Women on the Verge. August 6, 2000 More than 24 years ago. By Phyllis Moen. FLUX. Women on Sex, Work, Love, and Life in a Half-Changed World. By Peggy Orenstein. Doubleday. 324 pp. $25.

If “Women on the Verge” must be seen as a disappointment, the Shubert Organization’s $14.5 million dollar renovation of the Belasco is a major success.

In the new musical, “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,” the gazpacho is laced with Valium, the boyfriends are cads, and Patti LuPone is in full diva glory.