GARY BARLOW & TIM FIRTH, FERN BRITTON, ANNA-JANE CASEY, SARA CROWE, KAREN DUNBAR, RUTH MADOC, REBECCA STORM AND DENISE WELCH –
THE WRITERS AND NEW CAST OF CALENDAR GIRLS THE MUSICAL –
VISIT THE VILLAGE IN YORKSHIRE WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
PRIOR TO ITS UK & IRELAND TOUR, WHICH OPENS ON 16 AUGUST 2018
The new cast of CALENDAR GIRLS The Musical met for the first time with the original Calendar Girls themselves in the beautiful village of Burnsall in the Yorkshire Dales and the original Calendar Girls couldn’t be happier with this new cast.
The new production, which will tour nearly every theatre in the British Isles, is already breaking box office records, and tickets are selling like hot buns. The tour opens at the Leeds Grand Theatre on 16 August 2018.
The new tour will star novelist and television presenter Fern Britton, returning to the stage for the first time in 30 years, as Marie, Anna-Jane Casey (Billy Elliot on tour, Stepping Out in London’s West End, title role in Annie Get Your Gun at Sheffield Crucible) as Annie, Sara Crowe (West End roles include Bedroom Farce, The Real Inspector Hound & Black Comedy and Hay Fever) as Ruth, Karen Dunbar (BBC1 Scotland’s sketch shows The Karen Dunbar Show and Chewin’ The Fat, Shakespeare Trilogy and Henry IV at the Donmar Warehouse & St Ann’s Warehouse, New York, The Guid Sisters for the National Theatre of Scotland, Men Should Weep at the National Theatre London, Mary, Queen of Scots) as Cora, Ruth Madoc (Hi-De-Hi, Little Britain and Gypsy) as Jessie, Rebecca Storm (discovered by Willy Russell and cast as Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers, and her handprints are part of the Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre Walk of Fame) as Chris and Denise Welch (The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Coronation Street and Waterloo Road) as Celia.
Also joining the cast will be Phil Corbitt as John, Ian Mercer as Rod, Sebastian Aberneri as Colin, Alan Stocks as Denis, Pauline Daniels as Lady Cravenshire, Ellie Leah as Miss Wilson, Catherine Digges as Miss Wilson, Danny Howker as Danny and Tyler Dobbs as Tommo.
The critically acclaimed and award-winning musical comedy by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, which is based on the true story, the film and the award-winning play by Tim Firth, played a six-month London season at the Phoenix Theatre last year, and, before that, it played sold-out seasons in Leeds and Manchester.
Gary Barlow and Tim Firth grew up in the same village in the North of England and have been friends for 25 years. With Take That, Gary has written and co-written 14 number one singles, has sold over 50 million records worldwide and is a six times Ivor Novello Award winner. Tim has won the Olivier Award and UK Theatre Award for Best New Musical, and the British Comedy Awards Best Comedy Film for Calendar Girls.
CALENDAR GIRLS THE MUSICAL is inspired by the true story of a group of ladies, who decide to appear nude for a Women’s Institute calendar in order to raise funds to buy a settee for their local hospital, in memory of one of their husbands, and have to date raised almost £5million for Bloodwise. This musical comedy shows life in their Yorkshire village, how it happened, the effect on husbands, sons and daughters, and how a group of ordinary ladies achieved something extraordinary.
Bloodwise, the UK’s specialist blood cancer charity, will continue to receive monies from this production.
CALENDAR GIRLS The Musical is directed by Matt Ryan and designed by Robert Jones, with lighting by Oliver Fenwick, comedy staging by Jos Houben, movement by Lucy Hind and casting by Sarah Bird.
Website: www.calendargirlsthemusical.
Facebook: @thegirlsmusical
Twitter: @thegirlsmusical
2018/19 TOUR SCHEDULE
16 August – 1 September Leeds Grand Theatre
5 – 15 September The Marlowe, Canterbury
18 – 29 September Newcastle Theatre Royal
2 – 13 October Festival Theatre Edinburgh
16 – 20 October Leicester De Montfort Hall 0116 233 3111
23 – 27 October
30 October – 10 November The Lowry, Salford
www.thelowry.com
13 – 17 November Stoke Regent Theatre
20 – 24 November Hull New Theatre
27 Nov – 1 December Liverpool Empire
8 – 19 January 2019 Mayflower Theatre Southampton
22 Jan – 2 Feb 2019 Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin 0844 847 2455
5 – 16 February 2019 Norwich Theatre Royal
19 Feb – 2 March 2019 His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen 01224 641122
5 – 16 March 2019 The Orchard Theatre, Dartford 01322 220000
19 – 23 March 2019 Sunderland Empire
26 – 30 March 2019 New Victoria Theatre, Woking 0844 871 7645
2 – 13 April 2019 Sheffield Lyceum Theatre
16 – 20 April 2019 New Theatre, Oxford