Calendar Girls the Musical

Crewe Amateur Musicals Society were back on stage with their production of ‘Calendar Girls the Musical’, directed by Sean Johnson-Hargreaves. The static set of the Yorkshire fells was well used throughout with benches and the flower shop built into it. To find out that this was built in-house was impressive! Other pieces of furniture were brought on to denote other locations. The changes were quick and seamless. The photo shoot was very well directed, with the photographs that were taken being projected onto a screen, which was inspired. One thing that stood out from this production was the sense of community. You had performers of all ages, from all backgrounds coming together to bring this story to life. Sean has to take credit for this, bringing together a community of people with a shared passion.

The band was led by Treona Holden, and they were very good. Treona had obviously worked the cast hard, with particular musical highlights being the whole company musical numbers with some beautiful harmonies.

Sean Johnson-Hargreaves and Heather Clark-Wilkinson choreographed the production. Although not a big dance production, there were some great moments. ‘Who Wants a Silent Night?’ was a particular highlight, full of energy.

Lighting and sound were well integrated into the production. The balance of sound between the band and performers was great – everything could be heard. Lighting was also very good throughout. Well done Iain Orr and Carl Knapper.

Debbie Cornock was wonderful as Annie, delivering a range of emotions throughout the production. She commanded the stage throughout and led the company beautifully. Debbie had great relationships with all her cast members, especially with Ian – a very believable relationship.

Catherine Baddiley played the part of Chris to perfection. The relationship that Catherine had with Debbie was totally believable – you would have thought they had been friends for years! The comedy that Catherine brought to the role was great and her acting through song was fantastic – ‘Sunflower’ being a particular highlight.

Diane Wye almost brought the house down as Cora with her performance of ‘Who Wants a Silent Night?’ – a tour-de-force of a vocal!

If Diane nearly brought the house down, then Margaret Taylor was even closer to doing so! The audience loved her portrayal of Jessie. Margaret played the comedy well, but also brought us some lovely poignant moments.

Natalie Kent impressed as Celia, providing many comedic moments throughout. Like with the other Calendar Girls, Natalie was also able to show a vulnerable side to Celia, which she did well.

Victoria Hammond was a highlight as Ruth. Always wanting to impress, Victoria brought out some great comedy moments, especially in the photo shoot.

Emma Walker was very funny in the role of Marie. She played the role of the exasperated WI chair very well.

Ian Wilkinson’s John was nicely played. Ian was able to show the deterioration of John very well. The final moments of John were emotionally played by Ian and company.

Luke Billington brought out the nervousness of Lawrence very well. Luke’s performance added to the comedy.

Marcus Dolman, Lily Metcalf and Randev Jayasinha all did very well as the younger members of the cast. All created excellent relationships with each other and the rest of the company.

The ensemble did very well indeed. The sound coming from the stage during the ensemble numbers was phenomenal. Well done all!

Overall, this was an outstanding production, with excellent performances, full of heart, and an emotional rollercoaster.

Thank you to Crewe Amateur Musicals Society for their warm welcome and kind hospitality. All the best for your next production, and the start of your centenary celebrations later this year.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.