WHATSONSTAGE TODAY ANNOUNCES THAT THE

24^TH ANNUAL WHATSONSTAGE AWARDS WILL BE HOSTED AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM

FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME

WhatsOnStage today announces that this year’s ceremony will be hosted at The London Palladium in a first for the awards.

Taking place on Sunday 11 February 2024, the evening will see winners crowned across a range of categories. Theatregoers will also enjoy a host of exclusive live performances from top stage talent, accompanied by a 24-piece orchestra. The event is co-produced with creative directors Alex Parker and Damian Sandys.

Tickets will go on general sale from 12pm on 23 November 2023 via LW Theatres. A special pre-sale for WhatsOnStage Theatre Club members will take place at 12pm on 22 November 2023.

Now in their 24th year, the WhatsOnStage Awards are the only major theatre awards decided by the theatregoers themselves. 

WhatsOnStage’s Darius Thompson-Smith and Alex Wood said today: “We are incredibly excited for this new chapter for the WhatsOnStage Awards – now at The London Palladium. Moving to this new location will give us more flexibility with performances, more price points for purchasers and allow the evening to bring in an even larger audience. Alongside a huge 24-piece orchestra overseen by Alex Parker, we’re determined to create an unforgettable evening for theatre fans.

“We cannot express just how important and rewarding our time at the Prince of Wales Theatre has been over recent years – with brilliant, warm and accommodating teams at both Delfont Mackintosh and The Book of Mormon, who have leant us their home time and again. Now bring on The Palladium!”  

Nominations are currently open and will close on Thursday 23 November 2023 ahead of the shortlist being announced on Thursday 7 December 2023. Voting will then open at the same time, closing on Thursday 11 January 2024, with the winners being announced at the ceremony in February.

The awards categories will continue as before. Performance categories will be gender-free and, for each of the following, readers will be able to nominate and vote for one individual:

•            Best Performer in a Play

•            Best Performer in a Musical

•            Best Supporting Performer in a Play

•            Best Supporting Performer in a Musical

Additional audience-nominated categories include Best New Play, Best New Musical, Best Play Revival, Best Musical Revival, Best Regional Production, Best Takeover Performance, Best Professional Debut, Best Concert Event, Best West End Show and Best Off West End Production. Eligibility criteria are available on the WhatsOnStage Awards website (awards.whatsonstage.com).

The shortlist for the technical categories (Choreography, Costume Design, Direction, Graphic Design, Lighting Design, Musical Direction/Supervision, Set Design, Sound Design, Casting Direction and Video Design) will be decided once again by an independent panel of industry experts from across the UK appointed by WhatsOnStage, taking the total number of categories to 24. Shortlists will then be voted on by the general public.

awards.whatsonstage.com

lwtheatres.co.uk 

Twitter: @WhatsOnStage #WOSAwards
Instagram: @WhatsOnStage

TikTok: @WhatsOnStage

Festival Theatre, Malvern – until 11th November 2023

Reviewed by Courie Amado Juneau

5*****

So, it turns out The Woman In Black isn’t about Johnny Cash’s wife after all! It is, however, the most chilling, effective ghost story I’ve ever had the pleasure to catch live (so to speak)!

Arthur Kipps almost apologetically shuffles onto the stage to read his transcribed tale of terror. He’s secured the services of a professional in the hope that in delivering it publicly the horror will be laid to rest. Soon The Actor interjects with some helpful advice on stagecraft and these opening exchanges between the two (there are but two named cast members) show wonderful comic sensibilities in spades.

Malcolm James (Kipps etc.) – gave us an array of intriguing and believable characters, from the opening ineptitude of Kipps acting and growing confidence of delivery, to every other character that Kipps the younger will meet in the retelling of the tale. James’s range was astounding and I particularly admired the many seamless, subtle shifts in mood, making one marvel at his acting skills and stamina (given the rapid costume changes and running to a fro).

