Calendar Girls The Musical

Calendar Girls The Musical is a musical with music by Gary Barlow, lyrics by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, and a book by Tim Firth. It is based on the 2003 film Calendar Girls, which is in turn based on a true story. Annie’s husband John dies from leukaemia at an early age. Her close friend, Chris, wants to purchase a comfortable sofa for the visitors’ lounge the hospital where John was treated. 

She hits on the idea of printing a calendar featuring some of the members of the Knapely branch of the Women’s Institute, discreetly posing nude while engaging in traditional WI activities, such as baking and knitting, in order to raise funds. Her proposal is initially met with great scepticism, but she eventually convinces six members to participate in the project with her. They enlist one of the hospital workers, an amateur photographer named Lawrence, to help them with the calendar.

The musical differs from the play in that we have the addition of Colin, wife of Jessie, Denis, wife of Celia and teenagers Danny, Tommo and Jenny.

The stage was bordered by flats with a sliding door at centre back. They were beautifully painted, depicting a moorland scene with a dry-stone wall, by Scenic Artists Andrew and Sabrina Aucock as were the two side panels painted with sunflowers. There was a piano to one side in front of the main curtain line which was moved on to the stage when needed, stage left was a stall representing the flower shop and all other furniture items were efficiently moved by the stage crew and cast. The props were absolutely stunning, particularly those required for the photoshoots and the buckets and buckets of sunflowers brought on at the end added a lovely touch and I mustn’t forget the huge cracker. The props were deserving of an ovation all of their own!

