Review: Menopause The Musical 2, Regent Theatre, Stoke on Trent
As a woman of a certain age and having not seen Menopause the Musical I was keen to see whether the sequel lived up to its hype and also concerned whether the temperature in the theatre would bring on a hot flush, but I needn't have worried on either account.
It was a refreshing change to be entertained by a completely female cast. All are from well known shows and gelled together well, singing at the top of their voices about the highs and lows of womanhood.
The show is set on a cruise ship where the four characters from the original musical meet up five years later and confide in each other about their life, love and those they have lost.
We hear about family and husbands and life's trials and tribulations but what is novel about this musical is its the only one in town brave enough to tackle not only the previously taboo subject of the menopause, but the whole range of "women's problems" which are only normally mentioned in hushed tones.
Periods , sex, pregnancy and the menopause and all the symptoms that go with them are conveyed through clever lyrics in the hilarious song parodies which buoy the audience along throughout the show.
These are all delivered with humour and gusto as the cast seemed to be enjoying this as much as their audience.
Looking around the primarily female audience I saw women crying with laughter and nodding to each other as they recognised their shared experiences.
It was a shame there were not more men in the audience as this would have been a great education for them, although I am not sure they would have found the comments about themselves as funny as we did.
As I sat with my friend it was lovely to see the plight of women was not only acknowledged and understood but also celebrated as the tears of laughter fell down our faces.
This was sisterhood at its best, and as I laughed I was so grateful for remembering to have done my pelvic floor exercises before coming out!
By Sarah Derry
