Laura Benanti’s new solo performance, Laura Benanti: Nobody cares, finds the Tony-winning actress taking a self-deprecating look at fame, friendships, romance, pregnancy, motherhood and a host of other things she says she learned as a self-proclaimed “recovering inénue.” But there is one lesson that was a little harder to learn than others.
“I’m talking about perimenopause, which was just f——- horrible,” Benanti tells PEOPLE when discussing the play, which runs at Audible’s Minetta Lane Theater in New York City from February 2-4. “It’s one of the many things we as mothers are told to keep quiet about because people are like, ‘Yuck, gross, women’s bodies!’ ”
The 44-year-old star says she had no idea what was happening to her when she began experiencing perimenopause, the often years-long transition before menopause when hormones fluctuate. Women may experience a range of symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, insomnia and irregular periods.
“It was a complete mystery to me because in all the years I’ve been a functional woman, it’s never been explained to me,” says Benanti. “Menopause, they’re like, ‘Okay, we have to admit this is real.’ But perimenopause is just a surprise party! And I don’t know why.”
“That’s why I call it ‘the menopause appetizer no one tells you about,'” she jokes. “It’s an ‘old bed party’.” ”
Laura Benanti at the ‘No Hard Feelings’ premiere at AMC Lincoln Square in New York City in June 2023.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty
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Benanti and her husband Patrick Brown have two daughters: Louisa Georgia, 18 months, and Ella Rose, who turns 7 on Valentine’s Day
The No anger The actress joins a growing list of stars like Naomi Watts who are addressing the lack of conversation about perimenopause. Back in November, Gwyneth Paltrow opened up to PEOPLE about the taboo subject, warning that it’s easy to feel like you’re “losing your mind” when you experience it for the first time.
“It’s a roller coaster,” Paltrow said of being in the “hip” of perimenopause, noting that her friends were going through the same thing, but no one ever mentioned it. “I just thought it was so weird that I couldn’t go anywhere to figure out if everything I was going through was normal. … So now we’re just trying to talk about it more.”
The Oscar winner and Goop founder said simply talking about menopause, which is defined as twelve months without a period, or perimenopause can help women manage symptoms and understand that it’s a normal and natural transition.
“There’s nothing to hide,” she said. “…I’m just glad everyone’s talking about it because it used to be so embarrassing and it’s just another chapter for us.”
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Laura Benanti at the premiere of Hulu’s ‘Life & Beth’ at the SVA Theater in New York in March 2022.
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Another chapter, but Benanti sees the information gap as something to do with the role women play in society.
“Can you imagine that happening to men?” she makes fun of PEOPLE. “In perimenopause, our hormones change just as fast as when we were in high school. If men had experienced this, scientists would have said, ‘Let’s go to the Galapagos! Find every endangered plant and animal and use them to make a human medicine!’ And meanwhile, women are here with a swarm of bees in our wombs and our skin falling off. And everyone’s like, ‘You’re fine.’ ”
They say, ‘Mothers are strong,'” Benanti adds. “F— you! Yes, we did. But also, we could use some help from time to time.”
Fans can expect such quips when they get going Laura Benanti: Nobody cares. Directed by Annie Tippe with a book by Benanti, the show features original music co-written by Benanti and Todd Almond.
“I feel like as actors we’re kind of waiting for somebody to either write us the perfect part or decide we’re perfect for the part. And I got tired of waiting, so I just thought, ‘You know, I’m going to be brave and write my own show.’ ‘ And then I realized: the only thing I’m qualified to do is talk about myself. That’s why I’m an actress. So that’s what you’re going to get.”
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It will later be broadcast on Audible, for those who can’t make it in person — something that drew Benanti to the project when she was first approached by an audio streamer to do a show for them.
“What I love about theater is that it’s fleeting and there’s magic in it, but that’s also what makes it kind of sad because it’s so temporary,” Benanti says. “So I’m really excited for people to listen to it. And who knows, maybe one day we can turn this into a TV special. You’ve got to dream big.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education