Theatre

Menopause The Musical 2 at The Hawth Crawley Review

11 March 2020

Reviewed by Louise Watts

Every woman will experience the dreaded Menopause at some time in her life. Some will be earlier than others and some will be more stressful and symptomatic than others, however we will all get there eventually!

A few years ago, me and some girlfriends went to see Menopause the Musical – we laughed, and we laughed, and we laughed. We discussed after the show whether we should actually have been laughing as none of us had reached that time in our lives yet where we were experiencing these awful symptoms. Fast forward a few years, we are several years older and nearer the dreaded hot flush era and we find ourselves back in the same theatre watching Menopause the Musical 2 – Cruising Through Menopause!

Could this show be as good as the first we asked ourselves? The answer was a unanimous “Yes”. From the second the ladies entered the stage we were belly laughing. Songs about hot flushes, memory loss, dieting and of course men and wine!!!

That cast consists of 4 beautiful women, all in the throes of the Menopause who have escaped away from the hum drum life at home for a cruise together. There is an underlying theme of friendship and the importance of being there for each other, along with hilarity, brilliant acting and award-winning facial expressions!

The lyrics to the songs are simply genius and the audience were laughing the whole way through the show. Cheryl Fergison is probably one of the funniest actresses I know. The way she completely becomes her character, it gets to the point where you only have to see her enter the stage and it makes you laugh as you know what is coming will be simply hilarious! Her facial expressions are incredible and her voice amazing – a truly talented lady! That is not to take anything away from the three other gorgeous women -Nicole Barber-Lane, Rebecca Wheatley and Nicki French. I can only begin to imagine how much fun these ladies are having both rehearsing for the show and touring. Rebecca is simply captivating. You cannot help but fall in love with her character as a slightly naïve widow who desperately wants to let her hair down and feel alive, but can’t do that all the time she is carrying her late husbands’ ashes around with her!

The Hawth was packed last night which is always lovely to see. The staff were friendly and helpful as always and the bar staff coped well with the number of people there. Parking is free and easy on site and the auditorium seats are comfortable.

The show concluded with a real reminder of how important friendship is both in good and bad times. Something that really hit home with me sitting with my two best girlfriends. As a result of a truly outstanding show, the cast were rewarded with a standing ovation which was thoroughly deserved.

All women should go and see this musical at some point in their life! It is probably the funniest musical I have ever seen and let’s be honest, life is a far better place if we can make fun out of the unpleasant experiences we have and actually allow ourselves to just have some fun! I would thoroughly recommend this to every lady in the country, whether pre-menopausal, menopausal or post-menopausal. The only caveat is that if you have had any children, make sure you take a Tena Lady with you as believe me you will need it as you will be laughing like you have never laughed before!

Rating: 5/5

Menopause The Musical 2 – Cruising Through Menopause! is currently on tour around the UK, for more information and tour dates visit robertckelly.co.uk.

For other shows at The Hawth in Crawley, visit hawth.co.uk or call the box office on 01293 553636.

The Hawth, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, Sussex, RH10 6YZ | 01293 553636

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