Calendar Girls

It's the 25th anniversary of the Calendar Girls,  when the original  group of ladies were voted Women of the Year.  So the story still goes on and is as popular today as it was back then which was proved with sell out performances here in Stowmarket. It still raises lots of income for local cancer charities and this  production was raising money for Cancer Research East Anglia and Leukaemia Research raising an incredible £1404. A brilliant result for you all.

Here we see the thoughtful and caring Annie sensitively played by Sally Boulter as she faces up to the terrible news of her husband John’s Cancer diagnosis. It is very easy to overplay the role of John but Paul Egggleston handled this difficult role perfectly with a quiet emotion.

The other ladies of the WI were all very different women, each with their own stories to tell and  their individual personalities shone through. Cora was the vicar’s daughter and church organist and Sam Thurkettle was convincing in the role as she had to get over her feelings of guilt  at what she  was getting involved with. Lesley Scott played Chris, she was a natural for the role,  the extrovert of the group who had no problem in getting stripped off  and was the instigator in persuading the others of the idea for the calendar. Jessie was probably the eldest of the group and Katie Hawkes played the role with sensitivity. She was thoughtful soul, not wanting to rush into anything but after careful consideration she could see the practical  benefits of what was being proposed. Lynda  Phillips was Ruth, the quiet one but showed a good turn of character when required.  Celia needed a drink to help her get through life and Michelle Holden portrays this vibrant character confidently  but underneath she struggles to deal with her husband’s obsession with golf.

The six courageous ladies all shew emotion and caring for each other. There was at times friction and also comedy between them with  a togetherness as they drew strength from each other.   It was a compelling watch, very emotional, with not many dry eyes in the audience, but they also injected good measures of comedy into the proceedings.

Karen Long played Marie the chairwoman of the Knapely WI group, a very strong and determined woman.  They were ably assisted by talented supporting actors to complete the picture.

There was  several songs delightfully sung by the ladies and some  carefully chosen  background music. The set  was  simple in it’s design  but obviously  involved careful direction and vital props  which were required to avoid too many blushes. This was handled well  and looked effective.  The costumes all worked well although with so many costume changes this did slow down the pace between scene changes occasionally.

The subject matter has touched all our lives at one time or another and this cast certainly brought out the poignancy and emotion in this sensitive narrative under the direction of Tory Bolger. Well done to all the cast  and crew for giving your appreciative audience an enjoyable evening.

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