Calendar Girls

The ladies of Burton Bradstock Players are entitled to a feeling of pride in themselves.  Not only were they brave enough to get their kit off in public, but also they made an excellent showing of portraying those iconic members of the Women’s Institute that constitute the subject of this play.  And those of the cast who remained fully clothed throughout would be justified in feeling similar pride for their stalwart contribution to the success of this production.  I’ve seen a ‘Calendar Girls’ or two in my time and this one has to rate among the best.

I suppose that a village hall is just the right atmospheric setting for the subject matter involved, although in common with most such edifices, the facilities in this hall for the rapid execution of the dozen or so scene changes in the play are somewhat limiting.  But no matter; with a touch on the ivories from the musical director, continuity was maintained and the action resumed unabated.

A prime feature of the production was how well the cast managed to extract the best of the humour and the poignancy from the plot and then convey these sentiments effectively to the audience – none therein could fail to be impressed.  In addition to underlining the projection skills of the players themselves, this was clear indication of some good directing in the background.  Another key requirement is to establish the diversity of the various characters that combine to complement one another in forming the scenario as a whole.  The Players nailed this aspect nicely, relishing the individuality of their parts, and by way of a bonus, were word perfect too. The presentation of the nude, (not naked!), scene had been well thought out, and was staged in a manner that was, as the late Kenny Everett might have said, ‘in the best possible taste’.

It is tempting to name names, but to name one would be to name them all.  So there will be no names in this report.  Suffice it to say that everyone in this production, whether on or off stage, can be duly satisfied that they were involved in a job well done.

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