Review: MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

Last night in Sarasota at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, (the Purple Palace on the Bay), the audience went through menopause together. And they loved every minute of it.

Sarasota has a reputation as the arts and cultural epicenter of Florida. The city celebrates the arts like none other. Some however may not know that Sarasota audiences also have a reputation. They are known for their generous laughter, reciprocal energy, and hearty, appreciative applause. You would have thought you were in a football stadium hearing the roar of cheering crowds if were you lucky enough to attend Menopause The Musical.

Teri Adams. (Iowa Housewife), Megan Cavanaugh, (Earth Mother), Rebecca Fisher, (Soap Star), and Donna J. Huntley, (Professional Woman), brought the house down and heated up the stage in Jeanie Linders amusing comedy about women going through "the change". The ladies sing their way through Bloomingdales where they meet, befriend each other, shop and compare manifestations of night sweats, food cravings, memory loss and sex, or the lack thereof. What makes the show fun and campy is that the songs are familiar tunes but the lyrics have been changed to fit the theme of the show. Songs mostly pulled from the 60's and 70's, such as Puff The Magic Dragon, Heatwave, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, and Stayin' Alive, become, Puff, My God I'm Draggin', Hot Flash, My Husband Sleeps Tonight, and Stayin' Awake. Two numbers that really got the crowd on their feet was Sonny and Cher's. I Got You Babe, (I'm Not Babe, Ma), a song to their mothers, and Tina Turner's What's Love Got To Do With It.

Ms. Huntley received the most animated audience response, as she channeled Tina Turner with a capitol "T". The woman can sing and dance! Ms. Cavanaugh was awesome as the humorous and lovable, bohemian hippie, Earth Mother. Ms. Fisher steamed up the stage and a few guys in the audience when she sang to them while sitting on on their laps. Ms. Adams was glorious as the introverted housewife who finds her freedom singing Only You, to her new adult toy.

Under the skillful direction of Seth Greenleaf, the ladies were given license to playfully enjoy their characters. Choreographer Daria Lynne Melendez did a fine job keeping the performers moving and the scenarios entertaining. Bud Clark's clever set design kept the façade of Bloomingdale's stationary while interchanging various pieces for each number. Artful lighting effects, (Ryan Patridge), and lively costuming, (Sue Hill), added delightful touches to frequent scene changes.

All in all it was an entertaining evening of fun and laughter celebrating the sisterhood in all its menopausal glory. The evening culminated in an energetic rush to the stage when the audience was invited to join cast for a celebratory dance. Whew, is it hot in here, or is it just me? Such fun!

For more information on the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall visit www.vanwezel.org

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