Calendar Girls - The Musical

Following closely behind Sister Act, WLOS returned to the London Oratory School with yet another top-quality production. This time it was Calendar Girls - The Musical was a collaboration between Gary Barlow (composer and lyricist) and Tim Firth (writer).

Calendar Girls – The Musical is based on the true story of the Knapley Women’s Institute and their fundraising efforts to buy a new sofa for the Skipton General Hospital relatives’ room. Set against the backdrop of the Yorkshire Dales, best friends Annie and Chris rally fellow WI members to pose for an ‘alternative’ calendar. All this in order to raise the money in honour of Annie’s late husband John and much to the dismay of their local WI chairwoman… 

Katy and Andrew Thompson are to be congratulated as Directors. Calendar Girls – The Musical was quite simply a marvellous production and had all the markings of hard work, energy and pace. The characterisations of each of the actors had been really worked on and it was plain to see everyone was having a terrific time being onstage and proud of their achievement. The entire cast had been well rehearsed, the depth and of talent was first-class and this non-stop production was a pleasure to watch. 

Congratulations must first be given to WLOS for staging such a well-known story whilst attempting to manage the audiences’ undoubtedly high expectations. Ultimately, the success of this production hinged on the strength of those WI members and there was a definite sense of pride and belonging as the ladies came together to’ join the cause’. I thoroughly enjoyed each performance and watching as each character developed. The quality of vocals was excellent, be it a solo performance or ensemble number. It was the overall sense of pride and sincerity that came across so well.

The highlight of the musical was the calendar shoot itself and this was achieved with much laughter and perfectly placed props! Those who dared to be more revealing in their photo are to be highly commended as this story sends out such a positive message for all girls and women. I greatly preferred the structure of the musical over either the film or the play. The collective disrobing happens at the end and reflects the hard-won struggle to overcome private doubts and inhibitions.

Following the bows, Andrew Thompson took to the stage and announced, as had been done in the Director’s Note, that this production was focused on fundraising for Blood Cancer UK – the charity originally selected by the Calendar Girls. This, and the collection as the audience left was a lovely touch.

Congratulations again to everyone at WLOS and especially those involved with Calendar Girls – The Musical. This was another excellent production and one that will undoubtedly be remembered for a long time! Good luck for 2023 and your next return to the London Oratory School for Curtains.

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