Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Poor Edina! Second Ab Fab show takes to the streets

What: Absolutely Fabulous — Poor Where: MY (Millennium) Place When: Nov. 26-29 Tickets: $18-$23. Saturday matinee/brunch: $49 Absolutely Fabulous: the title says it all. Unapologetic, hedonistic and completely over-the-top.

What: Absolutely Fabulous — Poor

Where: MY (Millennium) Place

When: Nov. 26-29

Tickets: $18-$23. Saturday matinee/brunch: $49

Absolutely Fabulous: the title says it all. Unapologetic, hedonistic and completely over-the-top.

It’s a perfect name and description for the BBC dark comedy series created by and starring Jennifer Saunders as Edina "Eddy" Monsoon, a twice divorced, middle-aged, preening, partying, high-maintenance PR executive. Accompanied by her boozing bosom buddy Patsy Stone, the devil dressed as Ivana Trump immortalized by Joanna Lumley, the two wreak havoc on Monsoon’s straight-laced daughter Saffy, ditzy assistant Bubble, ex-husbands, and all others unfortunate enough to cross their path. They’re haughty, they’re petulant, they’re perfectly horrible, but they’re also absolutely hilarious.

Currently in its fifth season, Ab Fab, as it’s colloquially known, has a legion of dedicated fans, those non-U.K. residents following by way of video and DVD box sets.

Whistler theatre impresario Michele Bush counts herself among those fans. But, like a true woman of the theatre, the wheels started turning when she noticed that with much of the series set in Eddy’s London flat, the show would transfer nicely to the stage.

Of course the concept also had much to do with the fact that Bush, with her curly brunette locks and deadpan delivery of Monsoon’s favourite word, "darling," also happens to be a dead ringer for Eddy.

She saw the idea through, and the result was last year’s stage adaptation of classic episode ‘Fat,’ wherein Eddy tries furiously to drop pounds in the name of vanity. Ab Fab fans and the curious came out of the woodwork, making Fat a smashing success. The show sold out its two scheduled performances last November, along with three encore shows added in January. With success like that under her belt, there could be little question that Bushwoman Productions, the company Bush formed for Fat, would follow up with another Ab Fab adaptation.

Bring on Poor, Bush’s second-favourite episode, which kicks off a five-show run starting this Wednesday, Nov. 26. Back are most members of Bush’s handpicked cast, including co-star Monique Davidson, once again donning the blond bouffant wig to portray a perfect Patsy.

The plot, renowned among the Ab Fab faithful, picks up when Eddy’s alimony payments are suddenly cut off, forcing her to make changes to her unsustainable extravagant lifestyle. Unable to continue ordering in gourmet meals, she sets out on an inaugural grocery-shopping excursion. With Patsy and several bottles of wine in tow, they take to the streets in Eddy’s convertible, and predictably end up in a world of trouble.

The excursion scenes introduced a challenge for the one-set staging, which Bush has solved with the integration of video. Scenes from the errand run will be presented through footage shot back in October at different locations throughout Whistler Village and at Nesters Market. The video segments are directed by Rebecca Wood Barrett and Lisa Fernandez, who worked with Bush on the short film Mating Habits of the Whistler Mountain Cougar, a runner up at the 72-Hour Filmmaker Showdown at the World Ski and Snowboard Festival last spring.

Although the video integration is proving challenging, Bush says she felt ready to step things up this year since the returning cast and crew are picking-up where they left of in terms of group cohesiveness and character familiarity. The ticket sale success of Fat is a bit of a confidence booster as well.

Also stepped-up will be the set design, still in the expert hands of former BBC staffer Sally Englebach, who is working to make Eddy’s flat a bit more "posh" this year Bush says in her best Monsoon Britspeak.

The character study doesn’t end with the accent. Bush throws out a conservative estimate of 100 bottles of wine consumed during Fat’s rehearsal process. While this year was held back at first by diets, marathon training regimens and medication, she assures things are back on track and the wine is once again an integral part of Poor preparations.

Speaking with Bush, it’s not hard to pick up that she’s having a blast. And why shouldn’t she? After all, this is the role of a lifetime she’s playing on her own terms.

"The best characters are the ones that are so outrageous in their thinking, like Karen on Will & Grace," she confirms. "She’s so absolutely positive that what she’s doing is right. She’s snobby, she’s over the top, but she’s absolutely positive there’s nothing wrong with her behaviour.

"You get into these characters because they say the things you don’t have the guts to say. They’re just so unapologetic about the way they behave."

Unapologetic. Sounds like a guilty pleasure in a culture regulated by political correctness and sensitivity training. But even though Bush throws herself headfirst into the character, and finds herself unwittingly talking like Ms. Monsoon every so often, she insists she hasn’t gone completely Eddy.

"I don’t shop. I don’t care about labels. I don’t smoke. I’m not really into status-seeking," lists Bush, "but I do like a good martini."

Absolutely Fabulous — Poor kicks off its five-show run at MY Place on Wednesday, Nov. 26 at 8 p.m. and continues through Saturday evening. A special "Champagne, Martinis and Nibbly Things" matinee performance on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 12:30 p.m. in the Fairmont Chateau Whistler’s Wildflower Bistro includes a champagne brunch for $49. Dress up in Eddy, Patsy or Bubble duds for an absolutely fabulous afternoon.