Mark Hawkins played The Actor and Kipps the younger (from the early years re-enactment). From the opening commanding stage presence to the more subservient junior role in a legal firm to the gradual descent into madness caused by the events of that house – his acting was nothing short of utterly compelling. I was (very aptly) spellbound by both actors and on the edge of my seat (when not jumping off it)…

…which seems like an apropos point to mention this is possibly the jumpiest piece of theatre I’ve ever seen. It’s a good job that popcorn wasn’t served in buckets otherwise the theatre staff would be hoovering the rafters from now until next Halloween to retrieve it!

It’s amazing to see how many different locations were wrought from the same space – a graveyard, an entire house, a foggy moor, offices, the theatre – using just a few props and some lighting! Kudos to Lighting Designer Kevin Sleep for producing such wondrous transformations whilst also providing a gorgeous sunset and sunrise and producing the first major jump (no spoilers). Most importantly, the employment of shadows gave a menacing effect throughout. Genius.

I’d never before seen smoke used to such dramatic (or bewilderingly evocative) effect. It didn’t just sit on stage and drift into the audience – it swept over one, enveloping the senses like an immersive malevolent presence. The shadows birthed all manner of nastiness real and imagined, with an expectation that something horrid would be hidden in every nook and cranny of the subconscious. And here the Sound Designer, Sebastian Frost, deserved an equally large (alongside lighting) pat on the back for pinpoint accuracy of execution!

Just like any good horror, a convincing twist in the tale gave one last genuine surprise just when you thought you had survived the emotional onslaught and could relax.

An exceptionally clever script, muscular direction (from Robin Herford) and top drawer acting all combined to deliver a ghost story that will stay long in the memory (and heart, once it’s out of your mouth). I’ve never had so much fun having the wind put up me and cannot recommend The Woman In Black highly enough. Scarily good!

WHAT’S OCCURING?

RUTH JONES

TO STAR AS ‘MOTHER SUPERIOR’

IN THE

AWARD-WINNING

PRODUCTION OF 

AT THE DOMINION THEATRE

ALONGSIDE

BEVERLEY KNIGHT

AS DELORIS VAN CARTIER

FROM 15 MARCH – 8 JUNE 2024

The producers of the award-winning production of SISTER ACT THE MUSICAL are thrilled to announce that Gavin and Stacey star and co-writer Ruth Jones will swap Barry Island for blessings as ‘Mother Superior’, making her West End debut at the Dominion Theatre from Friday 15 March 2024.

Ruth joins the multi-award-winning music star and Olivier Award winning performer Beverley Knight, reprising her performance as Deloris Van Cartier, until Saturday 8 June 2024. From 10 June 2024, the role of Deloris Van Cartier will be played by Number One best-selling artist and musical theatre star Alexandra Burke, with further casting to be announced.

Ruth Jones said, “I’m proper chuffed to be making my West End debut in Sister Act next March playing the legendary Mother Superior at the Dominion Theatre. It’s a crackin’ role and a crackin’ show. Who knew wearing a habit could feel so fabulous! I can’t wait!”

Ruth Jones is best known for playing ‘Nessa Jenkins’ in the award-winning BBC sitcom Gavin & Stacey, which she also co-created and co-wrote with James Cordon. Her other screen credits include the titular role in Stella, which she also created and co-wrote, Kelly in Fat Friends, Myfanwy in Little Britain, Magz in Saxondale and Linda in Nighty Night.Ruth was last seen on stage as Maggie in Theatre Royal Bath’s touring production of The Nightingales. Her previous theatre credits include Under Milk Wood at the National, A Winter’s Tale for the RSC, Roots for Oxford Stage Company and Educating Rita at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff. In recent years, Ruth has become a Sunday Times best-selling author of three novels, Never Greener, Us Three and Love Untold. She is currently writing her fourth.

Ahead of making her West End debut, Ruth will join the UK and Ireland tour of SISTER ACT when it plays the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dublin from 13 – 24 February 2024.

Based on the iconic movie, this sparkling tribute to the universal power of friendship, sisterhood and music tells the hilarious story of the disco diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a murder. Under protective custody she is hidden in the one place she won’t be found – a convent! Disguised as a nun and under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly rediscovers her own. 

