The lyrical saga of menopause

MENOPAUSE The Musical’ opens today at The Actors Studio in Bangsar Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur. First staged in Malaysia in 2004, it is presented by Gardner And Wife Theatre.

Written and produced by Jeanie Linders, it all started in a 76-seat perfume shop-turned-theatre in Orlando, Florida, the United States on March 28, 2001.

In that shop, four women at a Bloomingdale’s lingerie sale with nothing in common but black lace bras and hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss and chocolate binges, among others, got together and decided to stage a show.

Directed by Kathryn Conte and choreographed by Patty Bender, the show is a celebration of women who are on the brink of, in the middle of, or, have survived “The Change”.

The 90-minute show is a joyful parody of 25 re-lyricised, classic baby boomer hits including I Heard It Thru The Grapevine, You No Longer See 39 and the disco favourite Stayin’ Awake! Stayin’ Awake!
Menopause, which stars Jeanette Manor, Michelle Mais, Megan Cavanagh and Chris Callen, is not merely a play, but also a “grassroots” movement of women who deal with the challenges of life after 40.

Gardner And Wife has just announced the two winners for the Menopause The Musical contest which ran last week for the theatre company’s newsletter subscribers.

Chan Shiao Hong and Charmaine Song, regular theatre-goers, were the first subscribers to give the correct answer — andropause — to the contest question: “What is the male version of menopause?”

The duo will receive free tickets to the musical’s opening night.

The contest was sponsored by Organon, the manufacturer of menopausal prescription medication Livial.

Gardner And Wife Theatre is offering a special June package for theatre-goers. They can save RM100 by purchasing a four-ticket package online for all of the company’s June performances. Online purchases for shows from June 28 to 30 are priced at RM458.

Standard packages are normally priced RM558 for premium seats at The Actors Studio.

Those who buy group tickets for 10 and above, have a discounted price of RM68 for wing seats in the theatre.

souirce:www.nst.com.my