All the world is her stage
Published on April 21st, 2004
STONEHAM, MA - At five feet and 100 pounds, Kathy St. George is a slip of woman. But put her on stage in a role that she loves, and it is a sure bet her innate exuberance will fill the theater, leaving an indelible impression long after the production has closed.
Such is the case with "Menopause The Musical," a song-filled parody of life after 40, replete with poking fun at all the mental, physical, and emotional baggage that goes hand-and-hand with "the change."
In what could be packaged as an all woman show -- conceived by women in 1994 over a bottle of wine and a major hot flash; produced by women with shows currently running in seven cities, with four more openings scheduled for this month; written, directed, and choreographed by women; and performed by four women for a predominantly female audience -- this off-Broadway hit bills itself as a musical about laughing.
"It's like a big party," said St. George, a familiar face on the local theater scene ("Follies in Concert, "Ruthless," I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," among others), who feels likes she has ascended to rock star status based on the wild response from the audiences.
Since opening last week at the Stuart Street Playhouse, people have been waiting after the show to get autographs from the cast.
"It's the most fun I've ever had. At the end of the show, we invite the audience on stage for a kick line. The whole audience goes up, and we give them buttons that say, We've changed.
"This show is a phenomenon. It's hilarious, contagious and
exhilarating," said St. George, who was required to attend a kind of menopause boot camp in Florida in order to learn the material, particularly the choreography in which some segments are "based on John Travolta's choreography."
"Menopause" chronicles the meeting of four women -- an aging soap star (played by St. George, who in real life was the stand-in for Susan Lucci of "All My Children"), a lost-in-the-60s hippie, a power executive and an Iowa housewife visiting the city with her conventioneering husband.
Outwardly, they have nothing in common, but at a lingerie sale at Bloomingdale's, while fighting over a black lace bra, the four actually realize they share a great deal: memory loss, hot flashes, night sweats, chocolate binges, wrinkles, plastic surgery, hormones, not enough sex, too much sex -- the whole nine years and then some. What follows is a send-up of 26 relyricized tunes from the 1960s, 70s, and 80s, culminating with a high-spirited salute to every woman who has turned 50.
"The show touches every base, from night sweats and anti-depressants to beauty and body changes," confirms St. George, whose favorite song is "Tropical Hot Flash," parodied from the 60's hit, "We're Having a Heat Wave."
Originally a second grade teacher for the Stoneham Public Schools, St. George got bitten by the acting bug when she won a best supporting actress award in 1978 for her role of Sybil in a community theater production of "Private Lives."
The director said, "You should consider this as a career." So she heeded his advice and took a year's leave of absence, moving to New York "to get it out of her system.
"I was like the girl in '42nd Street' who gets off the bus and looks at all the tall buildings. I was clueless. I didn't know I'd be competing against people who had been in four year colleges or had masters degrees in theater. And all I had in my hand was this acting award from a community theater festival.
"I had a terrific first year though. I did five shows through cattle calls -- standing in line at 6 a.m. with a cup of tea and being #41," said St. George, who was cast one year later as the youngest daughter and Grandma Zeitel in "Fiddler on the Roof," starring Herschel Bernardi.
Then, in 1991, she played the fourth daughter in the Tony award-winning revival, starring Topol. Additionally, she did four tours of that show.
"I can't watch 'Fiddler' anymore," joked St. George, who returned to the Boston area multiple times, but ended up staying put after being cast as Barbara DeMarco, the hairdresser, in "Sheer Madness," where she played 500 performances.
"Like Dorothy, I felt, 'There,s no place like home,," said St. George whose biggest fan is probably her mother. "She comes to my shows at least monthly with a different group of friends: the Irish ladies, the church ladies, the card ladies."
So, for the duration of her run with "Menopause" St. George will sing her songs, kick up her heels, and change costumes three times.
"In the final number, all four performers have such quick costume changes that we had to choreograph it down to the second, coordinating everything with the two dressers back stage.
"It's not Shakespeare," said the IRNE Award winner for best actress, "but it's a fun show celebrating women."
"Menopause The Musical," through May 9. Stuart Street Playhouse, 200 Stuart Street, Boston. Tickets $42.50 and $38.25 for seniors; For tickets, call Telecharge at 800-447-7400.
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