Reviewed by Louise Edwards
The Gary Barlow and Tim Firth writing duo have done it again with a knockout, feel good, powerhouse of emotions musical in the form of Calendar Girls, performing this week to an enthusiastic audience at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal.
It is now 20 years since the release of the first calendar by the WI ladies of the fictional town of Knapley in West Yorkshire and Calendar Girls tells the story of how it all came into being.
A star-studded cast really elevates the performance to a new level with Sarah Jane Buckley playing Annie, whose husband, John, played by Phil Corbitt, dies of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The show opens with the backdrop of the Yorkshire Moors and the cast of WI ladies, husbands and children singing proudly about their county. We are introduced to John and see his steady decline with regular visits for chemotherapy at the hospital.
The colourful characters of the WI are introduced with the wonderful Sue Devaney (of Johnny Briggs fame) playing Cora, a vicar’s daughter and single mum to Tommo played by Tyler Dobbs, Julia Hills plays Ruth who is a wonderful baker but with low self-esteem and a cheating husband, the amazing Lesley Joseph plays Marie, a retired teacher of 50 years, the gorgeous Lisa Maxwell is cast as Celia, an ex-air hostess trying to keep up appearances for the sake of her husband’s Golf Club reputation, the outstanding Rebecca Storm plays Chris, who only joined the WI to please her mother in law. Her husband, Rod, runs the local flower shop and is played by the fab Ian Mercer. Judy Holt plays Marie, the stuffy WI Chair who has recently moved to the area and not one to break the rules.
It is Chris who comes up with the idea of breaking WI tradition and doing the nude calendar, to the shock and horror of the other members. However, they do it all for their beloved friend John, whose favourite flower was the sunflower, a trademark of the show.
A subplot develops between Chris and Rod’s son, Danny, played by Danny Howker and Jenny, daughter of Marie (played by the talented Nottinghamshire local Isabel Caswell). Danny is aiming to be Headboy, encouraged by his mother, whereas Jenny is rebelling against her mother’s strict principals. The themes here are of letting your children make their own mistakes, which as any parent knows is tough to do.
The show really is a rollercoaster of emotions – one minute you are crying with laughter and the next tears are rolling down your cheeks with the sadness of life and the touching reactions of human relations. All of the actors have a string of TV, film and theatre credits and their acting and singing are amazing. The timing, throughout the show, is perfect and gritty themes are kept real and believable. We were captivated and truly didn’t want the show to ever end!
Musical Director, Nick Pinchbeck does an amazing job with the songs, penned by Barlow, that are contemporary and catchy.
The performance runs from 7.30pm through to 10.10pm with a 15-minute interval. After the show the staff were collecting for the Bloodwise charity, raising money to beat blood cancers. Don’t miss this heartwarming, hilarious musical with a talented cast for a guaranteed good night out.
Rating: 5/5
Tickets cost from £19.50 to £57.50 (booking fees may apply).
Calendar Girls – The Musical is at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham from 25 June to 6 July 2019, for more information or to book tickets visit www.trch.co.uk or call the box office on 0115 989 5555.
Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall, Theatre Square, Nottingham, NG1 5ND
