A hot flash, a bottle of wine, and frustration over the lack of information about menopause inspired playwright and lyricist Jeanie Linders to create the hit comedy “Menopause The Musical” in 2001.
The show — about four women who meet by chance in a department store lingerie section and bond over the havoc wreaked by their changing hormones — became an Off-Broadway hit and resonated with audiences around the world.
Now the friends are back in “Menopause The Musical 2: Cruising Through the Change,” coming to the Stamford Palace Theatre in Stamford, Conn., April 9 as part of its national tour.
Whether you’re experiencing menopause, have been through it, or know someone who has, the show promises an evening of laughter and recognition. Hot flashes, mood swings, memory lapses, sleeplessness, and changing bodies all become the subject of high-energy musical numbers — parodies of familiar songs from the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s.
“Holding Out for a Hero” becomes “Holding Out for a Vino,” “That’s Amore” transforms into “That’s Your Hormones,” and “Disco Inferno” turns into “AC Inferno.” Beneath the humor, the show celebrates friendship and solidarity among women navigating the same life stage.
In the original musical, the women — characters named Earth Mother, Soap Star, Iowa Housewife, and Professional Woman — initially clash over lingerie but quickly bond over shared experiences. In the sequel, the friends reunite five years later for a cruise. One of the women has lost her husband, and the trip becomes a mix of fun, support, and a chance to reflect on life and friendship.
The show’s producer, Seth Greenleaf — a Tony Award-winner for “The Inheritance” and a producer of Broadway hits including “The Book of Mormon,” “Matilda the Musical,” and “9 to 5 the Musical” — said the original show helped change the conversation around menopause.
“The show had this magical power of turning something that was very shame-based into something celebratory, and that’s why it has lasted for so many years,” Greenleaf said.
“There was a lot of shame and taboo around it. Trust me — people were not talking about this publicly.”
In fact, during one early Boston run, the show’s title wasn’t even displayed on the stadium screen at Fenway Park.
“They wouldn’t put the title up on the jumbotron. That’s how uncomfortable people were with the subject back then,” he said.
Today, menopause is referenced regularly on talk shows, sitcoms, and commercials, and Greenleaf credits the musical with helping bring it into the mainstream.
“It helped redirect the conversation,” he said. “Women today are more comfortable and confident talking about it, even as they’re still dealing with the realities of menopause, aging, and their place in the world.”
Greenleaf also noted how the show reframes midlife as a time of opportunity.
“In the past, women at this stage of life often felt, sociologically, like they were becoming less useful,” he said. “Now the conversation has shifted. It’s more about rediscovering who you were before your primary roles became raising children, caring for a partner, and managing a family. The question now is: what do women want to do next? How do they take the wisdom they’ve gained from that journey and apply it to the second half of their lives? That’s what makes the conversation much more celebratory.”
While women fill most of the seats at performances, Greenleaf said men enjoy the show as well, often attending with partners to share laughs and gain understanding.
He recalled one male skeptic, a theater owner who attended with Greenleaf despite his lack of interest. After the performance, he looked stunned and said, “If I had seen this show five years ago, I would not have divorced my wife.”
“It was a bittersweet moment,” he said. The man, he said, confessed that he hadn’t truly grasped the physical and emotional changes his wife was experiencing. “It really showed how important it is for men to understand what women are going through,” he said.
Tickets are available at the theater box office and online for “Menopause The Musical 2: Cruising Through the Change.”
