By David DeRocco

 Hot flashes. Chills. Mood swings. Wrinkles. Weight gain. Memory loss.  Insatiable desire for sex. Loss of  sexual appetite. Given the variety of conflicting symptoms it can cause, you’d think menopause would be no laughing matter for women who’ve survived the change of life.  Then again, laughter is the best medicine, and there’s no better prescription than a full-strength dose of hilarity provided by Menopause The Musical®.

 March 8^th is International Day of Women, but March 6^th is the day Menopause The Musical® arrives in Hamilton to celebrate women on the brink of, in the midst of, or having survived “The Change.” First staged in 2001 in Orlando, Menopause The Musical® has become an international sensation, having been seen by over 11 million people across 15 countries. It is now recognized as the longest-running scripted production in Las Vegas, and the reason for its ongoing appeal is simple according to the show’s co-producer.  

 “This is really a celebration for all women,” said producer Mark Zimmerman, who along with Menopause star Janet Martin operates Shaggypup Productions, owners of the show’s Canadian rights. “In my grandmother’s generation menopause wasn’t really spoken about. It was in the closet. What has obviously come out over the years is that every woman goes through this change of life. So as opposed to hiding it, this is all about coming out and celebrating it and seeing all the similarities between the symptoms all women go through.”

 The original Off-Broadway musical comedy is set in Bloomingdales department store where four strangers meet while shopping for a black lace bra during a lingerie sale.  Through their conversations the all-female cast discover unmistakable similarities in their experiences, and quickly form a sisterhood that turns their story into a celebration.  The all-Canadian cast features members of the original Toronto run where it played for two years, including Martin (Housewife), Jayne Lewis (Soap Star), Nicole Robert (Earth Mother) and Michelle E. White (Professional Woman). The production also features 27 song parodies of classic Baby Boomer hits like the Bee Gees send up “Staying Awake,” “Puff, My God I’m Draggin’”, “My Thighs” and “My Husband Sleeps Tonight.”

 While a few tweaks have been made to the original script, Martin says the timeless nature of the subject matter in Menopause The Musical®  helps maintain its ongoing and universal appeal.

 “We’ve made some updates along the way, just small references to things that are no longer relevant,” said Martin, whose storied stage career includes long runs in Phantom of The Opera and Cats. “If someone has passed away for example we no longer talk about them. Generally the audience is renewable because the subject matter will always be relevant. And people remember those songs because they’re all hits.”

 The empathy the typically mostly-female audience has with the content helps bring a great energy to the show; Martin says the cast inevitably winds up feeding off the energy of the crowd, with audience members often becoming part of the show. 

 “Every show we get such a great response from the audience, we can feel it when they’re with us. It changes our reaction to them, and it’s great. It’s like a big love fest. At the end we invite ladies that are able to join us in a kick line. There’s lots of hugging going on. It’s just every rewarding.”

 While the production provides a natural forum for women to come together in celebration of their shared experiences with menopause, Zimmerman says that men who set aside their personal bias over the content can definitely benefit from coming to see the production.

 “The way I market the show is that it’s ‘man-datory’ viewing for men. The show has a stigma almost like a chick flick, in the sense of a movie like Sex in The City. Obviously the husband has no reason to go see it, so you go with your friends. What we  have found though for the husbands that come with their wives or partners, they end up getting closer as a result of this show. The man walks away with a new empathy and new insight into all the things that (a woman) has been going through that were never really labelled as part of the change. They actually walk away closer.”

 As an added incentive to attend the performance, the producers of the Hamilton staging of Menopause The Musical® are donating $1 from every ticket sold to the Alzheimer Society of Canada to fund their “Music for Memory Program,” which supplies iPods and iPads to Alzheimer patients to help trigger auditory memories.

  Tickets can be purchased online at www.CoreEntertainment.ca, by telephone at 1 855 872 5000 or in person at the Dan Lawrie Insurance Box Office at FirstOntario Centre.