Frothy 'Menopause The Musical' benefits from zesty performances
“Menopause The Musical” will never want for an audience.
Tailor-made for women of a certain age, this genial musical revue chronicling the effects of menopause on four everywomen — running through June 28 at the Copley Theatre in Aurora — has a built-in fan base.
Just as there will always be a new generation of preteen girls to swoon over the latest boy band, there will always be a new generation of menopausal women to commiserate over “the change of life” and the mood swings, memory lapses and hot flashes that accompany it.
Frothy, familiar and loosely plotted, the show consists of writer/lyricist Jeanie Linders' musical parodies of hit tunes from the '60s, '70s and '80s. “I'm Having a Hot Flash” is set to “Heat Wave”; “Sane and Normal Girls” and “Help Me, Doctor” unfold to the Beach Boys' “California Girls” and “Help Me, Rhonda”; and “Puff, My God, I'm Draggin'” is set to “Puff the Magic Dragon.”
Sure, it's fluff, and repetitive fluff at that. But the near continuous laughter from the mostly female audience at the matinee I attended suggests this good-natured, pleasantly innocuous show still resonates.
The action begins in Bloomingdales' lingerie department, where four women (defined not by name but by stereotype), start out battling over a black bra and end up bonding over shared maladies. A lunch, a makeover and several restroom visits later, Iowa Housewife (Teri Adams), Soap Star (Judy Blue), Professional Woman (Linda Boston) and Earth Mother (Megan Cavanagh) emerge empowered, with a deeper appreciation of the sisterhood they share and an eagerness to explore the next stage of their lives.
Linders tends to repeat jokes and the Sonny and Cher riff falls flat. But Seth Greenleaf's direction is lively, and Daria Lynne Melendez cleverly incorporates dance moves from the films “Saturday Night Fever” and “Urban Cowboy” into her choreography. But the best thing about this joint effort from Paramount Theatre and GFour Productions is the cast.
With her soulful voice and powerful presence, Boston tears up the stage as a corporate honcho who confesses she once charged into a meeting unable to remember why she was there. The very funny Adams, who plays a homemaker accompanying her husband on his annual convention, has a pretty voice and a keen comic sense. The scene where Adams' housewife tries on lingerie over her clothes is a hoot.
Blue is wonderfully wry as the soap opera diva prone to crying jags who fears being replaced by a younger actress. Last but not least is the likably crunchy Cavanagh, best known as Marla Gooch from the film “A League of Their Own,” an 11-year “Menopause The Musical” veteran who clearly relishes every moment of the show.
Taking the lead or singing backup, Adams, Blue, Boston and Cavanagh perform with gusto and grace.
The show concludes with the audience joining the cast onstage for a rousing curtain call set to “YMCA” re-imagined as a celebration of sisterhood, which is really what “Menopause The Musical” is all about.
“Menopause The Musical”
★ ★ ★
<b>Location:</b> Copley Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora, (630) 896-6666 or <a href="http://paramountaurora.com">paramountaurora.com</a>
<b>Showtimes:</b> 1:30 p.m. Wednesday; 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday through June 28
<b>Tickets:</b> $42
<b>Running time:</b> About 90 minutes, no intermission
<b>Parking:</b> Pay garages and metered street parking
<b>Rating:</b> For adults