SISTER ACT has direction by Bill Buckhurst, choreography by Alistair David, Set and Costume Design by Morgan Large, Musical Direction by Neil MacDonald, Lighting Design by Tim Mitchell, Sound Design by Tom Marshall and Musical Supervision by Stephen Brooker. Casting is by Stuart Burt. 

SISTER ACT features original music by Tony® and 8-time Oscar® winner Alan Menken(Disney’s Aladdin, Enchanted), lyrics by Glenn Slater, book by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner with additional book material by Douglas Carter Beane. SISTER ACT is produced by Jamie Wilson, Gavin Kalin, Kevin McCollum and Curve.

NEW CAST MEMBERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE ICONIC LONDON THRILLER

ST MARTIN’S THEATRE, LONDON
uk.the-mousetrap.co.uk 

New casting is announced for Agatha Christie’s iconic thriller The Mousetrap, the longest running play in the world, which continues to enthral audiences at London’s St Martin’s Theatre.

From 20 November 2023, the cast will include Rachel Summers (Bleak Expectations at the Criterion Theatre) as Mollie Ralston, Christopher Bonwell (The Entertainer UK tour) as Giles Ralston, Joshua Glenister (Witness For The Prosecution at County Hall) as Christopher Wren, Gay Soper (long career of credits including the original 1971 production of Godspell at Roundhouse and Wyndham’s Theatre, London) as Mrs Boyle, Miles Richardson (Shakespearian actor whose multiple theatre credits include King Charles III at Wyndhams Theatre, London and Music Box Theater on Broadway) as Major Metcalf, Jessica Temple (Patriots at the Almeida and Noël Coward Theatre) as Miss Casewell, Sebastien Torkia (Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge Theatre, London) as Mr Paravicini, and George Hannigan (The Comedy About a Bank Robbery at the Criterion Theatre and UK tour) as Detective Sgt. Trotter, with Clive Marlowe, Sarah Parkins, Ben Riddle, Kieran Seabrook France, Alexander Scrivens, and Cathryn Sherman.

As news spreads of a murder in London, a group of seven strangers find themselves snowed in at Monkswell Manor, a remote countryside guesthouse. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover – to their horror – that a killer is in their midst. One by one, the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts. Which one is the murderer? Who will be their next victim?

Genre-defining murder mystery The Mousetrap, written by Agatha Christie, the world’s best-selling novelist of all time, premiered at Theatre Royal Nottingham in 1952 and toured the UK before opening in the West End where it continues its record-breaking engagement at the St Martin’s Theatre, 70 years on. The iconic thriller’s 70^th Anniversary tour also opened in Nottingham in September 2022, and continues to travel throughout the UK and Ireland, marking its milestone anniversary by visiting over 70 theatres, including all cities to which it originally played 70 years ago, plus many more.

The Mousetrap is produced by Adam Spiegel with Direction by Ian Talbot OBE and associate direction by Denise Silvey.

DREW MCONIE APPOINTED AS

NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre today announce Drew McOnie as their new Artistic Director & Joint Chief Executive, joining Executive Director James Pidgeon.  

DREW MCONIE APPOINTED AS

NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre today announce Drew McOnie as their new Artistic Director & Joint Chief Executive, joining Executive Director James Pidgeon.  

The award-winning Director and Choreographer will assume the role in January 2024, taking over from Tim Sheader following his appointment at the Donmar Warehouse, and will programme the 2025 season onwards. He joins the theatre having previously directed and choreographed On the Town which was Olivier Award nominated for Best Musical Revival, and choreographed their productions of Carousel and Jesus Christ Superstar, currently touring the US and UK and for which he received an Olivier Award Nomination for Best Theatre Choreography. He retains his position as Artistic Director of The McOnie Company, with its production of Nutcracker currently running at the new pop-up space, The Tuff Nutt Jazz Club at the Southbank Centre, and the forthcoming world premiere stage adaptation of The Artist opening at Theatre Royal Plymouth in May 2024.

