Google “menopause” and here are some of the phrases you’ll find: Dizziness. Hot flashes. Weight gain. Joint pain. Moodiness. Crashing fatigue. Sounds like a super idea for a musical comedy, huh? Yeah, right. And yet, somehow, Jeanie Linders, the visionary creator of Menopause: The Musical, knew she was onto something.
This quirky little show starts off in the lingerie section of Bloomingdale’s. Four women pick over the remnants of the clearance bin: a hard-shelled corporate honcho, an aging hippie, a Botoxed and fading actress, and a mousy mom from the Mid-West. Four strangers with only two things in common: they all want to get their hands on that last brassiere left on the sale table and…they’re all muddling through (shhhh!) “The Change”.
Menopause: The Musical bills itself as “The Hilarious Celebration of Women and The Change”, and its brisk 90-minute running time is jam-packed with songs and sight gags that help it live up to that promise. The show’s cast brings high energy and formidable vocal talent to this kicky revue, covering topics ranging from night sweats and incontinence to memory loss and non-stop crying jags. Although the characters start off alone and isolated, the bonds of friendship begin to form as they reveal themselves to each other and to us, in musical numbers that take place on each of Bloomie’s retail floors.
Menopause’s central gimmick is the swapping of lyrics from beloved pop tunes of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s with new lyrics that make hay with the condition’s myriad symptoms and side effects. Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools” becomes “Change of Life” and The Bee Gees’ “Staying Alive” becomes “Staying Awake”. Our familiarity with these melodies lets us engage in a little nostalgia while we’re giggling at the cleverness of the replacement lyrics.
All four actresses deserve nods for taking intentionally broad characters and nimbly adding flesh to bone. Sandra Benton (Professional Woman) has the pipes and the presence of Jennifer Holliday as she croons “I heard it through the grapevine/that you no longer see thirty-nine”. Her later turn in full Tina Turner drag is a show stopper. Paige O’Hara (Soap Star) tries to hide her real age with the help of aerobics and a good publicist. One of her funniest bits happens when she treats a lucky silver fox in the third row to a sultry serenade…on his lap. Laura Lee O’Connell (Earth Mother) provides the show’s sardonic punch as she tries to quell the rumblings of her misbehaving body with kooky humor and Zen wisdom. And Annette Verdolino knocks it out of the park as the wide-eyed Iowa Housewife, her Betty Boop-meets-Edith Bunker lilt disguising a supple singing voice – her treatment of “Looking for Food (In All the Wrong Places)” would make Reba McIntire proud.
Menopause never sacrifices heart for cheap laughs. The characters touch on fears about losing their looks, getting shoved aside in the workplace and in the bedroom, and coping with the aging of their own mothers without ever being heavy-handed. Their compassionate brand of humor goes a long way in making this lighthearted revue into something more deeply felt.
Menopause: The Musical has been enjoyed by more than 11 million people worldwide since its 2001 debut. It’s easy to see why. Bring your sister, your husband, your mom, and your best friend. Menopause: The Musical will win everyone over!
Shows: Wed. - Mon. at 5:30 p.m.; Tues., 8 p.m. (While Carrot Top is dark, performances are 8 p.m.). Tickets priced at $49.95, $59.95 + tax & fee.
-Cecelia Hart
