Jan McNutt
Posted: Friday, December 12, 2008 8:54 am

photo by Terry Shapiro

We love Lucy & Ethyl, Gilda & Jane, and now, there are two more girls we love: Barbara & Linda. Denver’s dynamic duo are creating a national name for themselves with the highly acclaimed Girls Only at the Garner Galleria Theatre through February 14, 2009.
 

Girls Only was written by Barbara Gehring and Linda Klein, two thirds of the comedy group named A.C.E. The two had an idea and sat down to create a comedy sketch that would poke fun at the female species. The sketch was so popular the material became a full-fledged treatment for Girls Only. Sadly, this charming raucous play left out the third member in A.C.E. who, by nature, doesn’t fit. Matthew Taylor “just wasn’t the right gender,” quipped Barbara and Linda. 
 

As Girls completed its sold-out run at the Avenue Theater, it caught the attention of the Denver Center President, Randy Weeks. He purchased the option rights to produce Girls in other cities. That means Gehring and Klein still hold the copyright. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA) is the license holder. 
 

Girls Only: The Secret Comedy of Women opened in September 2008 at the DCPA to a room full of girls. "Girls" all over Denver have been talking about it ever since. 
 

As the theater fills with women before each performance, Barbara and Linda are already on the set. They are two young girls in a bedroom filled with girly stuff. Pink bedspread, pink walls, shelves littered with not-ready-to-throw-away toys, such as stuffed animals, horses and dolls. Barbara and Linda are listening to the radio -- talking, giggling, and discussing the mysteries of life outside the bedroom walls while carelessly lounging in their bras and panties. The audience is engaged in their own small talk, but make no mistake, every female in the room notices there are two women wearing bras and panties (circa way before thongs) right in front of God and everyone. The audience knows at that moment it is in for a treat. 
 

Girls Only touches on the varied angst of being female. From dork fears to monthly periods, Barbara and Linda make a hilarious display of being female. And they get funnier and funnier as they interact with the audience and expose the secrets of their childhood read from their real dairies written at age twelve. As the play ends with the Kotex Craft Corner, the audience members realize they have just seen one of the most clever and intelligent works ever made for the sisterhood of women. 
 

The success of the show and its two creators is infectious, whether watching from the audience or speaking to them about where they are with this well deserved but unexpected success. It’s clear that Barbara and Linda love one another and feed off each other’s humor and intelligence. Sort of like twins, they know what the other is about to say -- and you’re never sure who is actually talking. 
 

Linda grew up in Idaho Springs, Colorado. Barbara is a native Canadian who vacationed in South Fork, North Dakota, during the summer (a funny part of the show). Both women now live in Denver.
 

EasyLiving: Tell me about writing Girls Only.

Barbara & Linda: The show is part of a 10-year process of our comedy team, A.C.E. Matthew Taylor, the third member (chuckle, chuckle), is not in the show due to his anatomy. But, his fingerprints are all over it. When we began writing the material, we just had the idea to do a short skit on being a girl. We had no idea this would strike such a real chord with women. 
 

EL: What is the favorite part of the show for each of you?

L: The Craft Corner. Taking ladies through the Kotex crafts is such a joy. We had a lot of fun creating that section.

B: I love to watch as the women enter the theater. Linda and I are laying on the bed and we can hear the buzz. We can feel the energy build. I always want to call out to them, ‘You don’t know what you’re in for -- get ready for a roller coaster fun time.’
 

EL: Is it difficult being on stage in your underwear?

B & L: We wanted to start the show with vulnerability, setting the tone with the idea that we’re baring ourselves. We’re sharing our truths, saying, ‘Here we are. We’re sharing our diaries with you.’ In the end, it’s really not about us. It’s about women. And the audience gets to see real women wearing plain old underwear.
 

EL: What have been some of your favorite responses from the audience?

L: People will track us down after the show. They’ll say, “It’s the oddest thing, I thought 

I was a dork, too.”

B: I’ve had ladies come up to me and say, “I’m from Grand Forks and we used to hate you Canadians.” Or, “I didn’t expect it to be so funny, so clever, so intelligent.”
 

EL: How are you feeling about the success of the show?

B & L: It’s exciting after all these years to get recognition. People ask, ‘How do you do this, with children, at your age?’ We ’re celebrating our lives as it happens. 
 

EL: Will you attend the first out of town premiere of Girls Only in Des Moines, Iowa, in March?

B & L: Will we be at the show? We’ll be there with bells on our toes, draping pantyhose around the stage.