Stage Right by Angie Barker

Director Steven Kinney, who directed last year’s “South Pacific,” is making last minute notes at the director’s table in the middle of the theater as we wait for the dress rehearsal for “Calendar Girls” to begin. We are an audience of two as the lights dim and a bodiless voice from the box behind me announces the “house is at half.” There’s a radio in the box that has come alive. I can’t make out the muffled words but the laughter comes in bursts of perfect clarity. Just as I’m beginning to wish I was backstage where the fun is happening, the theater goes dark and they kindly bring the fun to me. And, man, do they know how to bring it.

Note: *This show contains adult themes.

That’s how funny this play is. It needs a warning label accompanied by an asterisk. Or maybe it was the nudity. Probably it was the nudity. Imagine “The Full Monty” with the cast of “Steel Magnolias.” There are more than a few robes dropped behind strategically placed fruit bowls and knitting balls. It’s chock full of cheeky British humor (nice job with the accents all) and these local actresses really go for it. They have a chemistry that feels real and inclusive. I would make plum jam with these sassy ladies all day.

The ACT website says, “This delightful comedy is an uplifting, feel-good story of friendship, ingenuity and triumph. When Annie’s husband John dies of leukemia, she and best friend Chris resolve to raise money for a new settee in the local hospital waiting room. They manage to persuade four fellow Women’s Institute members to pose nude with them for an alternative calendar.” The play is adapted from the 2004 Golden Globe-nominated motion picture starring Helen Mirren. Both are inspired by the true story of Angela Baker and, her husband, John. After John’s death, Angela and her friends have raised over two million pounds for Leukemia and Lymphoma Research selling their calendars.

Ten percent of the proceeds from “Calendar Girls” will benefit the Cancer Center at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea. They are also creating a memorial sunflower that will be displayed for the run of the show. Petals are $1 and can be dropped off at the box office.

“Calendar Girls” runs today, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (matinee) and Oct. 14-17.

Cast includes Lisa Sturtz as Chris, Kris Bartley as Annie, Joanne Fox as Cora, Karen Szymanowski as Jessie, Teresa Wilson as Celia, Rosalie Truax as Ruth, Kristan Dye as Marie, Kathy Brekke as Brenda, Jay Paul as John, Rory Mattson as Rod, Dustin Smith as Lawrence, Susan Price as Lady Cravenshire, Raquel Hellman as Elaine and Scott Bryant as Liam.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students. Tickets may be purchased at actonbroadway.com, the ACT call center at 1-877-730-3144 or at the box office, which opens Monday the week of the show’s opening and is also open from 4 to 6 p.m. every Thursday. Tickets are also available at the Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Patrons can call the box office at 377-4371 or visit the box office at the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center to purchase tickets. Box office hours during show weeks are 3:30 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 6 to 7:30 p.m. on performance nights. On Saturday evenings, the box office is open from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

Albert Lea Community Theatre is a nonprofit organization featuring local actors, directors and stage crew who volunteer their time. All performances are at the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center, 147 N. Broadway in downtown Albert Lea. For ticket prices and more information, go to actonbroadway.com or find ACT on Broadway on Facebook.

 

Angie Zoller Barker is an Albert Lea native and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature.