Menopause The Musical 2 Cruising Through The Menopause at Lighthouse Poole Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Georgina Bentley
Having not seen nor heard about the original Menopause the Musical, and being a female of a certain age, I was really looking forward to this sequel – Menopause the Musical 2: Cruising Through The Menopause.
It was performed in the theatre at the Lighthouse Poole, which is the perfect venue for any stage show. It doesn’t matter where your seats are as they all have a brilliant view, and the theatre lends itself to making you feel part of the show.
Four ladies take an honest, hilarious look at the joys of life during the menopause. Playing the four ladies are four fantastic actresses: Maureen Nolan (The Nolans), Rebecca Wheatley (Casualty), Carli Norris (Eastenders) and Daniele Coombe (West End Star).
I have to say that Menopause the Musical 2 has had me laughing (and crying) all the way through the evening with a show that has been written and performed so brilliantly. I would think that every person in the audience could relate to some, if not all, of its content. The menopause is a subject that, in the past, was skirted around, but it is much more common place for it to be talked about nowadays. This show talks about the menopause in a way that makes it feel ‘ok’ to be talked about. It tackles many experiences related to the menopause such as hot flushes, weight gain and mood swings, in a very humorous and relatable way.
The musical begins with the cruise director welcoming everyone aboard the ship as it is about to set sail. The four ladies were standing outside their cabin doors as they introduced themselves; these were four ladies from very different walks of life – a housewife, an earth mother, a business woman and a former TV soap star. They met 5 years ago in a department store and are now embarking on this cruise to make them feel better about the stage of life they are finding themselves in (and to relax!) – the menopause.
The story is told through parodies of classic tunes that got everybody tapping their feet and swaying along. Tunes such as ‘I need a hero’ became ‘I need a vino’ and ‘Let’s hear it for the boys’ was changed to ‘let’s hear it for the toys’ amongst many other songs and power ballads. The rewritten lyrics were extremely clever and lines in songs like ‘Memory, I don’t want you to leave me’ and ‘that’s your hormones’ will be replaced now by many who have seen the show.
The finale ‘That’s what friends are for’ was an emotional song that the four sang together showing us that these women had found real lasting friendships and that we are all ‘in it’ together. The song was powerful and lead the audience to a well-deserved genuinely heartfelt standing ovation.
The cast were all amazing in their own right but they also complimented each other. All four ladies were strong in their vocal abilities, their comedic timing was to perfection, and their overall performance was outstanding. I am so glad I had the chance to see this musical and would thoroughly recommend it.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £30 (booking fees may apply)
For more information visit www.lighthousepoole.co.uk or call the box office on 01202 280000.
Poole Lighthouse, 21 Kingland Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1UG