A Women With Pockets Production
The Playhouse, Until July 11.
Reviewed by SAMARA PURNELL.
Not one thing on the list of “47 symptoms of menopause” looks funny: Extreme fatigue, flooding, insomnia, restless legs, brain fog, bloating, hot flushes and sweating, and for the ironic kicker - dryness of just about every other body part. Add to that unplanned pregnancies, loss of fertility and trying to maintain family relationships in a carer’s role. Yet with perimenopause being the buzz-word of the day, women are discussing it in pubs, coffee catchups and furiously sending memes to each other and now a new, original comedy is touring through Canberra.
A post-Covid 50th birthday party conversation about middle age and menopause was the catalyst for Queenie van de Zandt and Tiffany Noack to write a show about that and Middle Raged - A Musical Meltdown was born, directed by Priscilla Jackman.
A three-piece, female band (Jillian O’Dowd on drums, Sandy Klose on bass, Robyn Womersley, as the musical director, on keyboard) are clad in pink satin suits and positioned on stage, entertaining the audience as they settle in. The band maintained an upbeat pace, providing subtle backing vocals and an understated, enjoyable presence on stage and there was a well-balanced sound level between it and the actors throughout, although a few times the mic switching was a fraction late.
Middle Raged unfolds in vignettes as four friends, portrayed by van de Zandt, Valerie Bader, Carita Farrer Spencer and Zuleika Khan, meet for lunch, a day spa and a session of painting and pinot, calling to mind the recent series “And Just Like That…” - the latest installment of Sex and the City.
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| Queenie van de Zandt, Valerie Bader , Zuleika Khan, Carita Farrer Spencer. Photo by Philip Erbacher |
Bader plays Judy, the older friend who is on the other side of menopause, and with a renewed sense of serenity suggests that the future may in fact be bright and offers suggestions to her girlfriends as to how to reframe menopausal concerns. Khan (Karen) is in perimenopause and the other friends are in the thick of menopause. The show was created from interviews and input from hundreds of middle-aged women - sometimes intentionally funny, at others heartbreakingly sad.
Realistically, this show is not just about menopause, but the experience of women in that age range - of life management, of identity of self, within a family and in society, and of feeling invisible.
Middle Raged is laugh-out-loud funny. While it refreshingly abstains from man-bashing, it does take the audience on a brief history through menopause - written by men and “mansplained” and sees several instalments of male broadcasters commentating the cleverly-devised “Menopause Marathon”. This train-wreck of an event was endearingly hilarious but brutally accurate.
The heart-wrenching account of becoming an empty-nester, whilst dealing with the declining health and death of parents, had the audience audibly in tears. And the description of mis-matched sex drives and the age-old problem of lack of communication within a marriage and an affair, elicited sympathy for all involved.
The show’s opening of well-known pop songs under the guise of a karaoke night with the girls gave way to lesser-known songs for the solos, where Khan’s rendition of Missy Higgins’ Second Act packed a punch and van de Zandt’s powerhouse vocals were on display in the emotional Edge of Something.
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| Queenie van de Zandt and cast. Photo by Philip Erbacher |
The musical and comedy highlight was a group number on the historical portrayal of women through the arts. In the framework of Chicago’s Cell Block Tango and the musicals Six and & Juliet, The Mona Lisa, Elizabeth Bennett, Lady Macbeth and Cio Cio San are given life after art, delivered in an array of musical styles. The lyrics are witty, impeccably delivered and the props and staging were appealing. So too was the low-key choreography by Sally Dashwood, which was minimal, entertaining and tightly delivered throughout.
The animated Kaz Cooke inspired graphics and media production by Mark Bolotin is used to wonderful effect, from train-of-thought bubbles popping mid-sentence, floating lists and bossy fairies.
Isabel Hudsen’s costume design had all the women in pantsuits. Given the list of potential bodily functions, satin seemed a surprising choice of fabric. Despite suffering many symptoms of menopause, the characters all appeared remarkably well-groomed and rested, with not a sign of hair loss to be seen.
Middle Raged was very much a bonding experience with the actors addressing the audience directly for large parts of the show. Photos are permitted and people can submit their own photos for possible use during the production. Singing along to the pop songs is encouraged and throughout the show, there is continual audible and enthusiastic agreement to the scenarios discussed and the symptoms mentioned and the shit-show that is organizing a functional home care package.
Middle Raged kept it light for the most part. It’s not crass or uncomfortable. The show had a vague ending, with a shoutout to anyone not specifically in the menopause demographic. The performance was given a standing ovation and sparked a sense of sisterhood and community. Perhaps that warm feeling many described upon leaving the theatre, a little less raged and full of animated discussion, was the sign of an enjoyable show. Or it could just be the next hot flush.
An edited version of this review appears in CityNews
