CALENDAR GIRLS

Good to see Phoenix Players back at the Luton Library Theatre, playing to an appreciative audience.

Calendar Girls is a play with a lot of humour, but also with a message, and both areas were noted and given due deference by the cast.  The humour and poignancy of the play were evident, a difficult watch at times.  Generally I needed more projection from the cast, it was noticeable that some actors really spoke out, whilst others were more quiet, which meant from time to time some dialogue was missed.  Again, perhaps first night nerves as there were some performers new to the stage.

The set was minimal, but served the purpose, and whilst I would have liked to have seen less blackouts, I understood the reason for them.  I particularly liked the closing tableau with the stage front decorated with sunflowers.  Lighting was suitable for the piece, as were costumes, perhaps a few too many changes, which slowed the action in some places.

The nude scenes could have been a little more lengthy, they were over in a flash, and we didn’t have time to truly appreciate the momentousness of this action.  It was done very tastefully, so it would have been nice to savour the moment.

I attended on first night, and found the pace a little slow, but could appreciate the characterisations from the cast, and I’m sure the pace would have picked up over the remaining performances.  Each character had their own ‘to the fore moment’, which they made the most of.

Sarah Albert created a strong character as Chris, the driving force behind the calendar, and I felt the empathy and edginess between her and Annie, played with understanding by Amy Walker.  A good pairing.

Laura Hyde was very telling as Celia, the ‘posh’ one, well achieved.

Bridgette Whittaker (Jessie), Tash Hiepner (Cora) and Emma Gormley (Ruth), all added their own particular characters to the mix.

Jess Albert made a statement as Elaine, only a small part but definitely well played, with loads of expression and attitude.

I really enjoyed Malcom Farrar’s take on Liam, a good contrast to the other characters, and one I thought added another dimension.

Nathan Spencer (John) played the part with equal joy and sadness, another new face to me, nicely played.

Jordan Hiepner (Lawrence), Victoria O’Reilly (Brenda) and Scott Newman (Rod) added their own energy to their parts.

Dee Lovelock (Marie) was great, typical of the old style WI President, loads of ‘don’t mess with me’ attitude, very well done.

Overall an enjoyable evening, and my thanks to Phoenix Players for their welcome and hospitality, always much appreciated.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.