Menopause The Musical takes a look at the funny side of hot flushes, mood swings and weight gain. Yes, apparently there is one.
Menopause used to cause embarrassment, but here it is in all its glory, coming live to The Roxy, Bingara on Saturday 12th September 2009, with a message that laughter is the best antidote to a hot flush.
Four very different characters; an ageing soapie star, a hippy survivor, a business woman and a housewife from Dubbo, meet at a sale in the underwear section of a department store.
Recognising that they have many things in common they compare ‘notes’ on the way they are betrayed by their bodies. Sisterhood is the key to surviving all those disasters, and also provides the therapy to turn them into a triumphant assertion of new identity.
These four enormously talented women bring a joyous message back from the other side of "the change". It helps, of course, that the roll call of symptoms — the memory loss, night sweats, binge eating, insomnia and “lost in space moments’ — are aired in song.
The play list is a brilliant line-up of anthems from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. These are belted out with a storm of hilarity and cheeky moves. The combination of familiar music and ironic words that hilariously parody romance, as well as the performers’ irresistibly engaging talent at self-parody, mean the audience break into laughter at the first familiar notes.
So, for example, the pulsing rhythm of The Lion Sleeps Tonight is deflated by the marital flight from hot sweats of "in the guestroom, and on the sofa, my husband sleeps the night." The hilarious rendition of My Guy, judiciously translated as “My Thighs,” literally brings the house down with each and every performance.
Finally, a triumphant transformation into a vision of mature glamour ends a show that leaves the audience on their feet, clapping, cheering and even dancing joyously on stage.
Over 9 million people across the world have seen this smash-hit phenomenon, with well over half a million of those in Australia. And it’s not just exclusively for women. According to the cast, “The men that choose to accompany their wives to the show actually get a bigger kick out of it than the women.”
It is a credit to the four fabulous performers that they are able to make “the change” seem absolutely hilarious. It is even more admirable that they are able to lead both men and women along this journey, allowing them to share the humourous side of one of life’s less talked about, yet significant, transitions.
The wonderfully original concept, design and set changes contribute to a fast paced show which never flags. The changes are thick and fast, each more outrageous than the last. The music is exhilarating; all of which guarantees one of the funniest nights you’ll ever spend in the theatre.
Menopause The Musical is showing at The Roxy on Saturday 12th September at 8pm and 2pm. Don’t miss it! Tickets are available at the Bingara Tourist Information Centre tel: 67 24 0066.
