- November 17, 2024
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Menopause. It’s one of those taboo topics that gets pushed under the rug. The silent passage. But over the past decade and a half, the change of life has become something woman can laugh about, and there’s no doubt that the Broadway hit, “Menopause: The Musical,” had a lot to do with women’s newfound celebration of the change.
“I affectionately dubbed it, ‘the little show that could,’” said Producer Kathi Glist. Out of the 10-20 scripts per a week that hit the desks of executives, this one was an unlikely winner. “Here we have this author who has never written anything before and was living the experience of a woman miffed with menopause. She was with friends drinking wine and started singing parodies of songs she grew up with, and it caught on.”
Writer Jeanie Linders took the silent passage and turned it into a mini movement.
“What I discovered is women just didn’t want to admit that they’ve come to this juncture in their life,” said Glist, who has been producing the show for 12 years. “I’ve been with the show now almost as long as it’s been around, and I love to see women and men walk into the theater carrying the burdens of the day or life on their shoulders and then seeing them leave, dancing out. The show becomes a vehicle to continue the conversation about what women are going through.”
The show zooms in on the lives off four women at a lingerie sale with nothing in common but a black lace bra and memory loss, hot flashes, night sweats, not enough sex, too much sex and other classic menopause symptoms. The musical parody is set to classic tunes from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s where “Staying Alive” becomes “Staying Awake,” and “My Guy” becomes “My Thighs.”
Glist pointed out that the show does not make fun of menopause, but instead pokes fun so the audience can laugh together at the symptoms.
“It is pure entertainment, toe-tapping tunes, but then it’s a little enlightening, as well,” Glist said. “About halfway through the show, it becomes very empowering.”
Glist said that there’s something magical that happens and a relatability in the show that allows the audience to say, “That’s me,” and by the end, they have become the fifth girlfriend.
And although women take ownership of the play, men are encouraged to join the audience to learn something about the women in their lives. Glist once heard a man while leaving a show say that it should be a mandatory workshop for all men.
Giving back to women
From the early stages of the show, the cast and crew have felt a strong pull to give back to women. Over the years, the show has donated $1 million to the Ovarian Cancer Alliance, and, more recently, in an effort to “share the wealth,” has gone pink with a partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
When the tour makes its stop at the Flagler Auditorium in January, the donations will be staying a little closer to home, with $5 of every ticket sale going to the Florida Hospital’s Pink Army.
“When we can give back right to the community we are performing in, it is a great goal,” Glist said.
The staff at the Flagler Auditorium is excited to have the show return for a second year and to support the Pink Army.
Glist said that the shift to supporting breast cancer also hits home with the cast of the show. Cast member Megan Cavanagh, who is known for her role as Marla Hooch in the 1993 film “A League of Their Own,” discovered she had breast cancer while touring. She recently rejoined the cast and Glist said the donations are honoring her and other cast members and women throughout the world, who want to make a difference in something that affects so many.
In the fall of 2015, the “Menopause: The Musical” tour will take it a step further with a cast made solely of breast cancer survivors with proceeds being donated back to Susan G. Komen.
“That’s what sets our show apart; it is that connection to the audience,” Glist said.
“Menopause: The Musical” will take the stage at the Flagler Auditorium for two shows Jan. 10. The cast includes Herie Price as the Soap Star, Annette Houlihan Verdolino as the Iowa Housewife, Ingrid Cole as Earth Mother and Linda Boston as the Professional Woman.
IF YOU GO
What: “Meonpause: The Musical”
When: 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Jan. 10
Where: Flagler Auditorium, 5500 State Road 100, Palm Coast
Tickets: $39. Call 437-7547. Mention the Pink Army and a $5 donation will be made for every pink ticket sold.
