What Would Tina and Amy Do?

“Bitches get stuff done!” is the motto of the See/Saw Theatre Company’s What Would Tina and Amy Do? Tina Fey uttered these words on SNL’s Weekend Update in 2008. Referring to Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, Fey said, “Maybe what bothers me the most is that people say Hillary is a bitch. Let me say something about that. Yeah, she is. And so am I. And so is this one,” pointing to Amy Poehler. “But you know what? Bitches get stuff done!”

These words inspire recent college graduates Annie (Catie Carlton) and Tinley (Larissa Kruesi), best friends sharing a two-bedroom apartment in Philadelphia. Annie dances in a professional dance company, and Tinley is a receptionist who longs for a more inspiring career.

One night, while Annie and Tinley are relaxing on the couch watching SNL, Tinley confesses that she’s tired of having no love life and is also frustrated with her job. “I don’t understand why I’m stuck being a receptionist,” she says. “I bet Tina and Amy never had to settle for crappy jobs.” But optimistic Annie grabs a copy of Fey’s autobiography and says, “Didn’t you read “Bossypants”? Tina’s first job out of college was as a receptionist at the YMCA!”

The girls decide that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be their role models from that moment on. After all, bitches get stuff done. They vow to be more brave and take more chances, just like Tina and Amy.

The story spans the next six months of the girls’ lives. Annie tries to further her career as a dancer, and Tinley deals with the highs and lows of her first real relationship.

Like NBC’s Community or CBS’s Big Bang Theory, What Would Tina and Amy Do? is a play about pop culture. You don’t have to know who Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are to appreciate the story, but it helps. You don’t have to be familiar with the movies Mean Girls, Clueless and Bridget Jones’ Diary to understand all the jokes, but it helps.

While the premise is enticing (especially for fans or Fey and Poehler), the plot falls a little flat. Annie and Tinley never follow any specific advice or actions of Tina and Amy. They just have a general desire to make better decisions. But anyone from Oprah to Madonna could have inspired them. Tina and Amy are never integral to the plot.

But the actors have genuine chemistry and are truly believable as best friends. They are immediately likeable and full of energy. However, Carlton is so hard to hear at times that some of her dialogue is lost.

Overall, there are gobs of heart and girl-power in this charming comedy.

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