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The Shlepperellas or, as they also like to call themselves, Mothers Gone Mad, are a comedy musical review comprised of three Bay Area women, all married, all with children, who do skits about trying to survive in the increasingly competitive Bay Area world that demands that women do it all. 

The Shlepperellas’ one-year anniversary show plays Saturday at Julia Morgan Center for the Arts in Berkeley. 

“These characters are highly educated, and living in a high stress world,” said Shlepperella Karen Schilling-Gould about the group’s characters. “They are trying to be the perfect mother, perfect business person, perfect spouse, perfect social individual. The show delves inside these women’s fantasies, fears, hopes, and dreams, in a very comedic way.” 

The Shlepperellas consist of 30-something Schilling-Gould and 40-something Linda Merriweather and Terry Sand. “I’d tell you my exact age,” said Sand, “but I’ve lied about it for so long, I don’t remember.” 

Sand is the member of the group with the longest list of professional credentials. She received a Masters in dance choreography from UCLA in 1977, learning through that study that she had a flare for comedy. 

Sand began performing at the Holy City Zoo in San Francisco in 1978 with the improv group Papaya Juice, whose most famous alum is Robin Williams. She later worked the San Francisco comedy clubs with Dana Carvey, Nora Dunn, Ellen DeGeneres, Paula Poundstone and others. 

After Papaya Juice, Sand was in an all-woman improv group called Femprov, from 1980-87. In 1982 she was elected San Francisco’s first Miss Haight Ashbury, in a comedy competition sponsored by the Other Cafe. 

For six years Sand worked for KPIX television doing the audience warm-up for “People Are Talking.” She currently travels the country as a motivational speaker, giving talks on humor, and doing improv in the workplace. 

“I got into the corporate environment where people are desperate for a break,” said Sand. “Now I don’t have to stay up late in smoky clubs. I can age gracefully and perform till I’m eight feet under. The older you get the more credibility you have as a speaker, which is the opposite of Hollywood and television.” 

What kind of corporate humor does she do? Well, there are “Tips from Terry,” which Sand describes as “Martha Stewart gone awry.” An example? “Well,” said Sand, “if you’re having company, and preparing food, and you can’t find a colander, you can use your panty hose instead.” 

Schilling-Gould and Merriweather are both stay-at-home moms and wives who have studied and performed comedy and improv locally. The three met “a bagel and lox spread” and came up with the idea of the Shlepperellas. 

“We laughed at the insanity of Bay Area women trying to keep every ball in the air at once,” sad Sand. “If it wasn’t for Webvan, we’d all be starving. They’re my new higher power. My daughter didn’t have a healthy meal until the Internet.” 

The Shlepperellas performed their first show last summer in a Redwood City synagogue a year ago. They’ve since played the Mountain View Center for Performing Arts, and other local venues. 

The Shlepperellas’ show covers work, marriage, children, therapy, mothers, daughters, body image, husbands, fidelity and more. 

“In our segment ‘Vechaflesh,’” said Sand, “we deal with the horrifying experience that women have which is realizing that no matter how many triceps push-ups you do, that little hunk of skin on the back of your upper arm is still going to be flapping.” 

“So we sing a song about it, dance, celebrate it,’ said Sand. “I worked hard to get to this place in my life, and I want to celebrate it.” 

“We are having a ball,” she continued. “We’re happy we’re so well received. We’re giving a voice to a generation that there’s not a lot of comedy for. And our shows are early and short, so you can go home and get the baby sitter back.” 

The Shlepperellas (Mothers Gone Mad) play Saturday, 8 p.m., at Julian Morgan Center for the Arts, 2963 College Ave., Berkeley. For tickets, call 925-798-1300.