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‘Girls’ Night Out With Sister Therapy’ Serves Up Laughter at Alhambra

Nancy Sims (left) and Emily Polish-Sims (right) present on-stage at the Alhambra Theatre.
Dustin Wilcox
Nancy Sims (left) and Emily Polish-Sims (right) present on-stage at the Alhambra Theatre.

“Sister Therapy” podcast hosts Emily Polish-Sims and Nancy Polish headlined “Girls’ Night Out,” their first live comedy show, at the Alhambra Theatre in downtown Hopkinsville on Saturday.

The namesake sisters, who hail from Florida, connected with the Alhambra via Margaret Prim, the theater’s executive director, who worked with Polish-Sims in the telecommunications industry in the 1990s. Polish-Sims said she was enticed by the opportunity to give back to theater “in some small way” following COVID-19 hardships.

“Margaret, Nancy and I grew up when the local theater was just so alive and was the heart of our community,” Polish-Sims said. “I love [Margaret], I love what she’s done for [the Alhambra], and I love what it means to your local community.”

Prim said “Girls’ Night Out” would attract out-of-town visitors who contribute to the local economy. To promote the event, the Alhambra partnered with Hopkinsville retailers and restaurants, including Hopkinsville Brewing Company, the Farmer’s Daughter Boutique and Holiday Inn.

“Just knowing you can get out with your girlfriends or whatever and have a few laughs is great,” Prim said. “[The past year has] been hard for all of us.”

Showing Up

An Alhambra employee who checked in guests at the door said about 70 people purchased tickets for the pre-party and about 150 did so for the live show.

Those who trickled through the entrance that evening came for a variety of reasons. Kim Ruggles is an existing fan of “Sister Therapy” who traveled from Alabama to see the show. She said the main appeal is the sisters’ relatability, in that their stories “could happen to anyone.”

“Seeing it live will be a lot different than actually listening to it, even though you’re seeing it live when you watch the video,” Ruggle said, comparing the experience to the sisters’ weekly livestreams on Facebook. “Being in the same room with them and hearing their stories and things like that will be a lot of fun.”

Sally Kaye, of Hopkinsville, and Molly Smith, of Louisiana, were sisters who used “Girls’ Night Out” as a way to spend time together while Smith was in town. Neither had seen the podcast prior, but both looked forward to the humorous take on sisterhood.

“We’re excited,” Kaye said. “And it’s been a long time [since] getting together with people.”

Showing Out

The event began at 5:30 p.m. with food and drinks provided by The Local, a Hopkinsville restaurant and pub, at a pre-party held upstairs. At 7 p.m., Prim prefaced the show with personal remarks about the sisters, who subsequently strove onto the stage.

The “Sister Therapy” podcast is known for its uninhibited humor, and the live show delivered exactly that. The sisters’ shared revealing life stories revolving around bowel movements, breastfeeding and more, punctuated by wild diversions from the topic at hand and fueled by an on-set supply of alcohol.

The show shifted into an “off the rails” segment at 8:15 p.m., at which point the livestream for remote attendees was cut off and the sisters relayed never-before-heard tales from their lives.

The night concluded with an after party attended by the sisters and their family and friends.

Wrapping Up

As they exited the auditorium, many attendees said the content was more shocking than they expected, but they still found it amusing. Tanya Thomas said the show was “pretty awesome,” and she would love to meet the sisters.

“Real-life stuff, we need to know it,” Thomas said. “Women need to hear it. You need to laugh at yourself. If you can’t laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at?”

Caitlin Lefford said the show was “hilarious,” even though she didn’t anticipate the “dirty” humor. She said most enjoyed the sisters discussing their relationship with their mother, whom the sisters described as humorless.

“My stomach hurts because I laughed so much,” Lefford said. “It just feels like the whole show is very relatable.”

Dustin Wilcox is a television production student at Murray State University. He graduated from Hopkinsville High School in 2019.
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