Mish Mash Media Productions are bringing back the award-wining Off-Broadway comedy ‘5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche’ to Cape Town, this time to Artscape. Directed by Robert Shenton, the play will run from 19 – 23 February 2019 at Artscape Arena, followed by a second run from 27 February – 9 March 2019 at The Galloway Theatre.
The play is set in 1950’s middle America in a community centre where the ladies of the Susan B Anthony Society for the Sister of Gertrude Stein are gathering for their annual quiche breakfast. A satire on the melodramatic fears of America during the cold war, all hell breaks loose when the women are under attack. What follows is a hilarious journey of self-discovery as secrets are revealed and relationships are tested all while protecting the coveted quiche.
The five ladies include Lulie (played by Regina R. Malan) who is the President of the society and takes her position of leadership very seriously, Wren ( played by Nurit Graff, who will be joining the cast this time round) the naïve bubbly events chairwomen, Vern ( played by Imke Du Toit) the community centre’s grounds women who loves a good-fitted pant suit, Ginny (played by Jessica Stanley) the neurotic UK foreigner who is new to the group and has to endure her fair share of hazing, and Dale (played by Lee van der Merwe), the young historian with a fear of men and water.
Written by Chicago playwrights Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood, 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche, grew from being punchline at a late-night party to an award-winning short play to a full-length comedy hailed Off-Broadway by The New York Times‘ for “its raw and magnetic dementia that seems destined to attract a cult following”. The show has been performed all over the U.S., on five continents, has been translated into six languages and was selected as Best Overall Production at the 2012 New York Fringe Festival.
This is another all-female production for the LGBTQ theatre company Mish Mash Media Productions, who staged an all-female Othello in 2018. The choice to do 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche after Othello was two-fold. “ After the heavy subject matter in Othello, we felt it would be good to dive into a comedy, and this paly had the perfect blend of humour and human discovery.” Malan is a firm believer in representation in theatre and doesn’t classify this play as specifically a feminist or LGBTQ statement, but rather one of representation. “I am a lesbian and growing up, I never saw people like me in plays, so I think it’s important to tell these stories and show the world that people like me actually exist,” she says. Furthermore, she loves the fact this play highlights women standing together and the strength of community and acceptance.
5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche will run on the following dates:
19 – 23 February 2019 at Artscape Arena
Tickets are available at Computicket at https://www.artscape.co.za/event/5-lesbians-eating-a-quiche/