Yelling, mood swings and hot flashes, the only way to enjoy menopause is at the American Heartland Theatre production of, “Menopause, The Musical.” The play, written by Jeanie Linders, is running through February 17 at the Off Center Theatre in Crown Center.
What you get when you mix a Power Woman, Earth Mother, Soap Star and an Iowa Housewife together, all who are going through the “change”, is a group of women that will make anyone run. In the case of “Menopause, The Musical” they should run to the American Heartland to see a hilarious presentation by four remarkably talented women.
Nedra Dixon, has appeared at Carnegie Hall and Madison Square Garden in New York, is fantastic as the Power Woman. Setting the tone of the evening Dixon opens with a song while the other actresses sing along and fight over women’s undergarments. When the swinging doors open and Dixon steps out dressed as Tina Turner the performance is electrifying. The audience erupts as she shakes her booty at the edge of the stage.
Teri Adams, portraying the Iowa Housewife, first appeared in Menopause in 2006 at the American Heartland (the show ran for five months to sold-out crowds). Adams was perfect for the role of the uptight housewife who learns to loosen-up with the help of the other players. One of the funniest moments is when Adams attempts to try on risqué lingerie.
The voices and acting by Julie Shaw, as the Soap Star, and Valerie Mackey, as the Earth Mother was fabulous. The audience erupts as Shaw picks out a male sitting near the stage and sings to him as she sits on his lap. It continues through the entire song as she indicates she wants him to call her. It is evident that meditation isn’t going to help Mackey get through the “change”. However it does help to add to the abundant humor in the play. The way Mackey looks, dresses and acts makes it easy to believe she was trapped in the 60’s.
The program lists about 24 songs that are sung by the cast throughout the performance. The parody of some of the best songs of rock and roll is side-splitting. Titles in the program such as; Chain of Fools, I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Heat Wave and Lookin’ For Love In All the Wrong Places just to mention a few are not the tunes we sung to in our youth. For example when Shaw sings Heat Wave, the only thing familiar to the audience is the music; the lyrics are perfect for “Menopause, The Musical.”
Don’t miss seeing, “Menopause, the Musical” at the Off Center Theatre, it will be your only chance to enjoy the change that eventually plagues every woman. Also playing at the main theater of the American Heartland Theatre is “The Hound of the Baskervilles.”
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