Laura Pedersen

Ethel Booth

Jane Dutton

Rachele Gilmore

Sally Mitchell

Mikayla Reed

In one of those strange coincidences that only seem to happen onstage, each of two productions opening in Indianapolis on Friday, May 2, features three wild women as secondary leads.

The title of Indianapolis Civic Theatre's "Leading Ladies" refers to two characters who aren't ladies at all. Fortunately, three real women -- crusty old Aunt Florence; her lively niece, Meg; and Meg's friend, Audrey -- help unravel the mistaken identities.

In Indianapolis Opera's "The Tales of Hoffmann," a poet reminisces about the loves of his life: Antonia, the consumptive singer; Giulietta, the courtesan; and Olympia, who's a real doll, literally.

Here's a look at these Dueling Divas:

'Leading Ladies'

A Ken Ludwig comedy in which two struggling Shakespearean actors impersonate wealthy Aunt Florence's "nieces," hoping to inherit from her estate while ignoring the pesky reality that she's not dead yet.

Runs: May 2 through May 18. Shows: 7.p.m. Thursdays, 8.p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2.p.m. Sundays.

Where: Indianapolis Civic Theatre, 3200 Cold Spring Road. Tickets: $21 and $28, with group discounts available.

Information: Call (317) 923-4597 or www.civictheatre!.org.

Name: Ethel Booth.

Age: 70s.

Residence: Indianapolis.

Character: Florence.

Why she's eccentric: "I have a doctor who I think is quite incompetent proclaiming my death, and then I come back to life. I want to leave my inheritance to two nieces whom I haven't seen. Two men pretend to be the nieces. I'm completely fooled, for a while."

Name: Mikayla Reed.

Age: 26.

Residence: Indianapolis.

Character: Meg, Florence's niece.

Why she's eccentric: "She wants to be an actress, and she wants to travel, but she is kind of afraid to take a chance on her dreams. There's a fine line between naive and ditzy, and I think Meg is naive to the ways of the world."

Name: Sally Mitchell.

Age: 23.

Residence: Indianapolis.

Character: Audrey.

Why she's eccentric: "One of the English actors is immediately smitten with Audrey. She has just gotten a job at a restaurant called Tasty Bite. She's supposed to be on roller skates. She is one of the people running around in hilarious extreme situations."

'The Tales of Hoffmann'

An opera by Jacques Offenbach, inspired by stories by 19th-century German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann. Presented by Indianapolis Opera in French with English supertitles.

Shows: 8.p.m. May 2, 2.p.m. May 4.

Where: Clowes Hall, 4600 Sunset Ave.

Tickets: $25-$110 for adults, $24-$104 for students and seniors. From the Clowes box office or Ticketmaster locations.

Information: Call (317) 239-1000 or go to www.indyopera!.org.

Name: Rachele Gilmore.

Age: 26.

Residence: New York.

Character: Olympia.

Why she's eccentric: "She really has no personality. It's somewhat unbelievable that (the poet) would actually fall in love with a doll, but it's to make a point of how delirious he is in love. Each lady has her own extremes, but I think mine is the furthest out there."

Name: Laura Pedersen.

Age: 30s.

Residence: Rocky River, Ohio.

Character: Antonia.

Why she's eccentric: "Her father warns her not to sing, but he doesn't tell her why. He doesn't tell her she will die if she sings. She doesn't really understand why she can't sing."

Name: Jane Dutton.

Age: 42.

Residence: Fishers.

Character: Giulietta.

Why she's eccentric: "She has no redeeming moral qualities. It's like a villainess. They call her a courtesan. Actually, she's a prostitute. Everything she does, she expects a payoff. In this case, it's a very large diamond."