Drew McOnie said today, “For me there is nowhere in London where the shared experience of live theatre is more electric than at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. It captured my imagination and stole my heart from my very first visit. I believe it’s because of the audience’s direct connection with the performers, each knowing equally that anything could happen and together they will experience something that its relationship with nature may make totally different the following day. It’s a magical setting to experience magical stories together.

Long before becoming a director and choreographer I was a dancer, and it was widely known within the performing community that Regent’s Park was THE place to work. This wasn’t just because of the exceptional standard of work being created but also because of the care and support for its artists. Under the inspiring leadership of Tim Sheader, I was able to become the artist I wanted to be, and I am committed to continuing that legacy of care and creativity for artists and audiences alike.

I am so excited to be joining forces with the brilliant James Pidgeon and can’t wait to begin writing the next chapter of this special venue’s story.”

Stuart Griffiths OBE, Chair of the Board of Trustees, added, “Following a rigorous and extensive recruitment process, we are delighted to appoint Drew McOnie as Artistic Director & Joint Chief Executive of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. Drew is an outstanding and innovative artist whose work thrills and inspires a broad range of audiences. We are excited by the vision and passion he will bring to our unique and world-renowned venue, building on the legacy of Tim Sheader’s tenure. On behalf of the Trustees we are delighted to welcome Drew to the team.”

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre Executive Director & Joint Chief Executive James Pidgeon commented, “Drew McOnie is an exemplary and well-respected artist who will continue the Open Air Theatre’s long-standing commitment to creating exceptional, enriching and unexpected theatre at scale whilst also bringing a new artistic vision and identity to the organisation that enhances our relevance and reputation. I very much look forward to working with him to lead the organisation and our incredibly talented team through this next exciting chapter of growth and development.”

Drew McOnie is a multi-award winning Director and Choreographer working across theatre and film.

Hisprevious credits for Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre include, as director/choreographer: On the Town (Olivier Award Nomination for Best Musical Revival), and as choreographer: Carousel and Jesus Christ Superstar (Olivier Award Nomination for Best Theatre Choreography – also Barbican Theatre, UK and US tours).

Other credits as director/choreographer include: The Wild Party (The Other Palace), King Kong (The Broadway Theatre, Broadway), Strictly Ballroom (Piccadilly Theatre, West End/Toronto/West Yorkshire Playhouse), Torch Song (The Turbine Theatre London) and CAKE (Lyric Theatre, West End and UK Tour). 

Other credits as a choreographer include: In the Heights (Olivier Award Winner for Best Theatre Choreography, Winner of the Off West End Theatre Award for Best Choreography – Southwark Playhouse and Kings Cross Theatre), The Lorax (The Old Vic), Hairspray (BroadwayWorld Award Winner for Best Choreographer – UK Tour), Bugsy Malone (Lyric Hammersmith and UK Tour), Oklahoma! (UK Tour), Chicago (Curve Theatre, Leicester) and Tommy (European Tour).

His credits for The McOnie Company include: Nutcracker (The Tuff Nutt Jazz Club at Southbank Centre), Jekyll and Hyde (BroadwayWorld Award Winner for Outstanding Achievement in Dance – The Old Vic), DRUNK! (Curve Theatre Leicester/ The Bridewell Theatre London), Making Midnight (Jermyn Street Theatre/ Latitude Festival), Slaughter (Audience Choice Award Winner – The Place Prize) and Be Mine! (Robin Howard Theatre), and the forthcoming world premiere stage adaptation of The Artist opening at Theatre Royal Plymouth in May 2024.

Ballets include: Merlin (Northern Ballet National Tour), XYZ- (Classical Creative Project), Monochrome Suite (Sadlers Wells), The Old Man Of Lochnagar (Sadlers Wells and Hackney Empire), Little Red Riding Hood (Wimbledon Theatre) and To You (Sadlers Wells).  

Film credits include: Greatest Days – The TAKE THAT movie musical, and Me Before You (Directed by Thea Sharrock).

