5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche

“No men, no meat, all manners”: That’s the motto of the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein, a 1950s association of unmarried women who gather annually to sample one another’s custard pies. As the title of Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood’s dark comedy suggests, the ladies’ pert geniality puts a pretty dress and lipstick on sexual identities that cannot be spoken of openly. (Their protective code word is “widows.”) But what begins as a quiche-like comedy—light and fluffy, with a little spinach of retro repression baked inside for savor—soon takes a sharp dark turn as America comes under nuclear attack, and the women's basement is pressed into service as a bomb shelter. “No need to let this spoil our day!” insists the group’s egg-worshipping leader, Lulie (played by Rachel Farmer with demented Ann B. Davis–style efficiency); nonetheless, things do get hairy down there by the end. Directed by Sarah Gitenstein for the New Colony, 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche was a cult hit in Chicago last year, and arrives at the Fringe gleaming with comic polish. (Among the strong cast, I especially enjoyed Thea Lux’s wry turn as the butchest of the bunch.) With a running time of just over an hour, the show functions well as a quick, tasty snack. Those who don’t come hungry for more will eat up the kitsch with a spoon.—Adam Feldman