May 30, 2008 (Sarasota, FL) The international hit show menopause the musical®, the hilarious celebration of women and the change!®, is returning by popular demand for a limited run at Asolo Rep from June 13 to July 13, 2008. This 90 minute laughter-filled celebration is beyond your ordinary light-hearted musical and is inspirational for all who attend! The ensemble production features four women at a department store‘s lingerie sale with nothing in common but a black lace bra and hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss, chocolate binges, not enough sex, too much sex, and more.
Jeanie Linders is the writer and producer of the joyful parody comprised of 25 re-lyricized classic Baby Boomer hits. The 90-minute show features chart-toppers including "I Heard It Thru The Grapevine You No Longer See 39," "Puff, My God I’m Draggin,‘"and the disco favorite "Stayin‘ Awake! Stayin‘ Awake!" MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL® is directed by Kathryn Conte and choreographed by Patty Bender with musical direction by Alan Plado.
Tickets for MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL® start at $16 and can be purchased at the Asolo Rep box-office in person or by calling 941.351.8000 or 800.361.8388, or online at www.asolo.org. Group discounts are available. Potential ticket buyers are encouraged to make reservations right away as the show is expected to sell out. During its last run at Asolo Rep, many were unable to get tickets even though the show was extended several times.
Since its first show in a tiny, 76-seat perfume-shop-converted theatre in the former church street exchange on March 28, 2001, MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL®, has launched a women’s movement that has superseded entertainment and become a must-see event. It is estimated that over 10 million women have attended a performance since the show’s opening in Orlando, Florida, in 2001. Inspired by a hot flash and a bottle of wine, writer and producer Jeanie Linders created the show as a celebration of women who are on the brink of, in the middle of, or have survived the change. Since its first performance, the show has evolved as a "grassroots" movement of women who deal with life after 40 and all the challenges that result from the mental, physical, and spiritual freedom of being a woman.
"Most women know intuitively that every other woman is experiencing hot flashes or night sweats,“ says Linders. "There is always a close friend or two who can sympathize or identify with her, but when they are sitting in a theatre with 500 other women, all laughing and shouting‚ 'That’s me! That’s me on stage!' they know what they are experiencing is normal. They aren’t alone…or crazy. It becomes a sisterhood."
MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL® has entertained audiences across the country in more than 150 cities as well as in 13 countries. Internationally, the show has visited Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, United Kingdom, South Africa, and South Korea. Each week nearly 35,000 women of all ages and stages find their spirits lifted by the show’s light-hearted look at menopause. No longer is it The Silent Passage!
The show’s production company, TOC productions, inc., has offices in Winter Park, Florida and Tucson, Arizona. For more information, visit www.menopausethemusical.com
RESERVATIONS:
LOCATION: ASOLO REPERTORY THEATRE (5555 NORTH TAMIAMI TRAIL) SARASOTA, FLORIDA34243
About Asolo Rep: Asolo Repertory Theatre, the premier professional theatre of the state of Florida, has become one of the most important cultural forces in the Southeastern United States. Entering its 50th season, Asolo Rep continues its mission to entertain, engage, and inspire audiences through the highest quality productions of classical, contemporary, and newly commissioned work all performed in rotating repertory.
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Asolo Repertory Theatre is funded in part by the Division of Cultural Affairs, Florida Department of State, the Florida Arts Council, the City and County of Sarasota and the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax through the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Sarasota County Arts Council. Funding is also received through efforts of support groups including the Asolo Angel Association, the Asolo Theatre Guild, the Directors Emeritus and the generosity of individuals, corporations and foundations.