by Janet Bein, Vivified Diva

The best thing about going to see Menopause the Musical, a supposedly hilarious celebration of this inevitable rite of passage, was the female camaraderie. I went with a whole slew of female buddies who were all over fifty years of age. Some of my buddies brought their buddies, which made it even more fun.

The show is playing at Theatre 39 at Pier 39. We all went to eat first at Chics Seafood Restaurant, directly across the raised walkway from the theater. I was lucky to sit by the window, and able to enjoy both the food and conversation while also drinking in the beauty of San Francisco bay

Next best thing about the show was the cast. All four women had good strong voices and a lot of enthusiasm. And yes, I also enjoyed the familiar pop tunes set to new amusing lyrics.

But I wasn’t laughing out loud.

A few years ago, I saw Vagina Monologues when it played in San Francisco. I was a lot more impressed by that play than by this show. Vagina Monologues included serious and humorous sketches within its multi-woman monologues, and even the humorous sketches carried some serious content. It was much more daring and original.

I felt like Menopause the Musical was too tame.

* * * *

Menopause the Musical shows Tuesday through Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., Wednesdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. and Saturdays at 4 p.m. All performances are $46.50. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit www.menopausethemusical.com.

Find ratings and reviews for San Francisco landmarks from TripAdvisor, Frommers, Fodors, etc. all in one place