HAVE YOU reached that certain age? Are you more likely to be shaking your rolling pin than your booty? Are you a little bit hot, a little bit hairy?
Then make your way to the Town Hall for a live grump-fest as the smash-hit comedy Grumpy Old Women plays for a week-long run from Monday February 28 to Saturday March 5.
Three furious females take to the stage for an orgy of middle aged mayhem, 90 minutes of theatrical HRT with not a thong in sight. The three women on the edge are Adele King (Twink ), Una Crawford O’Brien (Renee in Fair City ) and Flo McSweeney, who all previously starred in the smash hit Menopause The Musical. Scary enough on their own, together they are a force of nature.
Treading the boards (and making them creak ) across the country, the trio are now bringing their hilarious brand of grumping to Galway. Ahead of the show’s Town Hall visit, the inimitable Adele King took some time over a chat by phone to say what audiences can expect from it.
“This might sound like a sweeping statement,” she begins, “but I can honestly say, hand on heart, that this is the best comedy I have ever done in all my years in the business. People are just crying with laughter at it. The other night my old friend Paddy Cole came into my dressing room after the show and he said his jaw was sore and his sides ached from all the laughing he had done, he said he had never laughed so much in his life.”
Many people will be familiar with Grumpy Old Women from its original appearance on BBC where three series have been broadcast since it debuted in 2004. The stage show was penned by series creator Judith Holder and comedian Jenny Éclair, a regular fixture on the series.
Since its premiere in 2005, the stage show has been a huge success both on the West End and internationally, enjoying successful runs in Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, France, Finland and, now, Ireland.
How has the show been adapted from its TV version, which largely comprised assorted celebs grumbling about their pet hates, to the version presented on stage?
“I was wondering how they would do that myself when I first went to see it in the West End,” King readily admits. “Clearly the initial TV format wouldn’t work in theatre. I would describe the stage version as a grown-up woman’s version of Friends. The three of us play these flatmates and then we do various scenarios set around the likes of supermarkets and health spas.
“It’s a terrific comedy and it’s a real pleasure to perform in. I remember when I saw it that time in the West End I knew straight away it was a show I wanted to do here in Ireland.”
Interestingly the BBC series Grumpy Old Men pre-dated Grumpy Old Women and yet it’s the latter which has gone on to be the huge international hit.
“I think women’s grumping just tends to be funnier,” King muses as she ponders the show’s success. “There’s a lot in the show that people can really identify with. In some ways I think the title is a bit misleading because it may lead people to assume it’s like Menopause The Musical but I think it’s very different. It doesn’t just appeal to women of a certain age, we’re getting lots of men and younger audience members coming along and they all enjoy it just as much.”
Treat yourselves so, for after all, you know what they say – if you can’t beat them, join them. Don’t forget your bifocals and remember, while ‘the Grumpies’ do not permit heckling, however, they do allow some tutting!
Grumpy Old Women is at 8pm with an extra 6pm performance on Saturday March 5. Tickets range from €20 to €30 and are available from the Town Hall on 091 - 569777 and www.tht.ie
