Menopause The Musical "Sweatin’ with the Oldies"

Inspired by hot flashes and humor, Menopause The Musical made its Kimmel Center premiere on Sept. 29 through Oct. 4 at the Perelman Theatre.

 Menopause The Musical last played to sold-out houses at the Society Hill Playhouse from 2004 to 2008. The show, which has become an international phenomenon was written by Jeanie Linders and is produced by South Florida-based GFour Productions. Menopause The Musical has been seen by over 11 million people all over the world since it debuted in a 76-seat perfume-shop-turned-theatre in Orlando, Florida in 2001.

Jeanie Linders, no doubt a hot flasher herself, is the writer and producer of this clever, fun filled show that addresses the mental, emotional and physical challenge of millions of women "passed the bloom of youth".  Billed as "The Hilarious Celebration of Women and The Change", Menopause the Musical takes the audience on a journey of four very different women. They are simply known as "Professional Woman (Lisa Mack), "Earth Mother" (Ingrid Cole), "Soap Star" (Patti Gardner) and Iowa Housewife" (Carolynne Warren). All four ladies find themselves at Bloomingdale's fighting over a black lace bra with nothing in common except, hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss, and food binges.

Linders takes some of the most popular songs from the 60's, 70's and 80's and turns them into the parodies about menopausal women. All four ladies work up a legitimate "sweat" singing, dancing and thoroughly entertaining themselves (and the audience) with such clever re-makes of "Stayin' Awake" (Stayin' Alive), "Tropical Hot Flash" (Tropical Heat Wave), "My Thighs" (My Guy), Beach Boys "Help Me, Rhonda" becomes "Help Me, Doctor",  Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools" recast as "Change of Life"; and '60s folk classic "Puff the Magic Dragon" as an ode to exhaustion: "Puff, My God, I'm Draggin."

According to Linders, the show's intention is that this taboo topic which was always considered a "silent passage" should be turned into a celebration of life after 40. It's truly a chance for women (and men) to look, learn and laugh at a perfectly normal stage of life. 

Mack, Cole, Gardner & Warren are a dynamic quartet of high energy, high emotion with Broadway enviable dance moves and expert harmony. Mack's Tina Turner totally brings down the house and Cole's 60's hippie interpretation of the "I'm still living in Woodstock" character is a solid yet slightly unstable flashback of funny faces and flower power.

"The show has become a point of relating, a celebration of a life passage that launches women into a new exciting phase of their lives", says Linders. Most women know intuitively what every other woman is facing with the onset of the menopause. They talk about it with their friends and, on occasion with their spouses. But, when they are in a theatre with hundreds of women, and they're all shouting That's Me! Then they know what they are experiencing is normal. They call it a sisterhood!"

The audience calls it 90 minuets of "I can't believe they set this to music" with a side order of chocolate, and a few dozen laughs away from knowing we're all going to survive this together.

For more information about the show visit http://www.menopausethemusical.com.

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