Calendar Girls

With its very recent release for amateur performance, there was a buzz of anticipation over this early production by SNADS. This was very evident amongst the capacity house, and one couldn’t help thinking that the motive for attendance by some of those present was perhaps not entirely driven by an interest in the theatrical arts. Nevertheless, whether this was the case or not, the audience was highly animated and supportive throughout, and produced a resounding ovation at final curtain.
It is no small achievement for an amateur group to field a cast of six ladies having the collective courage both to shed their clothes in public with such good grace and to emulate so well those famous ladies who had preceded them on film. They all gave accomplished and spirited performances in an action that, for the most part, moved along at cracking pace. They had clearly worked hard to assume and project the distinctive individualism of the characters they portrayed, thereby doing much to enhance the entertainment value, and they handled the tricky contrast between raw humour and pathos in the plot with decorum and taste. In short, if you will excuse the expression, they really pulled it off.
In addition, support from the other eight members of cast was strong and solid, all of whom doing their bit to complement and colour the proceedings. Staging was simple but effective in representing the local village hall and by making use of the cinema facility to project a rural backing for the outdoor scene. The wardrobe did well to come up with the many costume changes demanded by the changing time periods of the fourteen scenes.
But as a play, it all centred around the ‘bare flesh’ sequence, and since this occurred just before the interval, the plot tended to struggle thereafter to match the impact of that event.

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