Hot Flush! at the New Wimbledon Theatre

If ever a musical had a target audience it would be Hot Flush!. As women  “of a certain age” packed into New Wimbledon Theatre the atmosphere was similar to that of an aging hen night – in the nicest way possible.

Advertised as the “naughtiest musical in town” Hot Flush! has begun its 67 show tour across the UK – a musical based on that word all women dread: menopause. Writer Julie Benson has managed to produce a stage show that is not only funny and watchable but also very relatable. The audience laughter was deafening as the theatre, where the women outnumbered the men ten to one,  creased up with laugher and cries of “that’s so true” and “I get like that” could be heard. Only the odd man could be found among the ladies. Speaking of which, Lesley Joseph managed to spot one man in the front row and seductively sat on his knee, to say the least. Men – be warned!

Joseph was hilarious throughout and despite the show’s overview dubbed as humorous, there were emotional moments that again rang very true with this audience.  They were well-staged and performed without being too emotional and not over the top.  “The man”, Matt Slack, played a brilliant part in portraying the various men in these women’s lives. On the whole the cast were brilliant; they held the crowd’s attention and their characters extremely well. This was to be expected from a cast of experienced and creditable stage actors.

A topic of this nature can often come across as portraying women in an incorrect light. This performance was the perfect mixture of stage flare and realism with some naughty moments indeed, leaving the audience gasping for breath. Now on its fifth tour, Hot Flush! looks like it will continue its success and is, perhaps, the perfect Mother’s Day present!

Alice Barker

Hot Flush! will tour nationwide until 24^th May 2014. For further information or to book visit the show’s website here.