“There is no greater power in the world than the zest of a postmenopausal woman” – so said American cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead.

Diverse City, a theatre group whose dream is ‘a world where all identities are respected and valued’, have tapped into the challenging physical transition that every woman will experience during and after menopause and share that turmoil in a witty and poignant performance that blows the lid off any misconceptions or taboos about ‘the change’. Mid Life is an exploration of women’s lives on the brink, but joyfully projects a sense of survival and rejuvenation of purpose on the other side. A British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter and audio describer have been incorporated into the performance.

The piece is built around Claire Hodgson, a 48-year old married mother with a pierced nose and dyed blonde hair, a former disco dancing champion who now runs a business with 14 employees. Used to ‘powering through life’, Claire has put together a ‘one-woman show’ in which she is just going to come out with all the ‘shit’ she has been going through (and having to pick up) and say it like it is. For starters, what would happen if she just sat down and refused to just keep going?

But what Claire hasn’t reckoned on is that her theatrical buddies Karen and Jacqui have also ‘had enough’ and are not going to be denied their moment in the spotlight. Cue a show in shambles. Not! Better even, we get a triple layered outpouring of poignant but sometimes very funny truths about women’s experiences around the time of menopause and their back stories. Karen, we learn, has survived a challenging younger life and now feels strong enough to come out as gay, while Jacqui is enjoying her own sexual renaissance in later life. The three of them are a good foil for each another as we dip into each life in turn.

Flitting between these three and adding an almost metaphysical presence is the sylph-like Kandaka Moore, singing a background narrative with a deliciously intoxicating voice, while acting as an ‘invisible’ link between the women.

Director Lucy Richardson has ensured the action always holds our interest over the hour and twenty-minute performance. Claire, Jacqui and Karen are always kinetic, but brave enough to use stillness and absolute quiet, such as in a memorable sequence about short-term memory loss. Scenes in which first Claire then Jacqui release (unzip) their inner rages from within the confines of one of the suitcases piled behind them are unforgettable.

Bidding farewell to youth, becoming the next older generation, being solely responsible for one’s life, can all be fearful freefall-type moments. Diverse City pull no punches here, but in this brutally honest exposé of mid-life menopausal crisis, there is something endearingly human about Claire, Jacqui and Karen’s stories. And by the end we are literally dancing with them to the tune of I Am What I Am by Gloria Gaynor.   ★★★★☆     Simon Bishop   14^th  February 2020