HOT FLASHES OF LAUGHTER
Much mirth to be found in menopause
Apparently menopause is funny.
After all, who couldn’t find humour in a medical condition with symptoms that include, but aren’t limited to, hot flashes, night sweats, urinary frequency, depression, fatigue, irritability and memory loss?
While that question might seem a bit crass or sarcastic, it turns out that humour helps many women deal with the fiendish condition and its wicked symptoms.
The GFour Productions touring company of Menopause The Musical made a one-night stop at the Conexus Arts Centre on Wednesday night and the production did indeed yuk it up through singing, dancing and sisterhood.
The production had a minimal setting — a large backdrop served as Bloomingdale’s in New York City — with various interchangeable props to take the cast to different areas of the store.
The cast was also minimal with just four actors. The story, written by Jeanie Linders, has four distinctly different women meet in Bloomingdale’s during a sale. Despite their differences, the women bond over their common enemy: menopause.
The actors were suited quite well for their roles — Donna J. Huntley as Professional Woman, Rebecca Fisher as Soap Star, Marsha Waterbury as Earth Mother and Liz Hyde as Iowa Housewife.
Some people can act, some people can sing and some people can dance but only a few people can do all three well enough to deliver the goods. Fortunately for the large crowd at the Conexus Arts Centre — which, surprise, was comprised of many women and just a few men — the cast was more than capable meeting the requirements of their respective roles.
Hyde was particularly funny as the Iowa Housewife. In an interview with the Leader-Post leading up to the show, Hyde described herself as a “plus size woman” and that attribute turned out to be an additional weapon in her comedic arsenal.
During a scene where the Iowa Housewife is searching for some lingerie to spice up her love life with her husband, Hyde had the audience in stitches as she struggled and fought to make a small, black negligee fit.
It was physical comedy at its best.
The Iowa Housewife also had some of the best lines. When describing how menopause made her feel, she said, “Just yesterday I was the captain of the cheerleading team at Dixon High. Now I’m the captain of the Titanic and it’s a sinking feeling.”
When describing her mood swings, she said, “I’m a lot more pushy ... when I’m not crying.”
The production is powered by a hefty catalogue of hit songs from the 1960s and 1970s that are instantly recognizable — that is until you realize Linders has rewritten the lyrics to fit the subject matter.
For example, The Lion Sleeps Tonight includes the lyric, “in the guest room or on the sofa, my husband sleeps tonight,” while California Girls includes, “I wish we all could be sane and normal girls.”
The comedic timing of the actors was quite good, as was their singing. Huntley had an impressive solo with I’m Flashin’ — her voice was strong and powerful and she displayed her range while coming down one side of the stage, making her way across the front row of the audience and returning up the other side of the stage. Huntley also brought the house down late in the production with a version of What’s Love Got To Do With It while decked out as Tina Turner.
Fisher had a similar solo — “My personal summer is really a bummer” — and she added a wrinkle of her own by serenading a man in the front row. She played with his hair, took a quick seat on his lap and then encouraged him to give her a call, which left the audience howling.
Hyde mentioned in her interview that many people return to see the show two or three times because they missed some of the jokes the first time around because they were laughing so hard. There might be a few people who fit this bill, but I’m not convinced many people left Wednesday’s show planning to catch it again any time soon.
But that’s not to say the production wasn’t entertaining. The 95-minute show produced an evening full of laughter and that’s an impressive achievement in itself.