Las Vegas Weekly

July 14, 2009 · 11:34 AM

Photo Gallery: Menopause the Musical makes ‘the change’ at premiere

By Robin Leach

Alan Glist, Kathy Glist, Jeanie Linder and Felix Rappaport arrive at the premiere of Menopause the Musical at the Luxor.

Photo: Denise Truscello

During its three-year run at the Las Vegas Hilton, Menopause the Musical entertained more than half a million guests, and now the show about “the change” has moved to the Strip. The laugh-a-minute, song-a-minute production is now headquartered at the Luxor, and the cast won a standing ovation and more applause when they arrived for the first-night celebration in their new home.

Nightly kudos to four of the hardest-working powerhouse women in Las Vegas show business, including dynamic vocalist Queen Emily (Emily David), a finalist last year on America’s Got Talent, along with Paige O’Hara, the voice of Belle in the Disney classic Beauty and the Beast. Other cast members who revolve weeklong include Laura Lee O’Connell, Annette Verdolino, Cheryl Spencer, Sandra Benton and Lori Legacy.

Menopause is the story of four women at a Bloomingdale’s sale suffering from hot flashes, night sweats, memory loss and dealing with too little or too much sex! Amazingly, they pack in 26 Baby Boomer songs that have all been adapted to the change, including “Staying Awake” and “Puff My God I’m Dragging.”

The women and men in the audience were all laughing out loud on opening night! Worldwide, 11 million people have seen the show.

Photo: Denise Truscello

The cast of Menopause the Musical -- Sandra Benton, Laura Lee O'Connell, Paige O'Hara, Annette Houlihan Verdolino and Emily David -- celebrate a successful first show.

Jeanie Linder, who wrote and produced the show as a celebration of women on the brink of, in the middle of or who have survived the change, was on hand and presented roses to her cast and fellow producers. Luxor President Felix Rappaport welcomed the company to their new home at his casino resort with a party at Fusia.

Said Jeanie: “The show has become a grassroots movement of women who deal with life after 40, and I started writing it over my first bottle of wine to go with my first hot flash! The subject is no longer ‘the silent passage,’ but is dealt with openly today. Our show has fun, laughter and music to help us get through it all.”

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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