Calendar Girls

 

Calendar Girls is one of my most unforgettable productions—both the play and the musical are close to my heart. Sadly, many audience members relate deeply to the emotional content of the script, as they too have experienced the loss of a loved one to cancer.

The story line is simple with friends Chris, played by Tina Williams supporting her bestie Annie – Alison Bennett. Chris comes up with an idea to raise money to buy a settee for the relatives room in the hospital where Annies much loved husband John played by Dave Douglas was receiving treatment prior to his demise. Chris endeavours to persuade the others in the WI to embrace her unorthodox idea?

Emma Woodcock portrayed Ruth, a character both overlooked and underestimated by her unfaithful husband. Francesca Rees gave a characterful performance as Cora, the unconventional vicar’s daughter and musician. Caitlin Griffin brought comedy to Celia, an ex-air hostess known for her lavish spending on having work done, while Pauline Peach reprised her acclaimed role as Jessie, a retired schoolteacher. Christine Stanford was cast as Marie, the dedicated chairperson of the Napeley branch of the WI. Gill Gaunt delivered a funny presentation as Brenda, whilst discussing the topic of broccoli at the village hall. Ray Lawrence took on the role of Rod, Chris's patient husband, and Duncan McLaurie played Lawrence, an amateur photographer and hospital porter.

Most scenes were set in the village hall or on John's hill, and the stage limitations required audience imagination. The attempt to make the audience feel like WI members led to un-microphoned actors facing away with their backs to the audience and sitting far apart, which made it challenging to hear lines and totally lost the comedic interaction between Chris and Annie who were sat on opposing sides of the stage. Overall, the scene's setup didn’t work well for me.

The individual performances of all the ladies should be applauded throughout but especially during the actual taking of the photographs, a little more thought was needed during rehearsals to ensure the smooth transition for the courageous ladies who were about to bear all.

It was an enjoyable production and always my pleasure to support the cast, Bravo.

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