The Studio, New Wimbledon Theatre – until 11th November 2023

Reviewed by Carly Burlinge

4****

Seize the Cheese is a story about a world famous cheese rolling event held in Gloucestershire  where people decide to take the plunge and run down a dangerous hill in pursuit of the famous double Gloucester cheese and this is exactly where the story begins!

With many different characters at the top of the hill, all there for different reason thinking that throwing themselves down the hill may somehow help their individual stories! Each of them have their own tale to tell there’s Jake (Fed Zanni) and Susan (Judith Orelly) a couple who are dealing with fertility issues. Best friends Arthur (Oliver Bullen) and Leila (Rosie Zeidler) who slept with each other and now it’s the end of the world! A daughter Jasmine (Jodi Bird) trying to break free from her overbearing Mother Dorothy (Victoria Waddington). Phobia Phil (James Dangerfield) who is afraid of pretty much everything around him and wants to be brave by running down the hill and succeeding, he comes every year and hasn’t managed to quite make himself run off the edge just yet! Alongside other characters we see snippets of their lives understanding  the reasons in which they have ended up here.

The whole event wouldn’t take place or be so unique without the Keeper of the Cheese (Cathy McManamon) guiding them through. Shes a nutty hippy who holds magical powers within her that she received from the forest fairies and spirits. The reason for these powers is to help the people overcome their fear and to eventually find there inner selves and reach their destinies. But with things not going as they normally do and the spirits of the hills all over the place. As well as the real life Cheese (Travis Wood) causing issues for the keeper. He offers much pizazz he’s ludicrously funny and in fact was the highlight of the evening with some great singing and a touch of sassy dancing making the audience laugh alongside some cheese puns as he walks off the stage with “Gouda Bye“.

The show also had a live band of bass-guitar, drums and keyboard and offers some fast paced tracks throughout, keeping the audience entertained throughout.

Everything seemed very quick paced with lots going on including slow motion movements of rolling down the hill, again very funny to watch. All in all a bizarre ambitious but very funny production that I enjoyed, I haven’t laughed like that in a while. The stranger the better. 

24 HOURS AFTER TICKET PRIORITY PRE-SALE, ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S STARLIGHT EXPRESS EXTENDS BOOKING THROUGH TO FEBRUARY 2025

www.starlightexpresslondon.com

Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals is thrilled to announce that due to overwhelming demand, 24-hours after tickets went on priority pre-sale and before the box office opens for general on-sale, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s STARLIGHT EXPRESS has extended bookings through to February 2025.

Michael Harrison says: “Starlight Express is one of the most iconic musicals of the last 40 years, and I am thrilled that our new production has captured imaginations of all ages all over again. From yesterday’s presale alone, we are today immediately extending our booking period through until 16 February 2025. It’s always been the fastest show on earth….now it’s the fastest extension in theatre history!”

Seen by over 20 million people across the world, STARLIGHT EXPRESS will make its triumphant return to London from 8 June 2024 at the specially designed Starlight Auditorium at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre.

A true theatrical event, STARLIGHT EXPRESS will fully immerse audiences of all ages inside a world of speed, song and storytelling as an incredible cast of 40 whizz around and above, performing some of musical theatre’s most beloved songs, including AC/DC, Make Up My Heart, Light at the End of the Tunnel and the iconic Starlight Express. 

As a child’s train set magically comes to life and the engines race to become the fastest in the world, Rusty the steam train has little hope of winning until he is inspired by the legend of the ‘Starlight Express’.

With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, the creative team for this new production is helmed by acclaimed director Luke Sheppard, set designer Tim Hatley, video designer Andrzej Goulding, costume designer Gabriella Slade, lighting designer Howard Hudson and sound designer Gareth Owen with new orchestrations and musical supervision by Matthew Brind.

With thrilling new choreography by Ashley Nottingham, STARLIGHT EXPRESS also sees the return of Arlene Phillips as creative dramaturg.

Casting and all further information regarding the production will be announced in due course.

