Laughter breaks illness’ silence

By Jane Norris

Published: September 18, 2008

By Jane Dunlap Norris
| 978-7249
If the hectic whirl of getting back into fall activity schedules has made you desperate for some face time with your best friends, don’t just blow it commiserating. Get tickets for “Menopause the Musical Out Loud Tour: Breaking the Silence of Ovarian Cancer’’ at the Paramount Theater and spend it laughing together instead.
Writer and producer Jeanie Linders, who created the musical, said she enjoys seeing groups of friends enjoying the show together.
“We heavily promote girls’ nights out and Saturday matinees,’’ Linders said. “What happens a lot of times is women are just so busy with work and volunteering during the week that Saturday matinees are popular.’’
The show may not answer all the burning questions of life, except perhaps two — yes, it is hot in here, and, no, it’s not just you. But the musical will use its humorous versions of popular 1960s and ’70s songs to remind women of all backgrounds what they have in common — a shared experience that goes beyond the hot flashes, night sweats and foggy memories on its surface.
The tour also strives to make women and men more aware of the symptoms of ovarian cancer and the toll the disease takes on everyday lives and families in a nation where more than 20,000 women are diagnosed each year. At each stop along the tour, members of ovarian cancer support groups are handing out brochures and answering questions in theater lobbies.
And laughing.
“It’s a very funny show,’’ Linders said. “Women come out laughing and feeling good about themselves.’’
The humor, in fact, is what tied the musical’s tour to the ovarian cancer cause.
Linders said that she got an e-mail in 2004 from Janet Rigdon, an ovarian cancer survivor in Greenville, S.C., asking her to bring the show to her town because “she and her friends needed to laugh,’’ Linders said.
Linders made sure Rigdon and her friends got to see a performance, and they struck up a friendship.
She said Rigdon shared many of the frustrating details of her battle. Many symptoms of ovarian cancer, including fatigue, indigestion, gas and unexplained weight loss or gain, can be easy for a woman to dismiss because they can be explained away for other reasons — an indulgent dinner or two, a tough week at work. And according to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, although the five-year survival rate exceeds 90 percent if the cancer is caught early, there’s no single smoking-gun early detection test yet.
So why did the musical resonate so strongly with Rigdon and her friends? Surgical removal of ovaries leaves women in premature menopause. Many chemotherapy patients also have the same experience — sometimes temporarily, but sometimes permanently.
“One of the things I learned, that Janet made me aware of, is that ovarian cancer is the ‘silent killer,’ ’’ Linders said, adding that for women made menopausal by treatment methods, “on top of dealing with cancer, they’re dealing with hot flashes and night sweats.’’
Thus the first “Menopause the Musical Out Loud” tour was born last year. This year, the second tour began Sept. 5 in Greenville, where Linders said Rigdon — who is doing well — gave a curtain talk.
“We do it for Janet and for all the other women,’’ Linders said of the tour.
The cast includes Jeanne Croft as Iowa Housewife, Monique Whittington as Professional Woman, Stephanie Pascaris as Earth Mother and Rebecca Fisher as Soap Star.
“It’s almost as if there’s a little bit of each of those characters in each of us,’’ Linders said.
In Linders’ show, the four women don’t seem to have much in common when they first run into each other at a lingerie sale, but they soon realize they’ve booked the same frustrating ride of symptoms.
That’s where Linders’ mischievous bent for writing song parodies cranks up the funny quotient. Listen for more than two dozen new takes on familiar melodies, including “I Heard It Through the Grapevine, You’re No Longer 39,’’ “Stayin’ Awake, Stayin’ Awake’’ and “Havin’ a Hot Flash.’’
Proceeds from the sales of the hand-held Hot Flash Fans at performances go to the Jeanie C. Linders Fund, which tackles many projects to help women ranging from supporting ovarian cancer support groups to helping women who survived Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes. Through the fund, part of the local shows’ proceeds will go to the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition’s Greater Richmond Chapter.
Linders said the show still has a hold on her own funny bone.
“I still laugh,’’ Linders said. “I still have my favorite parts. I certainly see myself up there.
“Menopause is universal. It’s very gratifying that eight years later [the show’s] still doing what it’s doing and making a difference in people’s lives.’’