Musical makes for perfect girls' night out
By Ruby Nancy, QUAD-CITY TIMES -- January 29, 2004

Female Problems: the Musical” is a comedic revue that celebrates and satirizes the life of a modern woman. From the creator of the comic strip “Sylvia” and New Ground Theatre’s production staff comes this delightful musical about “women — and the men brave enough to love them.”

Mostly a collection of monologues and songs, “Female Problems” covers everyday trials like the search for a perfect mate, getting dressed in the morning, post-feminism, visiting the gynecologist, unhappy childhoods and ordering lunch in a restaurant. A half-dozen performers with plenty of talent and a crew and production staff with theater chops to spare do a fine job with the material.

Lora Adams, Susan McPeters, Terry Sacks, Steve Flanigin, Alicia Jackson and Tristan Layne Tapscott all do quite a bit of nice work, appearing as a variety of characters in the series of vignettes. I especially enjoyed “Fashion Cop,” “Marriage for Three” and “Post-Feminist Torch Song” as well as “Menopause Express.”

Director Chris Jansen and musical director Dino Hayz have put together a cute show, and their work is complemented by the fun choreography of Shellee Frazee. First-class pianist Matt Noah and drummer Terry Reiter, plus Hayz on keyboard, do an excellent job with the music, too.

Often humorous, sometimes laugh-aloud hilarious, “Female Problems” (which also ended up with a new director and recent cast change due to family issues and the like) succeeds because it focuses on people and personality rather than flash and spectacle. The dress rehearsal I saw wasn’t quite perfect — one performer in particular wasn’t miked nearly as often as she needed to be, and in several ensemble numbers it was difficult to hear every word — but I suspect it will be by the time you read this.

With pros like the ones featured (and working offstage) here, plus the great material and offbeat humor, “Female Problems” promises to be a word-of-mouth hit. And audiences who skip New Ground’s productions because they don’t care for modern dramas might really enjoy this lighthearted change.

The perfect girls’ night out show, and an interesting bit of entertainment for a date as well, “Female Problems” is a lot of fun.

Take yourself and any woman you adore to this great little musical. It’s too much of a treat to be missed.

If you go:
“Female Problems,” by New Ground Theatre
When: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays
Where: Rivermont Collegiate, 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf
How much: $12 adults, $10 students and senior citizens
Information: (563) 326-7529

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