The Starlight Auditorium at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre is a state-of-the-art cultural destination in Wembley Park, London’s most exciting new neighbourhood, only 12 minutes from central London. The venue is a short 5-minute walk from the tube, moments away from iconic Olympic Way. There are great parking options on site and the theatre is easily accessible via the M25 and M1.

STARLIGHT EXPRESS will be the second show produced by Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals, the new partnership of Andrew Lloyd Webber, composer of some of the world’s most famous musicals, and Michael Harrison, critically acclaimed, award-winning international producer. The first show by Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals, Sunset Boulevard is currently playing at the Savoy Theatre in London.

LISTINGS

Performances
Performances from Saturday 8 June 2024
Opening Night: Sunday 30 June at 5:30pm
(Review tickets from Thursday 27 June, under embargo until 11:30pm on Sunday 30 June)

For Information
www.starlightexpresslondon.com

Social Media
Facebook, Instgram and Tik Tok @starlightexpressldn
X – StarlightLondon

ORIGINAL CALENDAR GIRLS ATTEND OPENING NIGHT PERFORMANCE OF MUSICAL REVIVAL

• ORIGINAL CALENDAR GIRLS CHRISTINE CLANCY, TRICIA STEWART, ANGELA KNOWLES AND LYNDA LOGAN ATTEND OPENING NIGHT
• PRODUCTION STARS TANYA FRANKS, MAUREEN NOLAN, LYN PAUL, AMY ROBBINS, PAULA TAPPENDEN, MARTI WEBB AND HONEYSUCKLE WEEKS AS THE GIRLS

The original Calendar Girls, and inspiration for the musical, play and film, joined the star-studded cast and crew on stage after last night’s opening performance at Leeds Grand Theatre.

Celebrating 25 years since the inception and creation of the original calendar and 20 years since the record-breaking movie’s release, Calendar Girls the Musical returns to The Grand for the third time after it premiered here in 2015, followed by a revival in 2018.

The third iteration has been stripped back to lay somewhere between the original play and the original musical. Tim Firth, co-writer with Gary Barlow, also in attendance said: “Pre-pandemic I had been preparing the musical for a foreign production which was of course then postponed. When the skies cleared and a new production in the UK was proposed I looked back and thought, ‘This is the version we ought to stage’. The story and songs, a little like the real world, had been thrown in the air and come back slightly different… it seemed right for a time when sunlight, optimism and humour seemed more necessary than ever. Like the calendar itself, it seemed that something dark had created something unexpectedly bright.”

Calendar Girls the Musical follows a group of extraordinary women in a small Yorkshire Women’s Institute, prompted to create a nude calendar following the death of a much-loved husband, to raise funds for charity.

This tour is proud to be supporting Blood Cancer UK, the charity dedicated to funding research into all blood cancers including leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, as well as offering information and support to blood cancer parents.

Calendar Girls the Musical is at Leeds Grand Theatre from Tue 7 to Sat 11 November 2023. Book tickets online at leedsheritagetheatres.com or call the Box Office on 0113 243 0808

Aylesbury Waterside Theatre – until 11 November 2023

Reviewed by Susan Portman

4****

Previously titled The Band, the show broke box office records and delighted audiences around the United Kingdom when it performed from 2017 – 2019.

Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of Take That’s first ever UK number 1 single Pray and coinciding with the summer 2023 release of the movie of this smash hit musical. Greatest Days is sure to be a night out you will Never Forget.

The story however is not about Take That. This is a tale of tragedy, friendship and of five band obsessed friends, who attended their first concert together at the tender age of sixteen joyous with dreams about their future, only to reunite as adults to see the band for one final time.

I listened to Take That in the 90’s but being in my twenties at the time, I wasn’t really into boy bands. I didn’t really appreciate their music until they reformed, so I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this show.

I went along with my friend Sofia after having a quick bite to eat before curtain up. Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of women in the audience that probably would have
been similar ages portrayed by the girls in the show.

