephen Ptacek (sound design), Nathan R. Rohrer (costume design), Jesse Gaffney (props design), Michael Courier (photos)
14-0515
