Calendar Girls

Calendar Girls by Tim Firth is a well-known play, based on true events, following the story of a Women’s Institute whose members decide, when one of their number loses her husband to leukaemia, to raise money for the clinic which treated him. They hit on the idea of a calendar featuring their members doing the things that they do to support the WI, such as jam-making, baking – but in the nude (which apparently is different from naked!).

Seven ladies make up the principal ladies in the show, and they were all well-cast in this production. Louise Clarkson as Annie (who loses her husband, played sympathetically by Doug Smith) was excellent in her portrayal of love for her husband, bravery and grief at his loss, and resignation to her widowhood. She certainly touched my heartstrings at the right moments.

Karen Revill played Chris, her flower shop-owning friend, who is worshipped by her husband (Steve Dickons- well cast in the role). She came over as ballsy, down-to-earth and determined to support Annie, her best friend, through thick and thin. Karen is a very natural actress.

Kim Sands was very good as Cora, the daughter of the vicar and a single parent, and used her fine mezzo voice well in the renditions of Jerusalem. Emma Sippits as glamorous Celia, Lynsey Price as the put-upon Ruth, Wendy Cassidy as Jessie the retired school-teacher, and Charlie Argyle as the disapproving ambitious chairperson who secretly would like to be a calendar girl, were all convincing in their parts.

The other smaller parts were all portrayed well - Margaret Jarvis as the condescending Lady Cravenshire (doubling as Brenda in the first scene), Dean Revill as Lawrence the photographer, Ned Kelly as Liam the photoshoot director, and Lucy Dickons as the husband-seducing bimbo.

Neverland Theatre is a small very friendly theatre in Skegness which seats 100. The atmosphere is intimate, and the audience on the night I attended were certainly fully involved with the production, laughing, mournful and cheering at the right times. The stand-up ovation at the end was spontaneous and well-deserved.

The programme and posters are clean, attractive and well-designed but unfortunately contain no reference to NODA so cannot be considered in the regional awards scheme.

Caroline Lacey directed the show well and had made good use of her cast and the small stage space available.  

Lighting and sound were good and well-balanced. Stage management was excellent on the well-designed book-fold set, with seasons depicted by subtle changes of props and scene changes executed slickly.

I just wonder if, in such an intimate theatre, the make-up was too heavy – but overall this is a minor criticism of what was a thoroughly enjoyable production. Well done to everyone involved.

 

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