Review: Going Through MID-LIFE! The Crisis Musical at Winter Park Playhouse

No one looks forward to their mid-life crisis. Known as the time when men buy expensive sports cars and women go through the dreaded menopause. Mid-life is certainly not glamorous. So if you can't beat it, turn it into a laugh out loud musical. Winter Park Playhouse presents MID-LIFE! THE CRISIS MUSICAL, which pokes fun at all things relating to this strange time.

MID-LIFE! The Crisis Musical has a loose plot that can best be described as small vignettes that describe the archetypical trials and tribulations of middle age. Everything from reading glasses to children who fail to leave the nest to mammograms, if it happens in your 40s and 50s then the show touches upon it. It's very lighthearted and exactly what it needs to be with good pacing, catchy tunes and just enough surprises to keep it interesting.

With six cast members, this is one of the larger Winter Park Playhouse productions I've seen. They all work really well together and sound absolutely fantastic in ensemble and in solos. "Turning Forty" performed by Shawn Kilgore started the laughs out loud as he faced one of his greatest fears: Becoming his father. I'd love to see more from Krista Leona Anderson at WPP. She was the funny comedic relief who was well suited for her roles as Woman 2.

"A Trip to the Doctor" garnered laughs and squeals from women as it describes an equally painful yet entertaining singing mammogram. The men got their turn in "Another Trip to the Doctor" which describes the anticipation over prostate exams. I anxiously waited for the overdone jokes about menopause thinking it would be appropriately corny. Instead, "Mid-Life Translator" and "Classical Menopause" provided original and an unexpected approach to the topic. Despite the all humor, my favorite song appears at the end of Act II. "The Long Goodbye" has one of the most beautiful melodies and heartfelt lyrics.

As I speed rapidly towards my mid-life crisis, I can only hope that it's as entertaining as it seems. I already suffer from CRS aka Can't Remember Sh!t. My biggest takeaway from MID-LIFE! The Crisis Musical is that as unbearable as it is, good friends seem to make the difference. Also, it's best not to fight the insecurities and just accept that you are going to become your mother/father.

It's a show for a great night out. Directed by Michael Edwards, MID-LIFE! The Crisis Musical runs at the Winter Park Playhouse from March 11 through April 8. For tickets and more information call the box office 407-645- 0145 or visit online at www.winterparkplayhouse.org.

Header Image left to right: Heather Alexander, Todd Allen Long, Lourelene Snedeker, Shawn Kilgore, Krista Leona Anderson, Glenn Gover. Photo by Michael Cairns

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