THE DICK'S A DAME by Jane Moffat and Cheryl McNamara, directed by Sue Miner, with Mark Brownell, Ron Kennell, McNamara, Moffat and Stephen Reich. Presented by Femme Fatale Productions at the Factory Mainspace. July 6 at 10 pm, July 7 at 5 pm, July 8 at 7 pm, July 11 at 3 pm, July 12 at 11 pm, July 14 at noon, July 15 at 4:30 pm.

Dose dolls Cheryl McNamara an' Jane Moffat, dey know just how ta send up all dose goon-based dick flicks. An' dey do it wid moxie in The Dick's A Dame.Enough of the 40s big-palooka-speak. The duo's film noir send-up, set in 1946 Toronto, revolves around a female detective sorting out a complex tale of blackmail, murder, gambling and Commies.

Add another element: their hero, Addie Clark, is sexually drawn to almost every woman in the play.

"But we know that the censorship board of the period disliked even straight sexuality, so we're dealing with lots of innuendo," says McNamara, who plays the flirtatious, estranged daughter of a steel baron.

"The word "lesbian" is never used, and although it's clear that the women are attracted to each other, the men never get it.

"When we researched the periodical index of the time, we found no mention of gays or lesbians. Our challenge was to counter the 40s and 50s view that lesbianism was wrong, evil, weird. And what happens when the femme fatale -- traditionally a spider who eats men alive -- rubs up against a different kind of detective?"

Both author/performers -- Moffat plays Addie -- are 40s freaks, but they acknowledge that they couldn't have pulled off the show without the help of more experienced associates like director Sue Miner and actors Mark Brownell and Ron Kennell.

"For us first-time playwrights, that support's invaluable," says Moffat. "Rehearsals are a collaborative family effort. Sue's done 10 Fringe shows and Mark has done eight. And of course we have the detective and movie material that's so rich, stylized and easy to send up."

"What the audience gets is film-noir-meets-Mel Brooks," concludes McNamara.JK