Calendar Girls The Musical

Calendar Girls was originally a film which was then adapted into a stage play and now thanks to Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, a musical! Now the rights for amateur companies to perform the musical have been released and West Bromwich Operatic Society (WBOS) stormed onto the stage with an incredible production of the highest possible standard at the wonderful Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. It was an absolutely brilliant production which had so many outstanding moments. There was a genuine connection of emotion, friendship, warmth and fun. In my opinion, this show had moments of pure class akin to some professional performances I have seen.

In case you didn’t know the story of Calendar Girls, it is based on a true story in Yorkshire of Annie, who sadly loses her husband John, to Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Following his death which was felt hard by all of the community, Annie’s friend Chris inspires the ladies of the local Woman’s Institute (WI) to raise money towards a memorial settee for the relative’s room at Skipton Hospital where John was treated; by (wait for it) posing for a naked (“nude!”) calendar, whilst engaged in traditional WI activities such as Jam Making, Knitting and Baking.

A strong team of talent and vision behind this production with Director Simon Pugh, Musical Director Ian Stephenson and Stage Manager Rob Morrison with choreography by Adam Partridge who was also Assistant Director. The sound by Drew White and lighting by Colin Wood was extremely professionally designed with great experience and care. 

There was wonderful characterisation and ownership of each and every character. It was brilliantly cast with some crucial supportive roles. The music had its moments and some numbers were certainly quite catchy with a tight orchestra. There were some fabulous chorus numbers as well.

Annie, played by Sarah Moors brought out so many emotions, you felt the grief, the anguish, the exhaustion, the anger and the anxiety, but most significantly of all you felt the strong love between Annie and John (Tim Jones) which was marvellously gentle and sincere. Also, the incredible friendship between Annie and her best friend Chris (Emma Wetherall) with a genuine closeness with hints of feistiness. Sarah performing the songs Scarborough and Kilimanjaro were just excellent.

Emma was very good in portraying a confident person in the character of Chris, taking fun risks, but actually showing slight insecurity at times. Chris became defensive after she was accused of wanting to be the centre of the attention when she announced her idea about the naked (ahem “nude” calendar) but clearly her heart was in the right place and her intentions were true. Chris’ husband Rod (Greg Yates) who runs a florist shop, completely summed up their relationship with the cracking line “I didn’t marry you for the straight path, I wanted crazy paving”

I also enjoyed the honest talking but nurturing relationship when Rod was talking to their son Danny (Jack Williams) about the excitement and unpredictability of relationships and life. Again, such a sincere and moving scene which stood out as a great Father and Son moment.

Cora (Kim Graystone) had a witty and catchy song, Who Wants a Silent Night and had a beautiful relationship with her son Tommo (Charlie Pugh), Kim was a strong choice to play Cora who had excellent comedy timing and presence.

Jessie (Eileen Woolley) stole the show with her song What Age Expects and had a nice connection with her husband Colin (Simon Peacock) which provided the audience a feeling of a long-lasting supportive marriage based on comfort and security. Maybe taking the risk of posing in the calendar sparked something off again?

Celia (Claire Flavell) perfectly portrayed her rebellious side and the song I’ve had a little work done was perfection. Celia’s husband Denis (Andrew Bird) also turned in a brilliant performance.

Knowing the play, I didn’t think I had a particular favourite character until I saw how Lisa Metcalfe portrayed the character of Ruth. The girls all had different backgrounds but a common goal of raising money in memory of John with a calendar photo shoot, but Ruth is a character who showed a journey of self-discovery with the right amount of honesty, fearlessness and commitment leading to a confident and empowered woman by the end.

Marie, the chairperson of the WI, excellently played by Trish Humphreys has a daughter called Jenny (Emily Smith) and this relationship was delightful. Jenny joined the WI after being inspired by Annie and Chris‘ speech at the WI National Congress. Throughout the show Jenny came across as a moody teenager but again found herself on a journey of self-discovery joining and supporting the brave and powerful women at the WI calendar shoot.

Other characters, such as the nervous hospital worker called Lawrence (Tye Harris), an amateur photographer with my favourite line “Don’t touch the buns!”, Brenda Hulse (Maria Shee) providing a fascinating presentation on The Origin of Broccoli and Maria also played a character called Lady Cravenshire who awarded first prize to Chris for her lovely “homemade” Marks and Spencer’s Cake.

Last but not least, The Twins, Miss Wilson (Tea) and Miss Wilson (Coffee) played by Debbie Cook and Charlotte Critchlow provided the audience with a nice surprise with their jugs!

I think introducing new characters such as Jenny, Tommo and Danny and having a nice lead up to the photo shoot at the end of the musical, rather than the climax to act one in the play all added to the story in such a positive way. I almost forgot that the calendar scene was still to come because it wasn’t where I expected it to be and it wasn’t my focus, but when it did arrive the show had already won on so many levels that this was just the icing on the cake. The trust of everybody on stage was evident and everyone should be so proud of this scene, there was a slight delay in pace as positions were carefully checked before the reveal was made, but truthfully it didn’t matter, to be brave enough to reveal yourself naked (nude!) in certain positions (especially Ruth!) in front of a live audience must have been either exhilarating or nerve racking!

Thank you very much for the kind invitation and the hospitality. Thank you for the warm welcome from Paul Bailey (House Manager) and Kathryn Trigg (Secretary for WBOS) who also completed wardrobe for the show, assisted by Pat Badger. 

This was amateur musical theatre at its very, very, very best. WBOS produced a very impressive and memorable show which showcased so much talent. An absolutely fantastic evening.

I am looking forward to their next show, Shrek, The Musical which is on at The Wolverhampton Grand Theatre on 4th-8th October 2022.

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