Laughing with the change

Jun 20 2007 By Kelly Huscroft, The Evening Chronicle

Kelly Huscroft gets all hot and bothered about the latest production at Newcastle's Theatre Royal. But in a good or bad way?

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You would expect a musical about the menopause and HRT to be aimed at a female, more mature audience. But at 21, it simply showed me what I had to look forward to.

Hot Flush! is a new show about the trials and tribulations of four friends and neighbours, Myra Wilson (Rula Lenska), Sylvia Kiley (Three Degrees singer, Sheila Ferguson) Helen Thomas (Marti Webb) and Jessica Conway (Rachel Izen), following their experiences as they hit the menopause and midlife crises.

Based on the book by Julie Benson, we are given an insight into the lives of the friends who have come together to make the Hot Flush Club, a meeting every Tuesday to discuss their latest traumas.

First impressions were that there was not going to be much of a story, and the show would have nowhere to go - but the catchy songs and non-stop jokes make for an enjoyable experience.

Music is supplied by The Harmonettes and the simple set and quick costume changes make the show run effortlessly and smoothly.

To add to the fact that this is a woman's musical, only one man appears in the whole show, playing every male role. Known only as The Man, Sam Kane does a fantastic job of being young, old, French, Chinese, Australian - even a Geordie.

In his song, A Man's World, he goes into why they are the better sex. But he does not seem to believe that himself, clearly influenced by the female-dominated cast.

The highlights of the show are the local references - a Geordie football coach, a French waiter from Gateshead and 50-year-old women being compared to Scotswood: "Everyone knows where it is, but no one wants to go there."

Everyone on stage obviously had a fantastic time - even the questionable harmonies could be overlooked; and getting the giggles in the middle of their lines only adds to the atmosphere of the show.

Looking around the auditorium, there was only a handful of men - probably having no choice but to accompany their better half - but they were laughing in all the right places. Possibly after years of living through everything they were seeing before them?

By the end of the night, everyone was on their feet clapping and dancing along to the title song.

It might be a musical about fortysomethings, but it is defiantly a musical for everybody.