Calendar Girls
The Hawth Crawley
until 13th April
The TV is constantly reminding us that one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime. A sobering figure and not a subject you would think is suitable for light entertainment however be prepared to be proved wrong.
You may have read the book, you most certainly will have seen the film, playwright Tim Firth turned the story into an award winning play before collaborating with Gary Barlow, yes the Gary Barlow to turn this now quintessential story into a musical. ‘The Girls‘ first opened in the West End in 2017 (review here) and now it has been re-imagined for a touring production, songs have been chopped and changed, and now ‘The Calendar Girls‘ the musical is delighting audiences across the UK.
Despite its reincarnations, The Calendar Girls is based on true events. When a member’s husband dies of cancer, members of a Women’s Institute in Yorkshire are moved to raise money for research and to support patients’ families. Uninspired by conventional methods of raising funds, Chris (played by Samantha Seager) floats the idea of the group posing for a nude calendar. Initially met by resistance, slowly most of the women become involved in the project and to date the group have made several million pounds for their cause.
The cast is superb and each are given a moment to shine. At the performance last night at the Hawth we were lucky to catch understudy Victoria Hay in the pivotal role of Annie. She displayed a remarkable presence as she portrayed raw grief mixed with the desire to focus her energy and resources into the cause. However, the show is a true ensemble effort and other stand out performances include three former Mrs Johnstones’ (Blood Brothers) Maureen Nolan playing the constrained Ruth who finds courage from the bottom of a bottle, Lyn Paul as Jessie whose teaching career taught her a lot of resilience and Helen Pearson playing Celia the (air) hostess with the mostess.
Without the glamour of a glitzy West End budget, the show has been simplified and most is set in the Village Hall which designer Gary McCann has made look authentic and spacious, it is a warming familiar set and so are the characters portrayed giving the show a homely feel. The amount of talent and experience on the stage makes this a lovely performance to watch and despite the cast being smaller than the London version, they didn’t half pack a punch.
The calendar girls celebrates life, courage and women of all ages and shapes – a proper feel-good show. Worth seeing.
Reviewer: Sammi O’Neill
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Photos: Jack Merriman