JUNE 27 THROUGH JULY 1, 2018
Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts
Featuring iconic Cindy Williams of “Laverne & Shirley” fame!
Great for a girls’ night out! Tickets on sale NOW!
TAMPA, FLA. – GFour Productions, winner of 44 Tony Awards and 54 Drama Desk Awards, proudly brings the international hit show Menopause The Musical® to Ferguson Hall at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Fla., for six performances Wednesday, June 27 through Sunday, July 1. Tickets are on sale now and available at the Straz Center Ticket Office, online at www.strazcenter.org, or by calling 813-229-STAR.
Menopause The Musical® is a groundbreaking celebration of women who are on the brink of, in the middle of, or have survived “The Change.” Now celebrating 17 years of female empowerment through hilarious musical comedy, Menopause The Musical® has evolved as a “grassroots” movement of women who deal with life adjustments after 40 by embracing each other and the road ahead. Set in a department store, four women meet while shopping for a black lace bra at a lingerie sale. After noticing unmistakable similarities among one another, the cast jokes about their woeful hot flashes, mood swings, wrinkles, weight gain and much more. These women form a sisterhood and unique bond with the entire audience as they rejoice in celebrating that menopause is no longer “The Silent Passage.”
The cast for the Tampa performances includes the iconic Cindy Williams of “Laverne & Shirley” fame, in addition to Lisa Mack (Professional Woman), Patti Gardner (Soap Star), June Lang (Earth Mother), and Liz Hyde (Iowa Housewife).
CINDY WILLIAMS (Walk On) is best known for playing Shirley Feeney on the 70’s hit T.V. Show Laverne & Shirley. Her stage credits include, “The Drowsy Chaperone” (Broadway), “The Odd Couple” with Joanne Worley. Her film credits include “The Conversation” and George Lucas’s “American Graffiti” for which she received a British Academy award nomination for Best Supporting actress. Unfortunately she was beat out by Ingrid Bergman, Miss Williams still wonders how the heck that happened! She recently completed an episode of “The Odd Couple” and the Hallmark movie “A Dream Of Christmas” She’s excited about the paperback release of her book “Shirley I Jest” which is available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
LISA MACK (Professional Woman) Singing since the age of 3 in her grandmother’s home in Baltimore, Maryland, Lisa’s talent has landed her roles in musicals such as National and International tours of HAIRSPRAY, AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’, FREEDOM TRAIN, and MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL®. Ms. Mack is a graduate from Bowie State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Theatre and the title of Miss Bowie State University 1991-92. In 2003, this dynamic, bold, and brassy singer made a triple appearance on CBS’s “Star Search”, where she sang for more than 14 million viewers and made her way to the Finalist round of competition. Being a proud member of the Actors’ Equity Association, and performing on the Las Vegas Strip, is a blessing fulfilled for Lisa. She lovingly dedicates her performances to her family and friends for their unconditional love and support. You can “Like” Lisa at facebook.com/LisaSanginMack.
PATTI GARDNER (Soap Star) was the original Soap Star in GFour’s first production and has toured nationally with MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL since 2001. She has performed on most of the South Florida stages for the last thirty years and is a multi Carbonell Award nominee and recipient, as well as the Silver Palm Award. Some credits include: LIPS TOGETHER, TEETH APART, THE PRICE, OUR TOWN, PICNIC (Palm Beach Dramaworks); BOMBSHELLS, OLIVER, THE KING & I (Actor’s Playhouse); STARS OF DAVID (Florida Tour, Daryl Roth Productions); INTO THE WOODS, COMPANY (TheatreZone); THE GUYS, SUPERIOR DONUTS, SONS OF THE PROPHET, CASA VALENTINA, STALKING THE BOOGEYMAN (GableStage); CHICAGO, PIPPIN (Boca Raton Theatre Guild). A proud mother of twin daughters, one joyful G’ma to three grandchildren and forever in love with her husband, Neal, for 38 years.
JUNE LANG (Earth Mother) June has performed MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL® throughout the United States and for almost two years as Earth Mother in the Cleveland Ohio production. She appeared as the Mother of the Bride in Cleveland’s longest running show, TONY & TINA’S WEDDING and has performed in many other productions over the years. She is thrilled to have the opportunity to play with these wonderful, fun and talented women in this special show which we have all shared. Thank you GFour for this wonderful opportunity.
