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Ab Fab celebrates final shows with martini parties

What: Absolutely Fabulous — Poor

Where: MY (Millennium) Place

When: May 7-8

Tickets: $17-$22

Of all the over-the-top, guilty-pleasure characters, twice-divorced, hard-partying, middle-aged PR executive Edina Monsoon of British TV series Absolutely Fabulous (Ab Fab to its legions of fans) is the Queen Bee-atch.

Haughty, petulant, flamboyant and self-indulgent (not to mention utterly hilarious) it’s no wonder local woman of the theatre Michele Bush was enamoured with "Eddy" when she first tuned into the show.

Her infatuation, coupled with an eerie resemblance to series creator and Monsoon-portraying actor Jennifer Saunders, set Bush’s creative wheels in motion.

The result was Bush’s Bushwoman Productions’ 2002 stage adaptation of the classic episode Fat, wherein the quick-fix-seeking Monsoon tries furiously to shed a few pounds in the name of vanity.

The show was a smash hit, giving birth to last November’s follow-up adaptation of Poor, another fan favourite episode wherein the extravagant Monsoon must deal with an immediate cut in alimony income.

Poor raised the bar significantly. While Fat was set almost exclusively in Monsoon’s London flat, making it an easy transfer to the stage, Poor required an excursion sequence. Bush tackled the logistical challenge with video, enlisting the local filmmaking team of Rebecca Wood-Barrett and Lisa Fernandez to direct the action, resulting in a unique, multi-media theatre experience.

For those who were unable to catch Poor back in November, Bushwoman is giving the production another two show run, beginning next Friday, May 7.

Back for sloppy seconds are Monique Davidson as Monsoon’s libidinous bottle-blonde bosom buddy Patsy Stone, Cheryl Massey as ditzy assistant Bubble, Deanne Metcalf – outstanding as Monsoon’s straight-laced daughter Saffy – and, with the exception of Leslie Anthony, the rest of the absolutely fabulous cast. Remo Testini will play the roll of Malcolm the accountant in Anthony’s absence.

According to Bush, the pair of performances will be the last Ab Fab events ever. Both shows are set to begin at 8 p.m. with martini parties at the bar in the upstairs lobby at 7 p.m., giving audience members a chance to toast the outgoing show in true Monsoon style.

Tickets for Absolutely Fabulous-Poor are $22 for adults, $17 for students and seniors.

Last night for Between Shifts’ Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds, the latest production from Squamish-based Between Shifts Theatre, wraps up its three-show Whistler run with a final performance tonight at MY Place.

The Pulitzer Prize winning drama set in the mid-1960s tells the story of an embittered single mother who allows her anger at being abandoned by her husband to adversely affect her relationships with her two teenaged daughters.

Tickets to tonight’s show are $18 for adults, $15 for students and seniors. The performance begins at 8 p.m.

For more information on theatre productions at MY Place call 604-935-8410 or go to www.whistlermillenniumpl.com.