The presentation opened revealing a young teenage girl, Rachel, played by Olivia Hallett, sitting listening to the radio in a kitchen. The Band were on, and she was imagining them right there in her room, before her very eyes. Then the ‘Boy Band’ entered, singing in the kitchen. Because Rachel’s home life was so difficult to say the least, and to drown out the sound of her arguing parents she asked the boys to sing louder, they obliged! We have all been there as teenagers, whether its arguing parents, annoying siblings or some other distraction – all conspiring to prevent you from listening to your favourite tunes.

The set itself was fairly basic, but it was cleverly adapted throughout the show by moving blocks around to take the changing scenes very quickly and efficiently from kitchen to school lockers, from a bus and airport even to high rocks overlooking the town. It was clever, and effective. Well done to the team for this design.

The initial teenage cast were replaced by adults later in the story but I could still see the underlying personalities coming through. It was fabulous how the Take That songs that we know and love so well were weaved into each act. We all have songs that take you back to a defining moment of your life, or remind us of a place or a person.

I must say I wasn’t expecting it to be an emotional journey but it was, straight from the first scenes (there is a twist). I was worried it might be too emotional but actually it was fun, honest and beautifully written.

You could easily relate to one of the five teenage characters – the dreams that we have as teenagers, the family related issues that we had no control over. How everything is so important at the age of sixteen, until a tragedy occurs that throws your world upside down. Of course – music winds itself like ivy around such events.

I loved all of the characters but I can’t say that there was any single stand out part in
the show. The singing voices of all of the ladies were excellent. Bayley Hart, the understudy, who played Debbie has an incredible voice.

The characters were all believable and very funny, and I particularly enjoyed the way that the teenage characters were re-introduced into later scenes alongside their adult characters, with the boy band singing the Take That songs. Great stuff!

When the girls met up again as adults, it was true to life to see how a tragedy in their youth had defined or changed their future but the love and respect they had for each other as teenagers was still there over 20 years later. Let’s be honest, we can all relate to this. There was plenty of humour, especially ‘Dave the Janitor’ played by Alan Stocks, who also played the parts of the bus driver, the airport crew at the gate in UK and Greece and the Greek police officer) and he was adept at effortlessly switching into these roles.

This entire production was first-class, with laughter, tears and plenty of good old fashioned entertainment. The finale was fabulous, the cast encouraged the audience to their feet, and they began dancing and singing as a febrile collective. When the lights came up and I left the theatre, I felt that feel good factor that you would desire from any theatre performance and the Waterside once again delivered in spades. One lady we were chatting to in the lift summed it up quite well when she opined that she arrived at the theatre feeling a tad glum on a dark Tuesday evening in November, but she left feeling like she was already going into the weekend.

This is definitely a show for all those wishing to banish those autumn blues.

Grand Theatre, Leeds – until 11^th November 2023

Reviewed by Katie Brewerton

4****

Calendar Girls comes back to Yorkshire this week at the Grand in Leeds, telling the incredible and inspiring true story of a group of women who’s small WI group in Yorkshire decides to change up their charity calendar. After the death of Annie’s (Tanya Franks) husband John (Colin R Campbell) her best friend Chris (Amy Robbins) comes up with the idea of creating a nude calendar to raise money for Skipton General Hospital to replace their uncomfortable settee, after some persuading the other members of the WI agree and the success of their Calendar is unimaginable. 

With the real Calendar Girls in the audience the cast had added pressure to perform and they did not disappoint. With a star studded cast including Tanya Franks best known as Rainie in Eastenders, Amy Robbins, who has stared in Coronation Street, The Royal and Emmerdale and more and Mauren Nolan, one of the famous Nolan Sisters.  Robbins in particular stood out with a fantastic performance as the funny and charismatic Chris with great vocals and a commanding stage presence. 

Written by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth this is a show with a heartbreaking tragedy leading to great success and an infamous story.

With a total of over £6 Million raised for Blood Cancer UK, a total which is still growing with the charity collecting a royalty from the show this is a must see production. It’s even more special seeing it in West Yorkshire, so close to where the story originated. You’ll be laughing and crying and are bound to be on your feet at the end.