No longer is it The Silent Passage! Chances are Menopause the Musical is the first production you’ll ever see that throws in some bras, lingerie and even a Soap Star, to celebrate that special time in a woman’s life. In this episode of SSC Presents, intrepid Loni wanted to find out the scuttlebutt. So she headed to the California Theatre where the show was playing while in San Jose (it’s now in San Francisco, before continuing on tour across the country).
“It’s about four women who are about to go through that passage of life, or who are in it,” says Lisa Fox (“Soap Star”). “All the songs are parodies of songs the audience knows, but we’ve changed them to include all the symptoms that women go through.”
Watch out though when you see this musical, for you might even find yourself on stage doing the Can-can! Audience participation is just one of the fun elements that keeps the energy high, and the laughs coming.
Backstage, Liz Hyde (“Iowa Housewife”) shows Loni some of the wardrobe used to bring the four hysterical woman to musical life in a very interesting day of shopping. See how special booths located behind the set enable the performers to make quick changes.
In her review of the show, Patricia Reardon wrote, “Nothing is left out of the parade; hot flashes, sleeplessness, weight gain, libido, memory loss, food binges, it’s all there.”
It’s estimated that nearly 11 million have attended a performance since the 2001 opening in Orlando, Florida. The production has played in more than 250 cities in a total of 14 countries.
But still the question: Will the bra fit?