Of Novotels and Miserable Theatre

Watch and admire as Lyn Gardner takes a wrathful sledgehammer to Menopause: The Musical

Like Mum's the Word and Bernadette the Musical before it, Menopause has very little to do with theatre and everything to do with canny special-interest marketing and merchandising. Anyone for a Menopause the Musical mug? Mum's the Word realised there might be a ready-made audience of women who would apparently like nothing better than to spend their evening away from the kids hearing about other women's leaking breasts and sleepless nights. Back in the 80s Bernadette miraculously kept going for months - despite stinking notices - thanks to coach parties of church groups, although in the end even God couldn't save the show from itself.

As an additional note its playing at the Shaw Theatre - a venue attached to a Novotel with all the atmosphere of said Hotel's lobby. Without a doubt the most soulless, miserable theatre I have ever been in. Probably an appropriate venue then, by the sounds of it.