LIZ HYDE (Iowa Housewife) this Gastonia, North Carolina native is celebrating 13 years with this fabulous show and is thrilled to be here in Myrtle Beach! Liz started back in 2005 with MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL® at the Capri Theatre in Charlotte, where the show ran for 6 months and set new performance records. She then began doing the show’s extended national tours, while frequently also serving as the show’s Dance Captain. Liz has now performed all over our beautiful country, in almost every state, from Maine to Alaska and Hawaii, and recently filled in at the Las Vegas MTM show for 2 weeks. Other favorite show roles include Sister Robert Anne in NUNSENSE, Bad Ass Betty in THE GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL and Meredith Parker in BATBOY THE MUSICAL. Back home, Liz has been singing with the a cappella ensemble, Impromptu for 26 years, and she runs a nationally recognized pet sitting service, Pet Charmers, LLC. A passionate Tar Heel basketball fan, Liz sends much love and gratitude to incredibly supportive husband, Marc, for his unending encouragement and for graciously caring for their 2 dogs and 6 cats. Thanks and love to the entire GFour company for this incredible opportunity. Enjoy the show! Laughter is the best medicine.
Performance schedule:
- Wednesday, June 27, 8 p.m.
- Thursday, June 28, 8 p.m.
- Friday, June 29, 8 p.m.
- Saturday, June 30, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.
- Sunday, July 1, 2 p.m.
Set in a department store, four women meet while shopping for a black lace bra at a lingerie sale. After noticing unmistakable similarities among one another, the cast jokes about their woeful hot flashes, mood swings, wrinkles, weight gain and much more. These women form a sisterhood and unique bond with the entire audience as they rejoice in celebrating that menopause is no longer “The Silent Passage.”
Inspired by a hot flash and a bottle of wine, Menopause The Musical® is a celebration of women who find themselves at any stage of “The Change.” The laughter-filled 90-minute production gets audience members out of their seats and singing along to parodies from classic pop songs of the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s.
Menopause The Musical®, now in its 17th year of production, is recognized as the longest-running scripted production in Las Vegas and continues to entertain nightly at Harrah’s Las Vegas. The hilarious musical has entertained audiences across the country in more than 450 U.S. cities, nearly 300 international cities and a total of 15 countries. For more information, visit www.MenopauseTheMusical.com.
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GFOUR PRODUCTIONS Proud producers of MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL, now in its seventeenth year as the longest-running musical in Las Vegas history and can be seen nightly at Harrah’s Hotel and Casino on the Las Vegas strip. MENOPAUSE is also on tour around the U.S., as well as playing in Spain, Australia, Mexico City, and the U.K.. Other recent productions include THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG on Broadway, winner of London’s Olivier Award for Best Comedy, and starting its U.S. tour this fall; their acclaimed production of DREAMGIRLS, currently selling out on London’s West End; GROUNDHOG DAY THE MUSICAL, nominated for 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical; and their Tony Award-nominated production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, also launching its national tour this fall. Other selected highlights include winning the 2013 Tony Award for their 50th anniversary production of Edward Albee’s WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF; Co-financing the 5 time Tony Award, 5 time Drama Desk Award, and 7 time Olivier Award winner for Best Musical, MATILDA THE MUSICAL; and producing the popular 9 TO 5 THE MUSICAL with music by Dolly Parton, and RING OF FIRE the Johnny Cash Musical Show. They began producing in 1981 with NINE, winning the Tony Award that year for Best Musical. Among their favorite past Broadway productions are MY ONE AND ONLY starring Tommy Tune, ZORBA THE GREEK starring Anthony Quinn, THE RINK starring Liza Minnelli, BABY, GRAND HOTEL, GRIND, BIG, TRUE WEST, the original and the revival of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES which won them Tony Awards for Best Musical in 1983 and Best Revival in 2004. Their combined shows have been nominated for 121 Tony Awards, winning 44 and 110 Drama Desk Awards, winning 56. For more information, please visit GFourProductions.com.