Real life base for Menopositive

By Fred Davies
Parksville Qualicum Beach News
October 1, 2009

Audiences will be the final judge when Marilyn Holt joins the four woman cast of Menopositive: The Musical beginning Oct. 8 at the Village Theatre.

A fact of life for women, yet generally avoided in polite conversation, ECHO Players explores the topic of menopause during staging of Menopositive: The Musical, beginning Oct. 8 at the Village Theatre in Qualicum Beach.

Mary Ann Kennedy, director of the season opening play, said 'the change' might be a topic that induces squeamishness but it's no reason to miss what she describes as a hilarious and poignant musical based on real life stories.

"It's good to talk openly about these things so women don't feel so alone," she said. "It's sort of like the Vagina Monologues in that sense, in that it addresses real issues, but I think men go through a form of menopause as well, with night sweats and that type of thing ... it's sort of an unattractive subject but, really, we all have to go through it or have experience with someone else that does."

Also a mistake would be to assume Menopositive is a play that strictly appeals to females. Kennedy said her husband Scott Murray, a well known local thespian and ECHO regular, saw the musical in Ontario and "was laughing so hard his sides were splitting."

A revue within a musical, the play centres around four menopausal women: Marnie — a Fortune 500 president whose current boyfriend is 21 years old; Kate — the struggling single mother who authored the revue, and Cynthia — conservative, unsuspecting wife of a philandering executive. As they rehearse for performance at a 35th anniversary class reunion they're joined by the flamboyant Zsuzsu — a former star in Hungary, now working as a cleaning woman.

Kennedy, who last year directed ECHO's smash production of Suds, said the play's story is dramatized in 20 song selections that run the gamut of styles from country and western to a Viennese waltz and beyond.

"People will come out of the theatre singing the songs and tapping their toes. The girls are absolutely fantastic and the songs are so good ... they started rehearsing with our musical director in the summer."

Kennedy said of chief concern for her was staying true to author J.J. Mcoll's intent, a writer she professed much admiration for.

A CBC producer and freelance correspondent for radio and television, who died just last year, McColl's inspiration for the songs was conceived during a vacation overseas, despite the fact she'd never learned a note of music. According to biographical information, she travelled on her own to Ireland where she had the profound experience of hearing beautiful, fully orchestrated, music in her mind's ear with no way of setting it down. When she got home she remembered fragments and asked Vancouver musician Rueben Gurr for help in transcribing what she sang into a tape recorder. It was the genesis of their work together on the musical.

"It's the only musical she's ever written," said Kennedy. "I feel a real spiritual connection with J.J. and need to honour her intent.

"Many musicals aren't based on anything in the real world but she got together with women and wrote down their stories when she was doing a documentary on menopause ... The play blends comedy and poignancy and is based on real life."