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Collaborative Theatre Project presents 'Leading Ladies' Stephen Kline and Alex Boyles play get-rich-quick scam artists Leo Clark and Jack Gable in Collaborative Theatre Project's "Leading Ladies." [Photo by Alberto Munoz] Wednesday Apr 5, 2017 at 4:50 PM Apr 5, 2017 at 4:50 PM Laurie Heuston Mail Tribune After a dismal performance in front of the Moose Lodge in Shrewsbury, Pennsylvania, down-and-out Shakespearean actors Leo Clark and Jack Gable hatch a get-rich-quick scheme. They see a newspaper article about ailing local woman Florence, desperate to find her long-lost sister's children, Max and Steve, who moved away to England as children. Eager to be cut in on the woman's $3 million estate, Leo and Jack lay the framework for a plan — only to surprisingly discover that the old woman is not looking for nephews, but nieces Maxine and Stephanie. The hilarity in playwright Ken Ludwig's comedy begins when — undeterred — Leo and Jack quickly adjust their plan and appear as the newly found nieces. The scam gets even more complicated when Leo falls for Florence's niece, Meg, who is the rightful heir to the estate. The fact that Meg is engaged to the local minister adds to the mayhem. Collaborative Theatre Project's production of "Leading Ladies" opens Friday, April 7, and runs through Sunday, April 30, in CTP's new performing arts space in the Medford Center. Located directly across from Tinseltown and Cold Stone Creamery, the venue is easily accessible, and there is plenty of well lit parking. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 7-8, and Thursdays through Saturdays, April 13-15, 20-22 and 27-29, and 1:30 p.m. Sundays, April 9, 16, 23 and 30. Tickets are $20, $15 for students and seniors, and are available online at ctporegon.org, by calling 541-779-1055, or at the box office. Rick Robinson of Oregon Cabaret Theatre directs. Along with Stephen Kline and Alex Boyles, the cast includes Mia Gaskin as Meg; Nathan Monks as the rather stuffy minister she's engaged to marry; and Sarah Gore as Audrey, a roller-skating waitress and part-time aide to the elderly Florence, played by Linda Otto. "This piece is just pure fun," Robinson says in a press release. "It has all the hallmarks of a good Ken Ludwig play: well drawn characters, high stakes, ridiculous situations, and a roller-coaster pace. It's a ride that's going to be a marathon for the performers, but exhilarating for the audience." "Leading Ladies" premiered in 2004 at The Alley Theatre in Houston, Texas, directed by Ludwig, whose first play on Broadway, "Lend Me A Tenor," was called "one of the classic comedies of the 20th century" by the Washington Post. It won two Tony Awards and was nominated for seven. The play not only uses a quirky, convoluted plot but also requires solid physical acting ability from its actors. "For Stephen and Alex, we realized with our first run that the two actors never stop moving," Robinson says during a phone interview. "When they're off stage, there's only time for a costume change before coming back out. Even during intermission, they are making themselves up. It's a two-hour marathon. It's tough. "But it's fun," he adds. "The show's entertainment value cracked up the cast and crew during rehearsals. We took it on faith that it was going to be funny seeing the men switching into ridiculous-looking costumes, but seeing them in costume for the first time, the actors had a great deal of trouble keeping straight faces. Just because of how outlandish the characters look. "It's a good group. They're enjoying each other as a cast, and I'm not one to get irritated when people break character, like when they're in a scene and one of the actor's pants fall to the ground. It's hard to stay in character when something as ridiculous as that happens. "It's an old-fashioned comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously," Robinson says. "The men dress as women, and they fall for other people while in that guise. It's a blast. My hope is that our joy of working with each other will find its way into the work and the audience has the same kind of fun." Set design is by Keith Oppelt, costumes by Kayla Bush and choreography is by Valerie Rachelle. Art by painter and printmaker Catie Faryl will be displayed in the gallery entrance throughout the run of the show.