Aylesbury Waterside Theatre – until 23 March 2024
Reviewed by Susan Portman
5*****
Following the death of a much-loved husband, a group of ordinary women in a small Yorkshire Women’s Institute are prompted to do an extraordinary thing and set about creating a nude calendar to raise money for charity.
But upturning preconceptions is a dangerous business and none of the women are prepared for the emotional and personal ramifications they will face as the fabulous and funny calendar brings each woman unexpectedly into flower.
The story of the Calendar Girls launched a global phenomenon: a million copycat calendars, a record-breaking movie, stage play and now a musical written by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth which coined the term “craughing” – the act of crying and laughing at the same time!
With unforgettable songs, every performance continues to add to the millions already raised for Blood Cancer UK and prove that there is no such thing as an ordinary woman.
Calendar Girls the Musical brings together a stunning cast of music, stage, and television stars. Laurie Brett (EastEnders), Liz Carney (The Full Monty, The Mousetrap), Maureen Nolan (The Nolans, Blood Brothers), Lyn Paul (The New Seekers, Blood Brothers), Helen Pearson (Hollyoaks), Samantha Seager (Coronation Street) and Honeysuckle Weeks (Foyle’s War) star as the ladies, who turn preconceptions upside down, but are they prepared or the emotional and personal ramifications they will face as they each come in to bloom?
As I took my seat, I knew that this show would be very emotional for me, centred as it is around cancer and loss. I also have cancer, and I have never let it dominate my life so I really wanted to see this. As I held hands with my husband, the curtain rose to reveal a truly remarkable stage set which is best described as a replica of the inside of a Methodist Church Hall – the very kind that a group such as the Women’s Institute would meet. Credit straight away to the team who created it. It was beautifully lit and the backdrops were amongst the best I have ever seen, from instantly ‘creating’ the inside of a hospital ward to driving along the M1 motorway – yes folks, if someone can dream it, others can do it. It was simple but brilliant as many of the very best ideas are. Scene changes were made by the actors in a clever and seamless manner.
I am writing this review from a slightly unusual perspective. I don’t want to pick out one or two cast members as being ‘the best’ because they were all so good that each must have their fair share of the praise. The seven actresses (for that is what I still call them) not only delivered a beautiful, poignant show, they clearly loved working together, and sparked off one another, which in turn infected the audience who sat laughing and even crying (a few tears were shed) watching the story unfold.
For me it did not matter who had previously starred on what TV programme, or who has been in other plays, it was about this performance in front of me tonight. The whole show has a gorgeous gentle British humour, filled with laughter and sadness – brimming over with pathos throughout. Many of the best one-liners were delivered by the ‘older’ of the characters Jessie, played by Lyn Paul. She spoke for many of us ‘older ones’ with a wise head. Her timing was spot on. I particularly enjoyed the exchanges between Samantha Seager (Chris) and Laurie Brett (Annie) because they just looked as if they were best friends and it never felt at any moment that they were acting. Seager delivered with childlike energy and confidence, and the two seemed to inspire one another to deliver the best they could for the audience – and they did.
Liz Carney, Maureen Nolan, Helen Pearson and Honeysuckle Weeks were all equally excellent in their roles too. Nolan (Ruth) and her scene wit her ‘Russian friend’ a bottle of vodka was tremendous and all of them – the whole cast – filled the theatre with their wonderful singing voices accompanied by a first-class band (Director Jordan Alexander) and some subtle lighting effects.
There were two male players in this show. Colin R Campbell played John Clarke or ‘Clarkie’ and he, as the husband of Annie delivered a hugely thought-provoking and polished performance which would see his character perish from cancer in the first Act. The way that he described life, and his precious plants in particular was inspirational and even though this was ‘just a show, his performance was so accomplished that it felt desperate to ‘lose him’ as he finally succumbed to the disease – yet never stopped dreaming of the future, and visiting Tibet.
The audience were gripped with emotion throughout as we saw his gradual decline which the co-writers, Gary Barlow and Tim Firth found an ingenious way to reveal, which I shall leave to people to see for themselves. It felt like we (the audience) had lost a family member – that’s the best testament to his performance that I can give.
Andrew Tuton played Rod, the photographer and of course it was his job to capture the images of the ladies for the calendar. He played his part very memorably too, showing that he was initially rather shy about the idea (he photographed wildlife after all) but growing into the idea and finally capturing the images in a very imaginative manner (well done stage team) and one could see that he was trying to do his best for the ladies, his deceased friend and the Institute as a whole. We were all ‘with him’ on his quest and this was down to his excellent performance.
There are many life lessons in this story. We have to accept that grief is the price we pay for love, that time spent with friends and family is incredibly precious and that when we do lose people, life really can still go on – especially when sharing our grief with others. All of this came as a stark reminder only because of the masterful performances and delivery of the cast. As they suggested, plant a seed, then light rain and sunlight will help it grow. Let me be clear, this only worked because every single member of the cast and supporting team worked together. It is testimony to their work and brilliance that I can write this review with very mixed but positive emotional feelings, ready to face my own challenges with cancer with renewed vigour. I thank the cast and ‘crew’ for that gift.
Giving this full marks is as easy as planting a sunflower seed.