Calendar Girls - The Musical

Calendar Girls the musical written by Tim Firth and Gary Barlow is based on the true story of a group of ordinary women from a small Yorkshire Women’s Institute, who set out to raise money for a new hospital waiting room sofa by making the decision to pose artistically nude for a calendar, after the death of Jenny’s well-loved husband John.

The show had a simple start as John Clarke (played by Simon Lloyd-Roberts) sang unaccompanied centre stage introducing us to the village of Knapley. The band picked up the signature tune of ‘One more year in Yorkshire’ and the audience were suddenly given a warm hug as they were wrapped in the heartfelt glow of life in the dales, which literally made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

The set was creative with an assortment of cupboards and draws, stacked and painted green to represent a hillside in Yorkshire but converted easily by opening doors to create the interior of the village hall, hospital waiting room and flower shop.  The clever use of a back projected tree that changed with the seasons was also a clever addition and made scene changes quick, efficient and part of the smooth running of this production.

Each musical number in this production was performed with sincerity and authenticity. Jenny Olenik-Pritchard as Annie gave us such a tender and touching performance, her emotional portrayal in performing the song ‘Kilimanjaro’, brought a tear to her eye and also to mine.

Zoe Hayley played Annie’s friend Chris with plenty of laughs along the way, her delivery and timing were just spot on and when offset with the emotional support provided to Annie gave the audience a glimpse of the true compassion and friendship.

There were notable performances from Carol Robertson as teacher Jessie, who delivered her lines with just the right amount of passion and nostalgia for a profession that highlighted the passing of time for the girls, Annika Dixon as Cora whose witty and the cutting one-liners had the audience laughing out loud, particularly during her number ‘Who Wants A Silent Night?’, Helen Madden as the timid Ruth played drunk surprisingly well after singing ‘My Polish Friend and I’ and of course Gina Slater Snape as the ex-air hostess Celia gave an exuberant performance of ‘So I’ve Had a Little Work Done’. All of the performances gave us a glimpse into the camaraderie of being one of the girls and set the scene beautifully on the lead up to the climax of the show, the photo shoot.

Alex Clarke as Danny, Tom Adlington as Tommo along with Cathy Rawlings as Jenny gave us some great performances and much humour as the teenagers.

Then of course there are the men Simon Lloyd-Roberts as John Clarke who gave a beautiful and well-balanced, emotional performance, Geoff Powell as Rod (Chris’s husband), David Whyte as Lawrence (the photographer), Ian Martin as Colin (Jessie’s husband) and Ian Clark as Denis (Celia’s Husband) all of whom gave great support to the girls and gave insight into their relationships.

Amanda Nicole (Marie), Cynthia Shaw (Lady Cravenshire), Nina Aver (Miss Wilson, Tea), Emma Finch (Miss Wilson, Coffee) and Shirley Gladwin (Brenda Hulse) and the ensemble all added to the team and made this a most enjoyable evening of entertainment.

I have to congratulate Zoe Hayley for her extreme courage as she climbed the hill and exclaimed ‘can you see my nipples!’ during the song ‘Dare’ that sent the audience into rapturous applause and cheers. It was a heart warming, joyous, funny and shocking moment and the audience loved every minute of it.

The photo shoot for the calendar was of course triumphant and the audience applauded as every picture was lovingly recreated. The bravery and commitment to this production by the calendar girls of the Little Theatre was outstanding and created a true celebration of female friendship and empowerment and well deserved of a standing ovations.

Well done to everyone involved.

This show was dedicated in memory of Ian Robertson and to all who have been lost to us by ‘this shitty, cheating, sly, conniving, silent disease called Cancer’.

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