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Menopause The Musical

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Menopause The Musical
Image: 250 pixels
MusicVarious
LyricsJeanie Linders
BookJeanie Linders
Productions2001 Orlando
2002 Off-Broadway
2006 United States tour (ongoing)
2006 Las Vegas (ongoing)
2006 Canada tour (ongoing)
2007 London
2007 South Africa
2007 Malaysia
2015 United Kingdom & Ireland tour (ongoing)
2016 Australia & New Zealand tour (ongoing)
2016 Mexico
2018 Spain
2018 Slovenia
2018 Brazil
2019 South Korea
2019 France (ongoing)
2019 Croatia
2019 Hungary
2020 Finland (ongoing)

Menopause The Musical is a 2001 musical with book and lyrics by Jeanie Linders which premiered on March 28, 2001 in Orlando, Florida. The musical follows four mature women shopping for lingerie at a Bloomingdale's sale, with lyrics parodying popular music from the baby boomer era to reflect symptoms of the menopause. Following the success of an Off-Broadway production, running for over 1,500 performances until 2006,[1] the show was produced across the United States touring to the present day including in Las Vegas, where it has been running since 2006 as the longest running scripted musical in Las Vegas history.[2][3] The show has spawned productions worldwide.

Productions

Original Orlando production

The original Orlando production opened on March 28, 2001 at the Church Street Theatre building, that was specifically converted from a perfume shop into a 76-seat theatre for the show.[4] Its original cast members were Shelly Brown as the Power Woman (later renamed the Professional Woman), Patti McGuire as the Iowa Housewife, Pammie O'Bannon as the Earth Mother, and Wesley Williams as the Soap Star. The show then transferred to West Palm Beach's Cuillo Center on June 22, 2001.[5]

Original off-Broadway productions

The Off-Broadway production officially opened at Theatre Four on April 4, 2002, after a month of previews. It then transferred to Playhouse 91 in September of that year.[6] After running for four years, the Off-Broadway production closed in May 2006.[7]

North American productions

Alongside the New York and Florida runs, GFour Productions mounted further sit-down productions throughout the United States. These opened at the Apollo Theatre in Chicago on July 25, 2003, becoming the highest grossing musical in the theatre's history after 1,281 performances,[8] the Coronet Theatre in Los Angeles on October 30, 2003, the Gem Theatre in Detroit on March 17, 2004 becoming the longest running show in Michigan's history[9] and the Stuart Street Playhouse in Boston on March 31, 2004 running for 1,092 performances.[10] The Las Vegas production has been running continuously since 2006, currently at Harrah's Las Vegas.[11][12]

This was followed by a national tour that continues to run to this day,[13] reaching over 500 cities worldwide.[14] A further American tour specifically to raise funds and awareness for the fight against ovarian cancer was later launched in 2015.[15]

International productions

International productions have been staged all over the world. Local references in the show are customized to the location of the performance. For example, the 'Iowa Housewife' became 'Dubbo Housewife' in Australia;[16] America's Bloomingdale's became Marks & Spencer in London.[17]

Original US production musical numbers

Reception

The New York Times cited the lyrics as "awkward" but "inspired" and that it was "impossible not to laugh".[18] The Los Angeles Times said the "supreme silliness" was "fresh, funny and simply terrific".[19] The Daily Californian summarised that "Menopause's collection of great oldies, clever tongue-in-cheek lyrics and entertaining dance routines prevented me from making any I-Need-Air trips to the restroom."[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ https://www.broadway.com/buzz/95297/off-broadways-menopause-the-musical-to-close-on-april-23/
  2. ^ https://www.caesars.com/harrahs-las-vegas/shows/menopause-the-musical
  3. ^ https://news3lv.com/news/things-to-do/cindy-williams-returns-to-harrahs-las-vegas-staring-in-menopause-the-musical
  4. ^ https://www.lyrictheatre.com/past-show/9136-menopause-the-musical
  5. ^ https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2001-06-22-0106200705-story.html
  6. ^ Hernandez, Ernio (3 August 2004). "Off-Broadway's Menopause The Musical Hits 1,000 Performances, Aug. 3". Playbill.com. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  7. ^ Simonson, Robert (May 9, 2006), Long-Running Off-Broadway Hit Menopause the Musical to Close May 14, Playbill.com, archived from the original on November 26, 2006, retrieved 2007-12-15
  8. ^ https://www.theatreinchicago.com/news.php?articleID=152
  9. ^ https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=v8RHDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA228&lpg=PA228
  10. ^ https://www.broadwayworld.com/boston/article/MENOPAUSE-THE-MUSICAL-to-Return-to-Boston-Area-at-Stoneham-Theatre-612-29-20140611
  11. ^ Musical aims to change lives
  12. ^ Menopause The Musical Still a Hot Flash of Fun
  13. ^ [1]
  14. ^ [2]
  15. ^ [3]
  16. ^ https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/new-lease-of-life/news-story/29165d8e1c709d3e8a4f4889ed4736ca?sv=921ba581f3cd48d3d7db4c4cef9af1a3
  17. ^ https://www.toyah.net/supollardofficial/newsarchive38.html
  18. ^ https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/06/theater/theater-review-hot-flashes-squishy-thighs-yee-ha.html
  19. ^ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-nov-21-et-foley21-story.html
  20. ^ Kagy, Genessee (November 10, 2005), Pleasing Loud, Proud And Middle-Aged Crowds, Daily Californian, retrieved 2007-12-14[permanent dead link]
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