A PLAY celebrating female friendships, solidarity and sisterhood will soon take to the stage in Chester.
Birthday Club, which features an all-female cast, will run at Chester Little Theatre in Gloucester Street from Saturday, March 9, until Saturday, March 16, at 7.30pm. There will also be a matinee performance on Saturday, March 16, at 2.30pm.
The play, by Phil Olsen, tells the story of 5 women from completely different backgrounds, in different stages of life and situations as they get together to drink, eat cupcakes and have a catch up in what started as a support group but then becomes their refuge, somewhere they can be themselves without being judged.
Cheryl, Kathy, Emily and Abbie started Birthday Club five years ago when their friend, Jennifer, was diagnosed with cancer, as a support group to help her get through it. When Jennifer recently passed away, they had an opening for a new member.
However, it’s not easy to join Birthday Club. Birthday Club is very exclusive, and there’s a three-year waiting list. They bring in Sarah as a potential member, but first Sarah must make it through the ‘interview’ and agree to abide by the eight rules of Birthday Club, to be considered an official member.
One by one we learn of their personal, work and family issues, and when it’s revealed that one of them went out with another’s husband, the Vodka hits the fan. The question is, will Birthday Club survive, or will Rule #5 end it forever?
Speaking about the play, the show's director Charlie Nunez said: “Birthday Club is a celebration of friendship and sisterhood. It’s all about women celebrating and supporting women, and that’s what most appealed to me when I first read it. Even more so when the cast and backstage crew do the same off stage: a cup of tea during the break where we share and laugh and hug when needed. The fact that sometimes we need to stop rehearsal because the actresses can’t stop laughing makes it an especially enjoyable experience!
“Everyone is very excited about putting this play on and sharing a good laugh with the audiences. It’s been a fantastic experience to work together in an all women play, finding small details to add to the narrative: each birthday they drink a different drink that the character would like, their clothes show their personal evolution throughout the scenes, the sexy firefighters calendar on set adds some good views for everyone. There’s a lot of thought and dedication from everyone involved, it’s become a very personal project and I couldn’t be prouder of it!”
Charlie added: “And just as Kathy, Cheryl, Emily, Abbie and Sarah, the characters in the play support each other, the cast and crew decided to support other women by baking homemade cakes that will be on sale during performance week. All the money collected will go to support a local women's charity, so get ready to be delighted by our baking skills!”
Full detail of Birthday Club can be found at: www.chesterlittletheatre.co.uk.
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