Longford's Backstage Theatre to host ‘How To Get The Menopause And Enjoy It’

Anne Gildea has been developing ‘How To Get The Menopause And Enjoy It’ for the last two years. In that time there's been an increase in discussions around menopause, but there's still a general lack of understanding about the issue: “When I started I did not realise the ramifications of it. The big one is how the fall in oestrogen affects women's brains, bones and heart. That can have a huge effect on their health into old age. That is why HRT can be good, not just for symptoms, but for long term health.”

It's not exactly the obvious fodder for a comedy show, but remember this is a woman who extracted humour from her own battle with cancer. The observation that she is making money out of female misery elicits hoots of laughter: “Suddenly everyone is talking about menopause. There's menopause moisturiser, menopause shampoo and menopause pants. It really makes you go: “Ah for God's sake, would you come on”,” the performer says of the origins of her show.

“I started writing it during the lockdowns. I was trying to write a show about mid-life, about all my experiences as an older woman. That was too broad, so my partner, “a man”, suggested 'How To Get The Menopause And Enjoy It'. I said “you can't write a show about menopause, it's a total turn off”, but as I started researching I went into a bit of shock . There was so much about it that I didn't know.”

Anne says though it is observational, it's first and foremost a comedy show: “It's an examination of all the things that I should have known, but I didn't. I filled the show full of gags and it's all funny. I'm 57 next month, this is from the perspective of someone who grew up in the 70s and 80s reflecting on that journey. It is fun.”

The “Enjoy It”, part of the title may be a difficult sell for many women who go through “the change”. Anne says the explanation is simple: “It's the sharing of experience. The laughing at it. That is something Irish women are brilliant at doing. It is embracing the nature of life. This is the most empowering time of a woman's life.”

Since she started touring the show she has been surprised by the diversity of the audience it attracts: “Some women bring their daughters, some bring their mothers, and some bring their husbands. There is a very broad demographic. In the past women were sidelined at 'a certain age'. You were seen as not sexy any more. I think that has changed. I really think it's a wonderful time for women.”

Anne says the reactions to the show have been overwhelming: “I am getting great feedback from audiences. I think part of that is because it is examining the mystery world of women.”

Join Anne on this mesmerising trip through all things Menopause. Tickets for ‘How to Get the Menopause and Enjoy It’ in Backstage Theatre, Longford on Friday, February 10 at 8pm are €20 with a 10% discount for groups of 10 or more and are available on 043 33 47888 or backstage.ie