Shirley Simpson brings Erma Bombeck to life on stage

Local actress Shirley Simpson will bring iconic Erma Bombeck to life on the stage at Santa Rosa Beach Community Church on Nov. 14.

Simpson’s acting resume dates back to age 5 when a visiting show artist in Pennsylvania asked if any of the little girls in the audience would volunteer to come up on stage. Simpson accepted the invitation and was on stage before her mother could stop her.

“We sang “Ma, He’s Making Eyes at Me,” she remembers.

The young Simpson continued launching her acting career by being cast in elementary school plays, which she felt gave her the recognition and acceptance she craved.

“My father was in the Navy and we traveled a lot. So, if I was in a play, the next day, someone in school at least knew me,” she said.

After moves that took them through 27 states, the family finally settled in Tulsa when Simpson was in junior high.

Simpson continued acting through college at the University of Tulsa and Northwestern University in a number of theater groups. Another actress in one of her theater groups was a young woman by the name of Eddi-Rue McClanahan, later known simply as Rue McClanahan.

Simpson’s acting and writing skills led to lucrative commercial ads for companies such as Shell gasoline.

After marrying Chuck Simpson, the actress put her career on hold to raise her children. She continued to accept opportunities on occasion but only returned to her career in earnest when her youngest child reached the sixth grade.

While living in the New York City area, Simpson got the idea to do one-woman shows about women of influence.

Her first was Katharine Hepburn.

“I felt there would be an audience for it because of who she was, and I could do her accent,” said Simpson.

The show was successful and Simpson began searching for another woman of influence to portray. On research, she was surprised to find that Erma Bombeck had been voted one of the most influential women in America several years in a row.

“I didn’t read her a lot, but I felt I could copy her sense of humor,” she said.

Further research of Bombeck led Simpson to find common ground.

“Erma said that if you can get people to laugh you open their heart and mind. That’s what I like about her,” she said.

Does Simpson think she is funny?

“I don’t think I am funny,” she said. “But people tell me I am, so I guess I am. I think I am a good listener, but I don’t pass up a chance to be funny. I write good humor. I write funny. Erma described it best. She said, ‘I don’t look on the outside like I am funny, but I knew on the inside I could make people laugh.’ That’s me.”

WANT TO GO? Shirley Simpson’s one-woman show begins at 1:30 p.m. Doors open at 1 p.m. A meet-the-artist reception follows the performance. The show benefits educational opportunities for women.