Hot Flashin at Odyssey Theatre Ensemble

Written by Gina Jourard, with help from Ruth Mercado, and featuring 16 original songs, including 13 written by acclaimed musician/songwriter/composer Tom Pergola, "Hot Flashin'" is a "Feel Good Musical Comedy" that tells the story of a group of five women in their "middle to later years, who have seen it all!" These female characters have grown children and limited incomes, and are working through the challenges of life in the midst of rising living costs. Somehow they each have the ability to find humor in the stressful moments they confront by their unique life situations. "Hot Flashin'" opens with five ladies dressed in extremely funny costumes – they are "Drama Mama," "Mystery Mama," "Earth Mama," "Sassy Mama," and "Survivor Mama." Each woman gets a phone call from a Producer via his disembodied voice (think "Charlie" from "Charlie's Angels" – a character the audience never sees), telling them they have been picked to star in a new reality television show. The premise of the TV show is to prove that "age is just a number," and that regardless of how old you are or what you might look like, talent is still talent. The entire musical takes place within the producer's rehearsal studio. The show offers plenty of physical comedy, funny repartee, and hysterical songs, with titles such as "Hot Flashes," "Dump that Chump," "My Feet Hurt" and "Boob Operation," among them. After the audience gets to know the plights and challenges of each of the five women, the play ends with the women becoming an official singing group. During the course of the play, the audience learns that the women's performances have been streamed live over the Internet, and they've become a smash. The Producer is so pleased by their talent, he scores for the women a live performance residency in Las Vegas. Learning this, the ladies are thrilled. Says the show's director Dan Berkowitz, "Hot Flashin' is a wonderful combination of outrageous comedy set against a backdrop of real-world situations."