Female cast turns tables on ‘The Club’ in Elgin

For many years, Independent Players produced at least one musical as part of its season, but 12 years have elapsed since the group has dabbled in the musical realm.

Now in its 34th year of producing theater in Elgin, IP presents Eve Merriam’s “The Club, A Musical Diversion” (last seen in Elgin in 1983 when IP staged it for the first time) in the intimate confines of The Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., Elgin. The show runs at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, March 2-17.

In 1976, Merriam’s extraordinary musical “The Club” was staged off-Broadway at the Circle in the Square. It consists of pop songs of the period, circa 1903, which were painstakingly unearthed by Merriam from the Lincoln Center Library. As musicals go, it is small with only seven actors on stage including a pianist.

In “The Club,” members of a stuffy, upper-class, Edwardian all-male club sing and dance to 16 songs (all of which are indicative of male smugness and superiority) while they drink, play pool, smoke cigars, tell jokes and exchange comments about their wives and mistresses. They are looked after by a faithful butler and equally fawning page, and accompanied on the piano by “the maestro.” Later in the show, they rehearse “Spring Frolics,” a show which they plan to present publicly. In the latter, three of the men romp through a turn-of-the-century melodrama, sing an aria from “I Pagliacci” and sing the praises of pearls and roses.

The all-female cast of “The Club” consists of L. Collins of Hoffman Estates, M. Franklin of Palatine, B. Hitzeroth-McDonald of Hampshire, and M. House, G.M. Sitz, R. Span and M.G. Tan, all of Elgin.

“The point of the cross-dressing is not to try to fool the audience, but to get the audience thinking about gender roles and stereotypes. Surprisingly, looking at these turn-of-the-century ‘males,’ and listening to what they say, makes one wonder whether much has really changed over the past 100 years,” says Don Haefliger, IP artistic director and director of “The Club.”

“The Club is definitely a show that works on multiple levels,” Haefliger said. “If one is looking to be entertained, it’s extremely funny and a surefire audience pleaser. It is not for children, however; I’d rate it ‘PG-13.’ If, however, one is looking for a good (sometimes biting) satire, every line can be interpreted in several ways.”

Admission is $15, $12 for seniors, and $10 for students. For information and reservations, call (847) 697-7374 and leave a message.

During March, Independent Players also will present two other productions, one, which IP is billing as “Two by Peter Shaffer,” consists of two one-act plays — “The Private Ear” and “The Public Eye,” which are often produced in tandem. These two plays will run at 8 p.m. March 23-24 and 2 p.m. March 25.

The second is the delightful “Many Moons,” based on a story by the great American humorist James Thurber and dramatized by Charlotte Chorpenning, known for her marvelous scripts for children. “Since the two other productions are aimed pretty much at adult audiences, we thought we really should do something for children as well. So we have recruited a group of young adults and resurrected the Independent Players Youth Troupe to present this play which several critics have called “one of the finest plays available for children.”

It will be presented at 2 p.m. Sundays, March 11 and 18, and Saturday, March 17.