“Not having a sister, female friendships have always intrigued me—but they’ve also mysteriously confused and disturbed me,” said Stephanie Gittleman, co-creator of Flawed and Fabulous, a musical comedy-improv show that explores female friendships.
When Gittleman was in her late 20s, her best friend since junior high suddenly ghosted her. It led her to ponder why certain friendships weather life’s storms, while others never develop past polite small talk. She wondered: Wouldn’t it be better to disclose one’s worst personality traits at the start, rather than create an unrealistic, rosy first impression, only to be crushed later?
Gittleman later parlayed her musings into Flaunt Your Flaws!, a mock reality dating musical-improv show in which eight characters sang about their faults in Act 1. During intermission, the audience voted to pair up the characters. Act 2 revealed the pairs navigating life from the first date to marriage therapy.
After the successful run of Flaunt Your Flaws!, Gittleman shifted her focus to female friendships. Like many relationships, Flawed and Fabulous began in March 2024 with connecting over a meal: Gittleman posted fliers in coffee shops and online for an “informational brunch” to draw performers.
“We figured lots of food would draw them in, and we were correct,” she said.
During brunch, co-creator and director Janet Lazarus helped develop material for the script through brainstorming, sharing stories and improv with the 14 women who attended. Gittleman and Lazarus held weekly workshops with the participants from Memorial Day until Labor Day. Gittleman brought food for the meetings and drew inspiration from the workshop recordings.
While personality flaws are often easily recognizable (particularly in other people), Gittleman noted her own challenges in drafting the script. “Before auditions, I needed to weave together 14 different character flaws while still telling a cohesive story about female friendship that didn’t feel clichéd or piecemeal,” she said.
Flawed and Fabulous is slated to tour to six theaters in Reno and Sparks between Feb. 13 and March 9. The tour schedule presents some challenges: The stage sizes and layouts vary, so the blocking and choreography will be adapted. The performers will have to quickly acclimate to different entrance and exit locations.
Act 1 of Flawed and Fabulous opens with the cast of characters, among them Clingy Clarissa and No Filter Felicity, revealing their flaws through song. During intermission, the audience votes for which characters they want to see thrown together into interesting situations, like three friends stuck in a tiny cabin during their cruise vacation. The audience may be asked to suggest a location or a secret to be revealed in a later scene.
Each performance features a different “Mystery Man” whose identity will be revealed at intermission. The Mystery Man acts as the emcee for Act 2 and inserts himself as various male personas into the improv scenes that follow.
“In this way, every show is unique, depending on the audience votes, as well as brand-new situations appearing on the ballot for each separate performance,” Gittleman said.
The cast of 14 women includes six of the women from the original brunch gathering. The ensemble is an eclectic blend of traditional actors and professional vocalists new to improvisation, and improvisers who didn’t realize they could sing.
“Everyone has their preferred niche in the realm of live theater, so it’s been extremely gratifying integrating all three—acting, singing and improv,” Gittleman said.
With the elements of improv, audience participation and venue variation, there’s no telling where each Flawed and Fabulous performance may lead—which suits Gittleman just fine.
“I’m a big fan of writing twists and turns and whoa-didn’t-see-that-coming storylines,” she said.
Flawed and Fabulous performances are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 13, at The Theatre; Friday and Sunday, Feb. 14 and 16, at Brüka Theatre; Saturday, Feb. 15, at Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Company (two shows); Fridays, Feb. 28 and March 7, at Reno Improv; Saturday, March 8, at Restless Artists Theatre; and Sunday, March 9, at Reno Little Theater. For tickets, times and other details, visit flawedandfab.com.
I loved “Flaunt Your Flaws” and I can’t wait to see Gittleman’s next show!