Calendar Girls - The Musical

Who has not heard of the Calendar Girls, from Yorkshire who raised funds to donate a settee to the local hospital waiting room. Most of us know the amazing background to this story and with the creation by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth to create a stage musical, brings to life the events that took place at the time. When I heard The Fullarton were in rehearsal for this show I was pleasantly surprised to say the least and I could not have been more pleased to see the production that was presented to the full house audience. From the opening number the cast had the audience enthralled and in the palm of their hands as they took us all through a gambit of emotions that left us weak by the end of the night. Laughter, sadness, tears, joy, they were all there. The six main characters worked wonderfully well as a  group. Each one of them told their own story whilst showing the deep friendship that brings people together in support of each other in a small community.   I couldnt not separate the six leading ladies as they were all excellent with their own portrayal of their character as individual as they all are. Chris (Liz Black) rendition of "Dare" at the end of Act 1 evidenced the kind of bubbly character she is. Whilst Joyce Reekie as Cora as a single mum brought much to the humour of the piece especially in her upbeat "Who Wants a Silent Night". So too did Kate Kaye as Celia when she revealed that she was not all that nature intended in her "So I've had a Little Work Done". Alison Burnside (Jessie) brought a little decorum to the party as the retired school teacher but with a glint in her eye when she sang "What Age Expects". Ann Brown as Ruth portrayed the long suffering endurance of a loveless marriage and her rendition of "My Russian Friend and I" all about her love of a little vodka was full of pathos and joviality in equal measures. Despite saying I could not separate the six leading ladies I have to give the edge to Eden Wham whose portrayal of Annie was to me a stunning performance. The way she showed us the fortitude to hold together during her husban's illness and after his death from cancer was evidenced by her excellent rendition of "Kilimanjaro" and it must have struck a chord with a few in the audience. As the show progressed and we are aware that the ladies are about to bare all for the calander I was wondering how they would do this and it was all very discreet and tasteful done.

The ladies of the WI both locally and nationally were strong in their support of the leading ladies and the long suffering husbands  all brought their individual and collective talents to the stage, as did The Young Ones who acted as a good foil to each other and to the other cast members.

The Fullarton Company have used stage projection for a few years now and I was impressed on how slick the scene changes were using this method. The singing from the principals and the remainder of the cast members was very tuneful and it was evident that everybody thouroughly enjoyed getting back to treading the boards. After the success of this production I am looking forward to seeing what The Fullarton has to offer from their strong individuals and a good ensemble members.

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