by dick kerekes dickkerekes@yahoo.com
The FCCJ Artist Series opened Jeanie Linders’ Menopause…the Musical at the Terry Theatre in the Times Union Center last week. The show is scheduled to run through December l7th with Wednesday to Saturday performances at 7:30 PM, and matinees Saturday at 4:00 PM and Sunday at 2:00 PM and 5:30 PM.
Menopause is one of the hottest musicals in America playing in fourteen cities across the country with more opening soon. In the foreign market, productions are up and running in Australia, Mexico, the Philippines and South Korea.
What’s the buzz? Why so popular? Of the 75 million baby-boomers, 38 million are women going through menopause. Government researchers figure that by 2008, menopausal women will be the largest demographic in America!!!. (Are you paying attention, politicians?)
Between 6 and 7 million people have seen this show since its modest start in a small theatre in Orlando in 2001. There were at least a couple of dozen guys at the performance I attended, and the chatter in the men’s room after the show was all-positive! They loved it!!! If you can buy stock in this show, do it, since it looks like it will be around for a long time.
The plot is very simple and this is it in a nutshell.
Four women, over the age of 40 meet in the lingerie section of a New York department store, and discuss and sing about their irritations and annoyances going through the change of life. They not only belt out 25 songs, but do a fashion show as the musical runs through 90 fast paced minutes without intermission.
Most of the songs will be familiar to anyone over 40 or anyone who listens to an oldie radio station except you won’t recognize the lyrics or the titles. Smokey Robinson’s “ My Guy” becomes “ My Thighs.” “Puff, The Magic Dragon” becomes “Help, my anatomy is dragging” after an exercise routine to lose weight. You get the idea. Oh, the music and dialogue is done at full blast, so if you are hard of hearing, you can leave aids at home and save on batteries, I guarantee you won’t need them.
I saw this show initially at the Wilson Center, two or three years ago, and I liked it, but I truly think this production is better. Why? The talent on stage is exceptional. Four women with different looks and different voices are so well cast for the songs they sing.
Lisa Rachel Harris as Power Woman is at her absolute best when she does a Tina Turner impersonation, which brought the house down. Patti Eyler as the Soap Star sizzles in a torch song version of “I’ m Having a Hot Flash.” Guys, if you are going, try to get a front row seat and Patti might wind up in your lap for a few moments. If Ms Eyler’s name is familiar to you, it is probably because she has done a number of shows at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre over the years.
Lynne Morris as Earth Mother (dressed in 60s clothing) blew us away when she sang “Sign of the Times”. Ms. Morris loves to play directly to the audience and is an excellent comedienne. Dyan Beder is an Iowa Housewife and sings an absolutely show stopping number when she pays tribute to her battery operated companion. She was equally hilarious when trying to put on lingerie three sizes too small.
The music is live and “The Band” consists of the well-known and always proficient Laura Peden as conductor and on the piano, with Kevin Perryman on drums and Joe Mackenzie on bass guitar.
The show ends with the women in the audience being invited up on stage to “perform” with the cast in a line kick number. What a fabulous show, and so educational too. Men learn to be a bit more tolerant, and women are helped to validate a lot of things they had mistaken for insanity as just a part of going through the change.
The show is at the small 600-seat theatre, which may make it difficult to get tickets for some performances but on the plus side this space has wonderful intimacy. You can see these talented women up close and personal and hear their marvelous singing voices loud and clear.
You can reserve tickets to this hilarious celebration of Women and The Change by calling 632-3373. Outside Jacksonville call 1 888 860 2929.
There are special rates for groups of l2 or more and I noticed many “Red Hat” ladies in the audience on opening night. I am not being “The Great Pretender” (one of the songs in the show) when I say I thoroughly enjoyed this show, and you will too, so don’t miss it.
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