Cheap Girls (and They are Funny, too)

Cathleen Carr and Daiva Deupree explore the darker side of lady-likeness in "Two Girls for Five Bucks". Born just over a year ago in Beantown’s backyard, “Two Girls for Five Bucks” has since expanded to New York City but returned home this month for their first annual “Two Girls for Five Bucks, Holiday Pageant." Last night, Bostonist was lucky enough to be at the Improv Asylum (where these two ladies are also main stage alums) to witness what Carr and Deupree describe as a “collage of lonely ladies who do desperate things.”

The show rolls right into funny. Literally, Carr and Deupree enter as dateless skating teens at the roller disco left to slow dance with each other. Each sketch introduces the audience into yet another familiar female: the desperately unstable cat-loving divorcée, the sadly obsessed ex-girlfriend leaving tearfully awkward messages on her old beau’s voicemail, and perhaps our favorite: the duo of “never married” ladies from Human Resources who are drunkenly exposing themselves at the office holiday party.

In between sketches, Carr and Deupree break character to casually share their personal tales of losing their loves, their virginity, and their cool, revealing the real life inspiration for their show. Indeed, art does imitate life.

Without self-deprecation or cliché’, “Two Girls for Five Bucks” presented an honest and intimate look into the hopeful yet fanatical mind and heart of the modern single woman. Deupree put it best when in talking about her upbringing noted, “I was raised neurotic enough to be funny.” Yes, funny and smart. This intelligent anti-chick flick buffet is not exclusively endearing to just females; the boys will appreciate the refreshing and insightful twist on modern womanhood. "Two Girls for Five Bucks” could just be what makes Jerry Lewis start to like female comics.
If Wal-Lex ever re-opens, we’d like to take Carr and Deupree on a date, until then Bostonist will eagerly await another scheduled performance.

Two Girls = five bucks.

The ability to laugh at loneliness = priceless.

Contributed by Giulia Rozzi