After the revival of Birds Of A Feather, Lesley Joseph is keeping busy with a starring role in musical stage show, Hot Flush, that recently stopped at Bradford’s St George’s Hall where Leo Owen caught the show
The auditorium is packed and there’s very few men in the audience, already suggesting Hot Flush is predominantly aimed at women. Of course the title is a massive clue and opening song “We Are The Women Of Menopause” acts as a warning for anyone still unclear what this production will be about.
Four actresses sing the opening number with pauses for each to introduce her character: Jessica Conway (Ruth Keeling) raises funds for the church and is in a coasting marriage; divorce barrister Myra Wilson (Lesley Joseph)’s husband cheated on her and she now has her sexually-charged 18 year-old son, Damian, to act as a constant reminder of his infidelity; widow Helen (Annie Smith), organises the Tuesday night Hot Flush club and Sylvia (Lorey Haley Fox) is suffering from the effects of HRT, secretly having an affair with Myra’s son.
Set Designer, Mark Walters, keeps the stage simple with four neon house silhouettes and the odd prop, allowing us to focus our attention on Julie Benson’s extremely witty script. Much of the jokes of course rely on menopause symptoms and don’t shy away from bodily functions, explicitly saying it like it is: “Between us we have so many hot flushes, I swear you could fry eggs on our bums… The only thing I can retain is water – it’s like I’ve sucked up Somerset.” At the Hot flush Club, Myra pleads: “Anyone got a Tena?” and characters complain of “Another night of being burnt at the stake!” Jessica comes on stage wearing a slimming legging suit and bra, complaining of vaginitis as she lays on the floor doing up her strained jeans before she waddles around, barely able to walk. There’s an
amusing scene showing likely memory loss and general skattiness during menopause as Jessica forgets to pay for her shopping and characters desperately search for ringing mobiles.
One area of menopause Benson particularly focuses on is likely mood swings and female bitterness that men do not have to experience the myriad of discomforts women endure. Angry because of her husband, Howard’s, betrayal, Myra’s character spews out anti-male one-liners: “Men are born out of woman and spend the rest of their f**king lives trying to get back in… If the menopause happened to men, there’d be a cure by now… Men are like laxatives – they irritate the shit out of you.” Even the priest character is presented in an unwholesome light masturbating as he waits for Jessica. Benson counters this by allowing Matt Slack (the only male cast member) a defensive tongue-in-cheek monologue, playing to the few male viewers.
Lyricist, Olly Ashmore, perfectly compliments Benson’s script with a barrage of laugh-out-loud songs, occasionally using famous pre-existing tunes like “English Country Garden”. From risque numbers like “Hum Rabbit Hum Hum Hum” (“When I’m with you I come come come…. My fingers and toes going numb numb numb”) to more touching songs like “A Mother’s Love Will Last”, where possible Ashmore tries to alter lyrics to directly appeal to his geographical audience; Myra ponders her husband’s lover in “What Has She Got?”: “Twenty like Africa fresh and exciting to explore, 30 Asia and 50 Manningham – everyone knows where it is but nobody wants to go there.” Director, Alan Cohen provides extra laughs by having Slack randomly pop up with the ladies at comically timed moments, including adorned in a surgical gown with a naked behind.
While the set remains the same throughout, there are costume changes aplenty both off and on stage with a wheel-on bar and reception desk, acting as a barrier for quick changes. Helen’s speed-dating song depicts the experience through Slack using multiple props and wigs for his many characters, including an S&M gimp mask.
Cast are equally strong with Slack in many ways stealing the show in his ability to constantly switch character. They play off the audience, occasionally slipping up but using the play’s habitual tendency to break the fourth wall as a way of good-humouredly acknowledging this to create additional laughs. Energetic, playful, and thought-provoking, Hot Flush caters to an older audience in subject-matter and microphone volume but may not suit more refined tastes in its generous use of expletives and extremely crude gags (“Come on laugh – have a laugh – your knickers will dry out.”). Enormous fun to watch and clearly be a part of, the Bradford leg of the show’s tour certainly deserved its standing ovation.
Hot Flush showed at St George’s Hall on April 7 before continuing its UK tour.