Review: Stage West’s WHO’S UNDER WHERE is a True Battle of the Sexes

Having never attended a show at the Stage West Theatre here in Calgary, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. As a former performer for Jubilations Dinner Theatre, and a fan of Edmonton’s Mayfield Dinner Theatre, I was well versed in what the dinner theatre experience could be. Stage West finds a way to blend the silly, outrageous energy of a Jubilations show, with the more sophisticated, buffet-style dining experience of Mayfield. A nice balance and a great way to spend an evening with friends and loved ones.

The buffet starts 1.5 hours before showtime, giving the audience plenty of time to peruse the dozens of meal options while still offering plenty of time to socialize with your dinner party pre-show. The buffet is expansive, and although we attended the Sunday brunch performance, there are even more sumptuous options afforded at dinner. I will say that anyone with allergies, food intolerances, or dietary restrictions will need to be aware that options may be more limited. This is pretty standard of any buffet setting, especially where there is a possibility of cross contamination. As a vegetarian, I certainly didn’t go hungry, but only about 1/10th of the options were suitable for my plate. I would say unless you can make arrangements with staff ahead of arrival, vegan diets probably would be out of luck. The signage did specify gluten free and dairy free options among others and if in doubt there's a full menu for you to peruse online before you arrive. If you have no food restrictions, you will be overwhelmed by the variety of options!

Once the audience was well fed and watered (or in our case, plied full of orange juice!) the show began right on time. The setting was upscale 1980s, with a polished set and hilarious costumes / hairstyles reminiscent of the time. The female leads were full of energy and the script delivers a non-stop barrage of quick-witted jokes and double entendres. The story revolves around the sale of a lingerie line so you can expect plenty of well disguised dirty jokes and even some hilarious striptease by (surprisingly) almost all of the male characters!

I won’t dig too deep into the story itself so that you can enjoy the show spoiler-free, but I will say that every character in the show was funny, thoughtfully written, and enthusiastically portrayed by a team of very skilled local actors. 

The intermission offered us a chance to stuff ourselves full of dessert and take a little stretch break, although I will say the seating was surprisingly comfortable! Each half was around one hour long which was just the perfect amount of time to wrap up the story and provide the happily ever after this audience craves. The food, atmosphere, and show are catered to a wide audience whose ultimate goal is to have a nice night out with those closest to them and then happily return to their lives feeling immensely satisfied.