The rousing opening number ‘Yorkshire’ set the scene for what was to come, it was so well sung and choreographed. Chris, who runs a flower shop with husband Rod and was a former Miss Yorkshire, was terrifically played by Donna Knowles. She had fantastic stage presence and totally captured all the nuances of the character from the warmth, the humour, the risk taking and irrepressible aspects to the doubting of herself and the anxiousness about her adolescent son, just brilliantly. When initially, trying to persuade the members about her idea, she quite boldly removed her top and bra and faced them with one arm placed, most strategically! She has a powerful singing voice especially evident in the song ‘Sunflower’. She had a lovely relationship with her husband Rod as she did with Annie who too was superbly played by Wendy Blunt. Wendy brought out the love, the grief, the despair, the anger and the foreboding of Annie’s concerns exquisitely, none more so than when she so movingly sang ‘Scarborough’. Her Love and caring for husband John was palpable and her devastation following his death was heart-breaking and was so apparent in the singing of ‘Kilimanjaro’. As characters Chris and Annie were chalk and cheese but were most definitely the best of friends and Donna and Wendy portrayed this and complemented each other beautifully. Cora, the unmarried mother and Vicar’s daughter and pianist of the group, was splendidly played by Lyndsey Ashley. She managed so confidently to portray the strong, directness yet warm nature of the character superbly. Her singing of the witty and very catchy song ‘Who wants a Silent Night’ was just top-notch. It was lovely to see Jessie, a retired teacher, being played by someone of a ‘certain age’ as applicable to the role and Judith Doram really did justice to it. She was just perfect, always knitting, and delivered the bluntness, exploring her own concerns about an older woman faced with undressing so well (I loved the line “No front bottoms”) and her rendition of ‘What Age Expects’ was divine. Abbie Proud ideally portrayed the role of Celia, the wealthy, golf fanatic and bored wife of husband Denis. Her rebellious nature was most definitely in evidence when she defiantly sang ‘So I’ve had a Little Work Done’. What a great performance came from Leanne Collins as Ruth. She wonderfully captured the the nervousness and timidity of Ruth but certainly, with the help of her ‘Russian friend’, she found an inner strength and turned up for the photo shoot albeit at the last moment. Her ‘drunken’ demeanour was just sublime especially when singing ‘My Russian Friend and I’.  Kristen Dougherty as Marie, the Chairman of the group, epitomised the snooty, bossy and unwavering nature of the character ideally as she so adamantly pursued the supposed traditional aims of the WI. John, Annie’s husband was impeccably and endearingly played by Chris Peck. He so admirably created a fantastic loving relationship with Annie and he maintained the positivity of the character throughout from being fun-loving and outgoing, highly regarded by friends, to being a wheelchair user as his health deteriorated. The ‘letter’, which spoke of ‘The Flowers of Yorkshire are like the Women of Yorkshire’, was expressively delivered by John and then Chris as all the cast stood silently around, John then turns and walks off followed by the medic removing the wheelchair. It was such a poignant, moving and heart-rending way to depict the end of his life. I must add what an awesome commitment Chris gave to the role, as towards the end of final rehearsals, he revealed to the cast that he had had his head shaved, so, for the beginning of the play, he wore a wig. Nicky Constable gave a fine portrayal as Rod, Chris’s husband who runs the flower shop, and when trying to boost his wife’s morale he said “I didn’t marry you for the straight path, I wanted crazy paving” this was so apparent in the love for one another they delivered as was the nurturing one he displayed when he was talking to their son Danny about the precarious nature of relationships. Excellent support came from Paul Holland as Colin, Jessie’s husband, from Istvan Koszegi as Denis, husband of Celia and from Chris Nussey as Lawrence the cameraman whose initial embarrassment soon turned to one of control. Cohan Wildgoose was top-notch as Danny and together with Ben Johnson as Tommo they were an hilarious double act creating two moody hormonal teenagers brilliantly. As Jenny, Leanne Barlow superbly went from being the rebellious daughter of Marie to actually becoming a member of the WI. Good support came from Amy Morrall as Brenda Hulse, from Amanda Huntingdon as Lady Cravenshire and from Julie Clifford as Miss Wilson (Tea) and Angela Mitchell as Miss Wilson (Coffee). We saw very little of the two ‘refreshment ladies’ until at the end, when we certainly saw much more, their ‘cheeky bottoms' no less - well braved ladies!! Oh dear, I nearly forgot to mention the whole raison d’être behind the show! I must say it was all done so brilliantly circumspectively as the six ladies, in turn, each discretely disposed of their dressing gowns to then pose for their respective month of the calendar. We had Celia standing behind a table of sumptuous looking cakes, Cora, very nearly naked, sitting on the stool of the piano, Jessie was given two balls of wool but then she unravelled a fantastic large piece of knitting and Annie wheeled on the barrow ’Clarkey 1’ before posing behind a watering can and flowers. Danny brings his Mum, Chris, a trophy and a sunflower but she opens her dressing gown to reveal herself wearing a Union Jack bra and pants and a ‘worse for wear’ Ruth in Mac and sunglasses staggers on to eventually stand up behind a table laden with fruit and holds up 2 jars of jam - very appropriately positioned! The finale of the show saw the ‘girls’ walk on singing ‘For One Night Only’ and holding a giant cracker, which is pulled to reveal Annie and Chris beautifully attired in black dresses with sunflower button holes. Buckets containing sunflowers were placed at the front of the stage the other ‘Girls’ came on all wearing lovely black dresses with sunflower buttonholes, the most enthusiastic ensemble joined them as they all gloriously sang ‘Sunflower of Yorkshire’ and suddenly Marie flamboyantly bursts on to the stage  - obviously having had a change of heart. The settee, the hope of the original fundraising idea, is displayed and we hear of the Memorial Wing set up in John’s name as so much money was raised. It was a most uplifting end that counteracted all the emotions of sadness and loss, intermingled with moments of fun and laughter that we had witnessed and showed the camaraderie and love that was displayed not only to one another but to the whole community. All the ensemble numbers were excellently sung, choreographed and executed.

I’ve already mentioned the stunning scenery and the outstanding props which were moved so efficiently by the hard-worked stage crew. There was a very impressive lighting plot and the costumes were just fine. Every accolade must go to Nigel Turner who, as Musical Director, with no click tracks to rely on, played the keyboard from start to finish. Many congratulations to him, to Director Mick Whitehouse, to Choreographer Leanne Collins, to the Back Stage Crew, to everyone else involved, to the wonderful cast and especially to the superb and exceptionally brave six ladies who nearly bared their all. This was a super show which was so deserving of the standing ovation that they received. Also, thanks for the very warm welcome that I always receive on my visits to Bolsover. 

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