Theatre Review: “Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown” Is One Of The Best Theatre Experiences I’ve Had All Year

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The women aren’t afraid to get extreme about love, but in the end you sense that they are too sound to destroy themselves over the worthless men they have allowed to personify it. That’s what lifts “Women On The Verge” from amusing to resplendent!

“Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” is a musical with music and lyrics by David Yazbec and a book by Jeffry Lane. Based on the Pedro Almodovar film, “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” (1988), the musical tells the tale of a group of women in late 20th-century Madrid whose relationships with men lead to a tumultuous 48 hours of love, confusion and passion.

When Pepa Marcos’ lover Yvan suddenly leaves her without any explanation, she embarks on a strange journey to discover why. On the way she meets a variety of eccentric characters including Yvan’s son from a previous relationship, his fiancée Marissa, and a terrorist who has been secretly hiding in her best friend Candela’s apartment. And we can’t forget Yvan’s first wife Lucia, who has recently been released from a mental institute after her 18 year “rest,” who is determined to make Yvan give her back the 18 years of time that she lost in the hospital after his leaving drove her insane.

With a plot as twisted and tangled as an old-fashioned phone cord, director Adam Adolfo wisely goes for simplicity and theatrical resourcefulness: a couple of chairs stand in as a taxi. This and Spanish-flavored live music keep the pace moving and contribute to the dizzy, disorientating sense of life falling away that accompanies the heroine, Pepa, as she lurches round Madrid in pursuit of her errant lover, bumping into his ex-wife and a host of other casualties of love.

A very deep tip of my hat to Adolfo for his direction of Pepa. She could very easily come across as hateful, cold and bitchy…but she is just the opposite. By the end of the first act, my heart was breaking for her, and all I wanted to do was make sure Yvan never hurt another women, and buy Pepa a cup of coffee….with Valium in it.

The musical and dance talents that grace the Rose Marine Theater’s stage in Artes De La Rosa’s spectacular production are breathtaking. This is not to say that the show is without its flaws. The larger production numbers could be a little tighter, and the comic timing of the police detectives needs attention.

However, I was so completely blown away by the attention to character detail, choreography and vocal talent, that I couldn’t help but want to shout it from every social media venue that Artes De La Rosa has a show not to be missed!

The show runs until August 7th at the Rose Marine Theater in Fort Worth at 1440 N. Main Street. Tickets can be purchased online at www.artedelarosa.org or by calling the box office at (817) 624-8333.