TheatreB review: “Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche” 

MOORHEAD – Moorhead’s TheatreB opened its production of “Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche”, directed by Lexx Francis on Friday, Oct. 6.   

The play has audience participation and asked that you choose a name-tag at the door. You are no longer yourself, but you are now a possibility of names, such as “Rosemary”, “Gretchen”, “Ellen”, and many more. You may be called out by one of the five actors within the show, and they ask that you play along. It created a great interactive experience for not only the audience, but also the actors.  

Set in Cold-War USA in 1956, The Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein were gathering for their annual Quiche Breakfast. Set in a community center, “Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche” did not have any set or costume changes, and it worked seamlessly for the five actors. Each actor brought a unique and hilarious skill set to the table.  

Each actor in the show brought a unique take to their character. “Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche” starred Oakley Ehle as ‘Vern Schultz’, Karla Underdahl as ‘Dale Prist’, Charlie Williamson as ‘Ginny Cadbury”, Melina Holtzer-Benitez as ‘Wren Robin” and Jessica Hayes as “Lulie Stanwyck”.   

The five actresses all had hilarious timing, wit and energy as this show proceeded. Underdahl’s performance as ‘Dale’ was more than exemplary, as she was able to handle the complexities of her character in a lighthearted and hilarious way. ‘Dale’ has a very unfortunately funny arch within the story of “Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche”, and Underdahl blew the performance out of the water.  

Dale’s opposite in the show, ‘Wren’, played by Holtzer-Benitez, was equally as hilarious and touching as Underdahl’s performance. They were able to capture the humor that the show required, but also the short-lived grief that ‘Wren’ goes through.  

Williamson’s and Ehle’s performances as ‘Ginny’ and ‘Vern’ were equally hilarious, as they both bounced off the humor of the other. Williamson gave a spectacular performance and made Ginny a lovable character that you can sympathize with. Ehle’s beat for comedy was immaculate, as they were able to balance the seriousness of ‘Vern’ in a hilarious manner.  

The President of the Society, ‘Lulie’, played by Jessica Hayes, was a phenomenal performance. She set the stage up for a hilarious show, as well as revealed the secrets of her life with grace and wit.  

All five actors of this show did a phenomenal job and told the hilarious story of all these women coming together for what they love most, quiche.  

If you go 

“Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche” runs Oct. 6 until Oct. 22 at TheatreB, 215 10th St N. Tickets can be booked online at theatreb.org or by calling 701-729-8880.