Amy Lu's View

“I can’t answer that question now. I have to blog about it first.” 

The question in question was “What is your favorite line in the show that you speak?” It was posed by one of my awesome Calendar Girls’ castmates, Joanna, a couple of weeks before we opened via our group chat. Joanna thoughtfully explained that we might choose a line because “…you think it’s funny, because it feels good in your mouth, or it is part of something bigger and important.”

Now that it’s been a week since “Calendar Girls” closed, it’s time for me to tackle the question. Of course, I could have answered it when it was first asked, but 1) I wanted time to overthink, 2) I do have a history/tradition of blogging about my favorite line/lines in a show and 3) I’ve been really lagging in my blogging output in 2025, and I can’t squander content!

To set the scene a bit, “Calendar Girls” is about six “mature” women who pose nude for a calendar to raise money in the memory of one of the women’s husbands, who has died from cancer. It’s based on the movie (which I have yet to watch). I played Cora, the pianist for the women’s group the friends belong to. Cora styles herself as a bit of a rebellious rocker, and she’s not ready to conform, even though she’s a middle-aged single mom. 

Cora is rather snarky, so delivers many one-liners and snappy quips–more than any other character I’ve ever played. This makes it both easy and hard to think of my “favorite” Cora lines, as I could choose just about everything Cora says. 

So with that introduction, here are some of my favorite Cora lines (not limiting myself to just one!):

“Why are we not drinking?” A favorite question for Cora, and me in my actual life. This may not even count as “a line”, though, since it’s just something I (frequently) say anyway (even if only inside my head). 

“If I’m not going to get them out now, when am I?” This may be my true favorite Cora line. Cora declares it while referring to her boobs in the moment she decides to pose naked for the calendar. It’s funny, but also inspiring–sometimes you have to seize the moment. This is the line that points to the “something bigger” Joanna asked about. 

“In my experience? Intransigent and hypocritical.” This line needs explanation–Cora is responding to the question “What is the church?” She’s being asked about the architecture, but Cora takes the opportunity to be a smartass. While I love the line because it’s sarcastic and a bit of a truth to power moment for Cora, it was also a slightly dangerous line for me. It was hard for me to pronounce “intransigent” and I originally confused it with “instransient”.

“This place has a mailbox?” Surprisingly, one of my consistent laugh lines from the play. I’m still not really sure why the audience found it so funny, so I love how it illustrates that you can’t always predict how an audience is going to respond.  

“I’ll be a bit insulted if they’re looking at my hands.” A snappy one-liner in response to a friend telling Cora she should have her hands placed on the right keys at the piano when posing for her calendar photo.  

“Whisky.” Not that remarkable or funny a word on its own, but within the context of the play, another reliable, and understandable, laugh line. It was Cora’s response to “Being naked involves detail, being nude involves…” And of course, I do literally like how the actual drink of whisky feels in my mouth. 

It was a kick to portray such a witty character, but of course people (real and fictional) communicate with more than just words. My Cora definitely had some facial expressions. I have evidence of this thanks to dress rehearsal photos. 

One photo makes me ponder and appreciate Cora’s line “Ruby, wherever you are, this is your mother.” I intended it as a bold statement of self acceptance, but in the photo, I/Cora look more than a little unhinged. That’s not what I was going for exactly, but after pondering it a bit, I like how that moment came together without my conscious intent. Boldness, self-acceptance, and unhingeness (if that’s not a word it should be) do often show up together in real life so why not on stage, too.

I could continue to reflect on the meaning of Cora’s lines and the experience of delivering them, but I think it’s time to get this post finished. Just like Cora’s boobs, if I’m not gonna get this post out now, when am I?