Stephanie Jackson (left) and Jenny Guy, in "Parallel Lives." STEPHEN PINGRY / Tulsa World
Stephanie Jackson (left) and Jenny Guy, in "Parallel Lives."
STEPHEN PINGRY / Tulsa World
Don't get me wrong -- any man with a decent sense of humor can find hearty laughs in Heller Theater's production of "Parallel Lives," a witty look at women's lives through comic sketches depicting relationships, feminism, children and more.
But this is the fund-raising event for the tiny city of Tulsa-operated theater, and past success shows they raise funds fastest when female fannies fill the 50-plus seats.
Thursday night's sold-out opening of the show was almost exclusively women, as expected. What made the experience even more communal was that these theatergoers were women who knew how to laugh at themselves.
Fans may remember Heller's 2000 fund-raiser production of "A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking," John Ford Noonan's lovable play about two women who are complete opposites but end up forging a lasting friendship.
The two-woman smash -- which also knew how to poke fun at both sexes -- was a crowd-pleaser, with additional shows scheduled to meet demand and audiences falling in love with the characters as well as the two ladies portraying them.
That experience has been duplicated by director George Romero and her two wonderful actresses in "Parallel Lives," Stephanie Jackson and Jenny Guy.
It's been a while since I've heard so many people vocalize their approval of a show as I did while the applause died down Thursday.
The best news to pass along is that the ladies are adding on a pair of performances -- as well as additional available seats -- and taking the show on the road this weekend, for the Tulsa Area Community Theater Alliance play festival at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center.
In the show, Jackson and Guy comically portray various women, men and children in a series of skits that mix social commentary with comic relief.
It all begins at, well, the beginning. Two angels are designing the world and the people to populate it.
They decide they had better keep a close eye on the whites, who they figure are bound to be bored with their bland skin color. They discuss procreation and award the duty of pregnancy to women. Thinking that men will be terribly jealous of this fact, they give men huge egos and "take a bit of the shine off" childbirth by making it terribly painful.
"Women will deliver through a tiny portal in their body," the angel played by Guy says, almost giddy at the thought. "Oh, you are bad," Jackson's angel says with wide eyes and a sly smile.
From there we move on to a humorous depiction of a couple whose breathy sighs and unresolved issues keep them from a good night's sleep; belly laughs at the dialogue about children misquoting and confusing biblical edicts; and a hilarious pair of older women freshly divorced from husbands they refer to by number (witness their comic adventures as they unwittingly enroll in a lesbian-influenced women's studies program, as well as a moment inside the lounge of a vegan restaurant for "womyn": "Oh, look at the floral watercolor," says one of an artwork. "No, that's a vagina on a plate," says the other.)
The capper is what the director terms as a "feminazi lesbian performance art piece" that involves a series of hysterical histrionics that must be seen to be believed.
Jackson is a complete delight and displays a remarkable aptitude for playing the chameleon. Be it a minor shift in her hairstyle or adding spectacles, she's refreshingly natural no matter the age or gender of the character she portrays.
Guy has to work a bit harder at these transformations, but she's the natural comedian of the pair and receives some of the biggest laughs.
With solid stage management by Mary Forester and lighting by Kris Adair, Romero has fashioned a fast-paced hoot of a show that comes in at just more than one hour, a requirement for this weekend's play festival at the PAC.
Heller's production of "Parallel Lives," which is suggested for mature audiences, is set to kick off the play festival Friday night at 8 p.m. in the PAC's Liddy Doenges Theater. Following the show and a 15-minute intermission, Heller's Laughing Matter Improv group will perform. Tickets are $7 for both shows.
A second performance of "Parallel Lives" will begin at about 3 p.m. Sunday at the Doenges Theater, following a 2 p.m. performance by Spotlight Theater. Tickets are $7 for both performances and may be reserved at the PAC box office or by calling 596-7111.
The PAC's Doenges Theater is located at Second Street and Cincinnati Avenue.