Calendar Girls

You would be very hard pushed to find someone who has never been affected in some way by the terrible disease cancer.  Because of that, this play is an emotive subject to tackle and needs care in its delivery. The DODS (Dursley Operatic and Dramatic Society) can pat themselves on the back for doing just that.  This production had a beautiful balance of pathos and humour.  We felt the warmth of the friendship between the girls, and their frustration when the odds were against them.  The set was dull and bland, perfectly depicting a tired village hall in need of a face-lift. It was the sort of place you would walk into and wonder what you could do to brighten it up a bit.  The excellent lighting helped to create the total effect. The lighting team also deserves a special mention for the effect when the photographs were being taken.  The frozen pose and lighting really gave us the idea of what the photograph would look like, well done. Director, DARREN KITCHIN, did an excellent job with his strong cast. There were some lovely examples of the close interaction between the characters, particularly in the poignant moments, and he quickly pulled us back into the humour of the piece without allowing us to linger.  There were some very strong performances from this talented cast.  Each had their own moment, related to their character and portrayed it clearly to the audience.  A confident Chris (JULIA PRINCE) perfectly complimented a sensitive, gentle Annie (MARGARET WILSON).  The friendship between these two ladies was evident throughout and the hurt caused by their differences came through in their well thought out performances. I also enjoyed the energy of LAURA COOPER’S Ruth and the maturity of PAT LAMBERT-TAYLOR’S Jessie. CHERYL SHEARS and ANN FALCON-UFF both gave secure, rounded portrayals as Cora and Celia.  The remainder of the cast ensured the high standard of production that had pace without losing the light and shade of the piece.  Congratulations to all involved.

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