Festival Theatre Edinburgh – 7 October 2024 then touring across the UK until 12th November 2024
Reviewed by Rachel Farrier
3***
When I mentioned to my teenage children that I was going to review a show about the menopause, they both assumed it was going to be a musical on the topic, until I corrected them. Perhaps this could be the next step for Dr Newson in her valiant attempts to get people talking about, and understanding, perimenopause and the menopause. Certainly, the show that she is touring with tries to be entertaining and with some light relief in the form of comedian Anne Gildea providing comedic interludes throughout. I found these interludes genuinely funny and they do break up the intensity of some of the more ‘academic’ elements of the evening, and I guess make the show more inclusive and less intimidating. However, as a perimenopausal woman myself, I was all ears to learn from the knowledge and experience of a doctor who has own menopause clinics and has chosen to focus her career on helping women to navigate this turbulent period of their lives. I didn’t need the comedy relief, or the sometimes sensationalist short videos which examined the extremely difficult experiences that some women have had of the menopause – for me, they were confirming what I already know, and want to know how to avoid. Perhaps I was alone in thinking that a straight 2 hour lecture from Dr Newson behind a lectern (perhaps with a break) would have been preferable – it seemed that most of the women around me (and yes, the audience was almost entirely female, with a handful of men) were enjoying the style and content.
But I did get the feeling that Dr Newson was preaching to the converted: I would guess that most of the audience have already read her books/articles or listen to her podcasts, or have seen her on TV – I doubt there were many there who needed convincing that the menopause has been misunderstood and mistreated (sometimes horrifically) throughout history and in the present day.
My favourite parts of the show were where Dr Newson explained the ‘science’ of hormones and perimenopause and the menopause; this was where I did learn something, and it helped me to understand why she is known as a vociferous advocate for women being able to access HRT when they begin to experience symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, rather than having to wait until they have suffered from a catalogue of symptoms before their GP will join the dots and consider what is happening for a woman hormonally.
Dr Newson did not directly address the controversy which has seen her in the headlines in recent days after the Panorama programme discovered the British Menopause Society has removed Dr Louise Newson from its register of menopause specialists because of concerns over high dose, off-label prescribing in her clinics.
She did, however, seek to align herself with medics who in the past have been ridiculed and ostracized for their outlandish beliefs and practices, but who have come to be recognized as trailblazers for the advancement of the understanding of women’s bodies and the menopause.
Time will tell whether Dr Newson will continue to be seen by some as a heretic, or a hero, and she should be applauded for her attempts to get as many people as possible talking about, and understanding, perimenopause and the menopause. I didn’t need the productions gimmicks of the show, but if they help capture the attention of a wider audience, then all to the good.
