Menopause the Musical has been packing theatres around the world for more than two decades, and its Sydney season shows why. Built as a one-hour revue without interval, the show wastes no time on plot, instead linking pop classics with menopause-themed lyrics and broad comedy. It’s a format that could easily flag, but in Cameron Mitchell’s brisk staging the pace feels more like momentum than overload, sustained by four performers who never let the energy drop.
The archetypes are simple—Professional Woman, Soap Star, Housewife, Earth Mother—but the cast injects them with distinct flavour. Tara Morice, remembered by many as Fran from Strictly Ballroom, brings a real edge to her Professional Woman, most memorably when she trades businesswear for a shiny black top, skirt, and denim jacket to belt What’s Love Got to Do With It. Erika Heynatz, cast with a wink as the Soap Star given her Home and Away past, proves the standout vocalist, carrying numbers with clarity and ease. Melissa Langton’s Housewife combines warmth and honesty with gleeful broad comedy—her romp in red lingerie over her clothes is a crowd-pleasing highlight. Cherine Peck, reprising her role as Earth Mother, leans into the playfulness of the part, giving the ensemble an effervescent lift.
Christine Mutton’s costumes start in recognisable shorthand—power suit, flowing layers, domestic comfort, showbiz glam—before sliding into sillier territory. The red lingerie gag and the final sparkly outfits underline the production’s refusal to take itself too seriously while still keeping the glamour dialled up. Frances Story’s set is functional but bright, leaving space for the performers, while Jasmine Rizk’s lighting design proves versatile: bold washes carry the big numbers, but subtler effects sneak in, particularly during the hot-flash sequences where the humour lands visually as well as vocally.
The songs themselves—rewritten classics from the baby boomer songbook—are instantly familiar, and that recognition is half the joke. For an audience of “ladies of a certain age,” as the program knowingly puts it, the combination of nostalgia, camp, and shared experience is irresistible. Saturday night’s crowd responded with knowing laughter, cheers, and a standing ovation.
Menopause the Musical is not a show for subtlety or story. It’s a night of energy, glamour, and communal release. In this Sydney staging, thanks to a committed cast and slick creative team, the formula still works—and then some.
To book tickets to Menopause The Musical, please visit https://menopausethemusical.com.au/.
Photographer: David Hooley, Joel Devereux
