25 Years of Hot Flashes and Standing Ovations: Inside the Anniversary Tour of Menopause The Musical®

As Menopause The Musical® kicks off its 25th anniversary tour, we sat down with Nancy Slusser and Stacey Harris, two cast members who have been with the show for many years. Together, they talked about how the conversation around menopause has changed since the show began, what it feels like to bring an audience to its feet night after night, and why, after all these years, they’re still not tired of the “kick line.”

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Nancy, when you started with the show nearly a quarter-century ago, did you ever imagine it would still be running today?
Nancy Slusser: No, or that I would be a part of it. [Creator] Jeanie Linders was going through menopause, and over a bottle of wine and hot flashes, she penned all these very funny parody lyrics. She had the foresight to bring it from the Fringe Festival in Florida to New York’s Off-Broadway, where I joined the cast. From there, it blossomed.

It’s hard for me to believe because I still feel like that woman from 24½ years ago. My hair is gray now, and I’ve gained a couple of extra pounds, but I’m wiser, and so I feel really lucky to have been a part of this process from the start.

Stacey, you joined more recently, through the sequel. What has that path looked like for you?
Stacey Harris: Nancy and I were part of the two groups of cast that learned the sequel for the US premiere. I was appearing as Soap Star, which is what I now also play in the original. As it went along, I became a dance captain, and then I became the choreography supervisor, which means that I now teach the choreography to people or come in and refresh it if people haven’t done the show in a while.

Nancy and I will be going out in the fall to start the 25th anniversary tour, which is very exciting, and I’m just honored to have been asked to be a part of a show that has just run forever.

How has the reception to the show and to the topic of menopause changed over the past 25 years?
Nancy: It really has changed tremendously. When I first auditioned for the show, while I knew there was menopause, I don’t think I’d ever really contemplated it because my mother and grandmother both had hysterectomies for various reasons. So I never witnessed anyone going through menopause.

Stacey: Nobody ever talked to me about menopause, and I have a very close relationship with my mother. She never talked to me about menopause. Nobody did. I always knew about hot flashes. That’s basically all I knew.

I feel like, really just in the last several years, a lot of beautiful, still-considered-sexy celebrities are now very openly talking about menopause, even selling menopause.

Nancy: When I would mention it to people, sometimes they’d say, “Oh, that sounds interesting,” or, “Oh, that’s weird.” But some people were actually offended: “Well, menopause isn’t funny.” I’d be at an audition and say, “I’m doing Menopause The Musical,” and they would be like, “It’s not funny.” And I said, “Well, but we have to take every situation we’re in in life and laugh about it as we age, because to me, more than menopause, it’s about aging.”

Not only is menopause talked about more openly, but have discussions between women improved over this issue?
Stacey: We call ourselves our menopause sisters, because having women that you can talk about these things with, that you can laugh about them with, cry about them with, is so important.

Nancy: In the past, nobody talked about it because they thought, either I’m going crazy or it’s just me. Now, we know it’s OK to commiserate with friends or even strangers, like if you’re at the show. A lot of the women that we meet have said, “Oh my gosh, I’m not alone. It’s OK. I can talk to somebody about it.” Even if they go home and then talk to more of their friends, it is great because we all know that, like with postpartum depression and different things, you need to be able to speak about something and have it not be taboo.

Is there a serious aspect to the show?
Nancy: The Professional Woman and the Soap Star are really worried about their professional lives and ageism. My perception of it now at my age is that if this was something that men went through, we probably would have had a lot more awareness earlier on. For women, it’s grin and bear it. We are the strong ones; we make everything happen in households.

Stacey: Also with Iowa Housewife, even though it’s done in a playful way, she’s struggling with her sex life, with viability. That’s a serious subject. These themes are dealt with in a lighthearted manner, but they are serious subjects.

Are there plus sides to menopause?
Stacey: I say I’m in my comfort era because I’m wearing sneakers everywhere. I used to wear heels all the time, strutting around the city in heels, and I’m just like, for what? For who? Just wear sneakers, save your knees, save your back, be comfortable. I care about myself, my career, and things like that, but I don’t care as much about what people think.

Nancy: One would have thought maybe as you get older you’re a shrinking violet, but no, are you kidding? I feel fierce. I feel like Mama Bear, and like, come on, life, you can come at me and I’ve got this. I feel like you really come into your own, and that’s really cool. I actually feel better about who I am and what I am, and I feel like we can keep getting stronger, and we can get better at what we do, and it’s nice.

What does it feel like when you’re performing and you see that audience response?
Nancy: It’s very cathartic. They’re feeling uplifted and joyous, and we do too, because it’s the best job in the world to bring that kind of joy to somebody. We do a kick line where we bring people on stage at the end, and so many people would say, “I just got over cancer. I’m a cancer survivor. This has given me joy.” I feel like they all felt like there was a purpose and a reason to attack life again, and there is no quantifying that. It’s not just laughter. It’s about life, about the struggles and the joys, and finding your way on the other side.

Who do you think should come see this show?
Nancy: The people you care about. That could be your husband, your spouse, who you’re going through life with. It could be your kids. I see a lot of moms and aunts and uncles come with their kids. They might be in their 50s or 60s, and their kids are in their 20s or 30s. I think definitely the demographic to me would be 35 to the end of life, because as we age, things continue to happen. There are moments where you might walk into another room and you’re like, wait a minute, why did I walk in here? That happens to everybody, and that’s why men enjoy it, too.

Stacey: I kind of wish more men would see it. We always have a smattering of guys in the audience, and it’s usually a date, a partner, a spouse, or somebody’s friend. They’re having a good time because they know all these songs, because they are popular songs from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s that everybody knows. “Stayin’ Alive” is now “Stayin’ Awake” because people can’t go to sleep, or “Night Fever,” which becomes “Night Sweatin’.” Everybody knows these songs, so that’s fun, but it’s a lesson for them taught in a really fun way so that they can understand more about what their partner’s going through.

What do you hope audiences take away by the end of the show?
Stacey: That you can lean on your friends and that talking about it helps, because you’ll support each other and you’ll realize you’re not the only one. Just like how these four characters from very different walks of life start to bond and talk about these things, by the end they’re like, yeah, this is our day. I’m gonna go out and make the most of it. That’s how we end the show, and it is a very uplifting ending.

Tell us about the event happening in Times Square.
Stacey: It’s to recognize World Menopause Day, which is on October 18, and we’re doing the world’s first Hot Flash Mob kick line in Broadway Plaza between 45th and 46th Streets at 4 p.m. with the Times Square Alliance and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. We want to encourage people to come out and to wear pink to show your support for breast cancer awareness and menopause, and there will be a kick line for anyone and everyone who wants to join! Also, the first 100 people will get a free fan!