From the first day Vita Drew joined Menopause the Musical, she knew the show would eventually close. “That’s what shows do,” she said.
What she couldn’t imagine was that the “chapter” would last 21 years and become the longest-running scripted musical in Las Vegas history, with 7,458 performances before its final curtain June 27.
“Who knew this was going to be a 21-year gig?” Drew said. “I’m steeped in gratitude.”
Drew (pictured with her three Grammy Awards) joined the show in 2006 as the Earth Mother character, ultimately appearing eight shows a week for more than 7,000 total performances in her 21 years. She also served as the show’s musical director and helped develop touring companies.
Drew compared the show’s closing to finishing a good book: the end didn’t diminish what came before. “Menopause was a chapter,” she said. “Shows close and then you move on, adding “I’ll always be grateful for the opportunity the producers, Alan and Kathi Glist gave me and the thousands of performances, friendships, laughter and memories that followed.”
There can be a bit of melancholy when a favorite book ends. But there can also be satisfaction —that the story was complete, that it meant something and that you’re glad you were there for the journey. For Drew, that is the real legacy of Menopause.
Four women meet at a department store lingerie sale and discover they share far more than hot flashes. Night after night, audiences saw themselves in those characters.
“The audience was the fifth girlfriend,” Drew said. Women battling menopause and even cancer told cast members that the show lifted their spirits.
Audience members would approach Drew and tell her, “You’ve changed my life,” she said, adding a sense of fulfillment, “I’ve made so many people happy.”
Drew isn’t closing her own book. She continues conducting Marc OToole’s twice-monthly variety show at Sun City Anthem, tours nationally representing Yamaha Pianos, plays for Las Vegas shows and does commercial voice-over work. “I don’t want to retire,” she said. “I want to work as long as I can.”
The book may be closed on Menopause but Vita is already beginning her next chapter.
