Hackett Miller Company to Debut New Male Menopause Themed Musical Comedy MANDROPAUSE

While the World Health Organization takes its sweet time debating whether "Andropause" also known as "male menopause" is an officially recognized medical condition, Sandy Hackett and Lisa Dawn Miller creators and stars of the long-running global touring musical sensation "Sandy Hackett's Rat Pack Show" are having a ball sharing the joys, pains and grand musical possibilities of the concept in their funny, yet poignant new, cleverly-titled original musical, "Mandropause."

Produced by the Hackett Miller Company, Inc., the show is directed by Hackett from a book by himself and Miller, who also play lead roles in the production. Of the 20 featured songs, 10 were penned by Miller along with her longtime producing and now, songwriting partner Mark Matson. Miller has long been committed throughout her professional and personal life to celebrating the legacy of her father, legendary Motown songwriter Ron Miller, and includes four previously unreleased songs of his in the show.

Six other songs, penned in the classic Gilbert and Sullivan style, are revamped versions of pieces originally written by Ron Miller and his wife (also Lisa's mother) Aurora Miller, who was also a Motown songwriter and is a classical pianist and soprano. The Millers originally wrote these pieces for a musical that went unproduced, and Lisa, inspired by the vibe of these tunes, wrote new lyrics to her mother's music.

The story of "Mandropause" revolves around four male characters ranging in age from 45-55 who are working out at the same gym and begin discussing how they are dealing with the "change of life." Larry, a plumber, is the "Mr. Macho" of the group who is in denial that he is experiencing male menopause. Detailing all of his medical maladies, his doctors discuss the results of his latest physical exam via the clever Ron Miller song, "Outside of That, You're Doing Fine!" the title of the song is also a tag line on the musical's website (www.mandropause.com).

More accepting of his mid-life condition is Lenny, a devoted family man. Gary is an egotistical lawyer with a potbelly who sees muscles and a six-pack when he looks in the mirror. Hackett plays Norman, a gay man who is not only unafraid to accept the aging process but embraces it and wants to help his gym mates do the same. Lisa plays two roles with very opposite personalities, the wives of Lenny and Larry.

"Though male menopause is often described as the result of a gradual drop in testosterone levels," she says, "we have found that middle aged men have a wide range of physical and emotional issues, from hearing loss, needing reading glasses, hair loss, an overall slowing down in energy and fears related to purpose and legacy and worrying about being able to continue to provide for their loved ones.

"We wrote the song 'Andropausal Man' about some of things men might go through during male menopause," Lisa adds. "The lyrics are sometimes funny, yes, but we want to celebrate the aging process and turn it into a positive."

Among all the joys, pains and life lessons, there are also beautiful, subtle references to the families of both Sandy and Lisa that help celebrate their legacy. "Lenny" is for Leonard, the real name of Sandy's father, legendary comedian and actor Buddy Hackett. "Norman" was Ron Miller's middle name. Lisa's character, "Aurora" (Lenny's wife), is named after her mother Aurora Miller, while her character "Sylvia" (Larry's wife) is named for Mark Matson's mother.

"Legacy plays an important part of 'Mandropause' and every show Sandy and I do," says Lisa. "Sandy's family has been in the business of making people laugh and mine has been in the business of making people cry. It's the perfect combination. On a personal level, I welcome this opportunity to stretch both as an actress and as a songwriter. I learned so much from my parents about musical theatre writing, and the original songs Mark and I wrote truly reflect their enduring influence."

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