Menopause the Musical -- Everybody enjoys musicals dealing with energetic young people on the brink of conquering the world. But what about the people in the audience: the nearsighted, overweight, and wrinkled denizens of middle age, who rarely see their own physiological mysteries put into song? For them, there is Menopause the Musical, a hoot of a show written by Jeanie Linders. It's a foot-stomping 90-minute revival meeting for women who've had to deal with The Change while also trying to maintain their careers and family relationships. Menopause is frequently repetitious, even teetering on the brink of tiresome, but the energetic cast of four and spirited direction by Patty Bender and Kathryn Conte maintain the flow, so to speak. All women with a few decades on them -- even those who only use "menopause" as an excuse to get out of going to football games -- will probably get a stiff neck from nodding in agreement and a tender side from all the laughter. Through May 30 at Playhouse Square Center's 14th Street Theatre, 2037 East 14th St., 216-241-6000. -- Howey
Midnight Martini Show -- There is a strange attraction in Frank Sinatra's loosely organized Rat Pack and their infamous, loopily disorganized Las Vegas shows that ran for a few golden years back in the 1960s. Frank, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. mixed pop songs, corny jokes, and Johnnie Walker into an irreverent, hip evening that seemed so easy. What the Midnight Martini Show at Pickwick & Frolic proves is that it ain't easy at all. This one-hour set attempts to capture the bored-with-it-all sophistication and the slightly inebriated intimacy that the Rat Packers achieved, but it fails on several counts, from the overly eager performers to the florid songs and lame drinking jokes. Which is not to say that this no-cover show doesn't provide a convenient glide path for those downtown on a Friday or Saturday night. Indeed, some of the American standards are sung well enough. Now the task is to find directors and performers who understand that being casually funny while delivering classic tunes takes a lot of work. Fridays and Saturdays at Pickwick & Frolic, 2035 East 4th St., 216-241-7425. -- Howey
On the Town -- Every generation, it's the same: We send young people off to fight in hostile lands, then bring them back to civilization for short respites so they can hit a big city and release some of that "I ain't dead yet!" tension. The same was true back in 1944, when folks back home were exhausted by four years of warfare and hungry for a frolic at the theater. The perfect answer was delivered by On the Town. In Beck Center's version of this challenging show, the many bright spots are dimmed by a strangely enervating pace, slipshod set design, and thin musical palette. The slim story is constructed around three sailors -- Gabey, Chip, and Ozzie -- who hit the pier at 6 a.m. with one full day in New York to themselves. It's all intended to be a frivolous romp, but many of the jokes either haven't aged well or aren't delivered with the proper crispness and snap. As for the music, it's a bear to play and sing. Beck Center's 13-member orchestra is maybe a third the size it needs to be to do justice to Leonard Bernstein's score, and it spins out a few times. Through April 10 at Beck Center, 17801 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, 216-521-2540. -- Howey
Restoring the Sun -- We've come to depend on science -- in particular, employing the scrupulous scientific method -- to achieve our modern lifestyle. But there are always those who seek to shortcut that process. Based on a true story, this world premiere features a pair of white coats boasting they've created nuclear fusion in water at room temperature. The story picks up as the duo visit Congress seeking megadollars to fund their research. Everyone appears to be dazzled by their claims, but it soon becomes apparent that the wrench in the works is the media -- a Washington Post reporter whose uncomfortable questions reveal that their experiments had no controls. Though the script is dense with electrochemical lingo, playwright Joe Sutton manages to keep the focus clear and compelling, up to a point. But ironically, he does exactly what he accuses the scientists of doing by showing only the evidence that supports his premise. Ultimately, the play begins to cannibalize its own arguments, and the script whirls through various iterations of the same faith-or-fact trope. The cast handles the material with style, but for a play with such a timely theme, the resonance after the final curtain is fairly dim. Through April 17 at the Cleveland Play House, 8500 Euclid Avenue, 216-795-7000. -- Howey
