You'd never think that a club in which half the members are dead could be such a riot.
Yet, such is the case with "The Cemetery Club," the Waukesha Civic Theatre's final offering of the 2008-09 season.
"The Cemetery Club" is the story of three longtime best friends who have lost their husbands in recent years. All three Yiddish yentas meet once a month to visit the graves mostly at the urging of Doris (Frances Klumb) who remains totally devoted to her husband, Abe, who died four years earlier, and is having a hard time moving on. Ida (Gladys Chmiel) also enjoyed a happy marriage, but after being a widow for almost two years is ready to get back into circulation - with just a little nudge. She gets that push from the third member of the club, Lucille (Joan End), who misses her husband's nice income but not his philandering.
Lucille cheerleads for the other two to go out and start having fun again - as she claims she's doing. They meet the nice neighborhood butcher, Sam (Doug Smedbron), while he is visiting his wife's grave at the cemetery. After Lucille's flirtations, Sam agrees to join the three at Ida's house for tea. All three vie for his attentions, but he has eyes only for Ida and the two start dating. Afraid that they're losing their friend, Lucille and Doris convince Sam that Ida isn't ready to start dating again.
WCT's "The Cemetery Club" is pure entertainment from start to finish. The veteran actors so embody their characters you can sense the whole audience rooting for them.
But the laughs, oy, the laughs. The three ladies wring more laughs out of these scenes than there are tiles at a mah jong game.
Perhaps the most hilarious scene is when the three return from their friend's wedding happily inebriated, laughing and falling all over each other in hysterics, especially when Doris pulls half the buffet table - down to a bag of chicken wings - out of her huge handbag.
The chemistry of this ensemble cast is remarkable. Klumb's Doris has the best lines and milks them for long laughs. Chmiel's Ida is so sweet, and her relationship with Sam so tender, you can feel every bump along the way. As Lucille, End plays up her bold and brazen character, who is anxious for the three friends to jump back into life.
And then there's sweet Sam. Smedbron underplays him perfectly to let the girls shine through. Though playing a small role, Rhonda Trickey gives Mildred a lot of character.
Though the laughs take center stage throughout most of the show, the final scenes are very moving and there were more than a few eyes being daubed the night we attended.
As always, sets were well-designed. Ida's home had a sturdy permanence about it, while the cemetery scenes evoked a sunny fall day through creative lighting on the curtain.
IF YOU GO
Who: Waukesha Civic Theatre
What: "The Cemetery Club"
When: Through June 28
Where: Waukesha Civic Theatre, 264 W. Main St., downtown Waukesha
Tickets: (262) 547-0708 or www.waukeshacivictheatre.org
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