‘GIRLS ONLY’

Teenage diaries led to comedy show.

Diaries, those repositories of girly highs and lows, are the secret to comedy, according to Linda Klein and Barbara Gehring.

It was their teenage diaries that sparked their immersive mix of sketches, songs and videos titled “Girls Only — The Secret Comedy of Women,” which plays June 14-25 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

“I was looking through some of my stuff and found my diary, from like junior high,” Klein recalls from her home in Denver. “I called Barbara, and she said, ‘Oh my gosh, I still have mine.’ We got together and started reading them and died laughing. And we just looked at each other and said, ‘This needs to be a show.’ ”

That was in 2004. The women, who met at an improvisation class about 20 years ago and have gone on to write and produce 50 shows, staged “Girls Only” at a 100-seat theater in Denver for a one-night-only performance.

“We did all the tech from the stage,” Gehring explains from her home in Westminster, a suburb of Denver. “We did all the light and sound cues because we couldn’t find a female stage manager at the time. So we did it ourselves. We wanted everything with ‘Girls Only’ to be girls only. The reaction was strong. I remember

being backstage listening to the audience just before the stage call, and Linda and I just looked at each other and we said, like at the same time, ‘This is something.’ ”

Here is more about “Girls Only.”

WHAT EXACTLY IS IT: “We always tell the ladies that it’s a lighthearted comedy based in truth and honesty. It’s a variety show. It looks at all the hilarious things about being female,” Gehring says. “We explore that through dance, sketches, songs, videos, improvisation, some audience interaction. And it’s set in our bedroom, a girl's bedroom. The women feel like it’s a girlhood reunion.”

AUDIENCE REACTION: “We’re talking about everything: puberty, that talk [with parents about sex], pantyhose, breasts, periods,” Klein says. “There is a connection point for all women. Teenagers hide behind their hands. Right next to

them, the grandmother is laughing with her mouth wide open, hands up in the air, guffawing. This appeals to a wide range of women.”

WHAT ABOUT THE GUYS: “We’ve had men come with their wives or daughters, and we always say that if the men are open to the idea of laughing about puberty and feminine products, then they’re the right kind of guy for this show,” Gehring says. “Girls Only — The Secret Comedy of Women” runs June 14-25 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, with 1 p.m. matinee Sundays and 6 p.m. Sunday, June 25. Tickets cost $35-$45. 954-462-0222 or BrowardCenter.org.

GIRLS ONLY/COURTESY “Girls Only — The Secret Comedy of Women” was created by and stars Barbara Gehring and Linda Klein.