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The hilarious celebration of women
and ‘The Change’
Robert C Kelly, Theater Mogul & GFour Production
Menopause the Musical
Sunderland Empire
Tuesday 17th May 2016
Starring
Cheryl Fergison, Linda Nolan and Rebecca Wheatley
Following previous sell out UK and Irish Tours in 2008, 2010 and most recently early 2016, Menopause the Musical is embarking on a new UK Nationwide Tour this Spring calling at Sunderland Empire for one night only on Tuesday 17 May 2016 with an All Star Cast.
Armed with a cast of hormonal women, memory loss one-liners and innuendo-laden versions of pop classics the tour commences on the 12th April 2016 at Theatre Royal, Wakefield.
This hilarious celebration of women and 'The Change', is an all-singing, all-dancing comedy bringing together four women at a department store sale, who on first appearance have nothing in common.
However, the sale of a black lace bra soon stimulates comical female heart-to-hearts on hot flushes, night sweats, memory loss, chocolate binges, not enough sex, too much sex and plastic surgery.
CAST BIOGRAPHIES
Linda Nolan
Linda’s wealth of experience in show business has embraced hit records, international television shows and major world concert tours. Whilst performing with her sisters, The Nolans, Linda has enjoyed amazing success worldwide appearing on major television shows including The Royal Variety Show. One of her career highlights was supporting Frank Sinatra on his 1975 European Tour. The Nolan’s toured the UK and Irelandin 2013 with their I’m In The Mood Again tour and performed on BBC’s Children In Need. Her solo success is recognisable in virtually every medium of the entertainment industry. Highlights have included British Theatre Tours with Lily Savage in Prisoner Cell Block H and Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer in Shooting Stars. She enjoyed success as “Mrs Johnstone” in the award winning musical Blood Brothers, both on tour in the UK and in London’s West End. Her television appearances have been many and varied, including Loose Women, GMTV, This Morning, The Weakest Link, Come Dine with Me and she has recently appeared as an entertaining contestant on Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother.
Cheryl Fergison
Londoner Cheryl is best known for her role as EastEnders’ George Michael super fan “Heather Trott” who met a grisly end at the hands of Ben Mitchell in 2012. A trained actress, she has made many stage appearances including a West End role in Man of the Moment at the Gielgud Theatre. Other theatre credits include Dance of Death, Measure for Measure, The Blue Angel and Robert Lindsay’s production of Cyrano De Bergerac. Cheryl has played many feature roles in TV Productions showcasing her perfect comedic timing – Benidorm, Little Britain, The IT Crowd, ‘Allo ‘Allo. She is no stranger to Feature Films with credits including Irvine Welsh’s Atlantic and the soon to be released A Bus Could Run You Over. Her celebrity appearances have revealed her funny, lovable and true down to earth nature - Celebrity Big Brother, Loose Women, Celebrity Come Dine with Me and Celebrity Juice. Not only can Cheryl make us laugh, but can also entertain us with any of the 10 instruments she plays as a skilled musician.
Rebecca Wheatley
Rebecca is best known as the receptionist “Amy Howard” on Casualty. In 2009, she revealed an astonishing 12 stone weight loss. Proud of her achievement she embraced the role of “Barbara” in the one-woman West End show Big Pants and Botox. In complete contrast she then took up her axe as the iconic character “Annie Wilkes” in Stephen King’s Misery. Her acting career has seen her perform in many West End Musicals including Fame and Bad Girls The Musical. She even survived pantomime with Paul O’Grady’s Lily Savage at the Victoria Palace. Her television acting skills have been challenged as a porn movie producer, a bisexual nymphomaniac and as a buxom barmaid. Rebecca can be seen regularly as a presenter on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff and ITV’s Loose Women where she is happy to give her opinion loud and clear.
Ruth Berkeley
Ruth trained at Laine Theatre Arts, Epsom where she was awarded the Eileen Rose Cup for Musical Theatre & Ladies Singing prize. Irish Rebecca can seamlessly switch between her Irish accent and a broad range of English accents. She has had a successful theatre career incorporating both her acting and singing talent with performances including “Miss Dismore” in Singin in the Rain, “Onna Crow” in A Man of No Importance and “Lisa” in the toe tapping Mamma Mia. Her Television credits include, Sky Atlantic’s gripping Penny Dreadful, ITV’s The Al Murray Show and RTÉ’s No More Tears
History of Menopause The Musical
Menopause The Musical debuted March 28, 2001 in Orlando, Florida, in a 76-seat theatre that once housed a perfume shop. The cast of four women shopping for lingerie at a Bloomingdale's sale, sing 25 songs about chocolate cravings, hot flushes, loss of memory, nocturnal sweats, and sexual predicaments. The lyrics parody popular music from the baby boomer era, with notable numbers "Stayin' Awake" and "Puff, My God I'm Draggin'."
Written by Jeanie Linders, the show appealed to menopausal women who helped the show blow the lid off the "silent passage" by flocking to the show in large numbers, often taking advantage of group sales promotions. The show's ensuing success Off-Broadway led to a number of productions across the USA in such cities as Detroit, Chicago, and Los Angeles Boston, Denver, and its current home at Harrah's in Las Vegas .
Within a few years, international productions became commonplace, with shows in Australia, Canada, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and South Korea.
Across the world over eleven million people (almost all women) have seen the show.
Leslie Fischer at www.chicagocritic.com recommends you "bring the waterproof mascara because you’ll laugh so hard, you’ll cry. With humour and compassion, writer, producer, and lyricist Jeanie Linders has captured the experiences of every woman in her 40s and 50s. Remember all those great songs of the 50s, 60s and 70s--full of love and teenage angst? Linders has rewritten their lyrics to reflect our mature experience, exploring the ways in which our bodies, our emotions and our spirits, change with ‘The Change’. When you don’t recognise yourself in these hilarious lyrics, you’ll recognise a friend."
Genessee Kagy of the Daily Californian wrote that "Menopause's collection of great oldies, clever tongue-in-cheek lyrics and entertaining dance routines prevented me from making any I-Need-Air trips to the restroom despite the fact that I hadn't felt like such a fraud since I turned eighteen-years old. Over 90 percent of the audience were women more than twice my age ... Linders' humorous new lyrics coupled to old favourites provide a good laugh. When the show ended, the entire audience was still clapping their hands to the final number, yelling and letting out whoops of approval."
From The News-Herald (Ohio): "'My Guy' becomes 'My Thighs,' 'Puff, the Magic Dragon' is transformed into 'Puff, My God, I’m Draggin'. 'The Great Pretender' laments the loss of memory and how women come to fake that they can’t remember an acquaintance’s name. 'A Sign of the Times' becomes 'A Song of the Times,' which recounts the startling fact that in middle age, a woman realizes she has become her mother."
Tickets:
Tickets on sale now and are available in person at the Box Office on High Street West, from the Ticket Centre on 0844 871 3022* or online at www.ATGtickets.com/Sunderland*
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