Let me start by saying what a fantastic show Centre Stage have put on with Calendar Girls The Musical. It’s not an easy show to do, with a big cast, lots of scene changes, complex harmonies in the musical numbers, every emotion you can think of to convey and of course the grand finale – ‘that’ scene where the girls bare all!
It’s all tricky and Centre Stage pulled it off with aplomb. I often enthuse about the wealth of talent we have in amateur theatre in Suffolk and this is one of the best I’ve seen. The production values, singing, acting and music were of such a high standard you’d think it was professional.
The set is a simple one with the passage of time and the different locations of the scenes depicted with projected backdrops, flicking over like the pages of a calendar – such a clever and effective idea and all credit to director David Hart.
It’s also great to hear a live band at a musical instead of backing tracks and a shout out goes to them for a really tight, rich sound and a very effective way of making it look like Cora was actually playing the piano. Full credit to the band and MD Karen Chinery as live music in the theatre really adds to the experience and this was no exception.
The cast themselves were simply superb. This is very much an ensemble piece and in this musical version we see more of some of the additional characters ( as we do in the film) that we don’t see much of or even at all in the play. This means the fellas have a bigger role. Gareth Barton, give a moving and sensitive performance as John, who is pivotal to the whole story. You have to believe that the whole town, not just his wife Annie, loved him, for the story to work and he is so warm and delightfully mischievous you can see why they do. Rod, Chris’s husband, played by Graeme Johnston also has a bigger role in the musical. He’s a comedy character, full of beans and ‘incoming’ with flowers at every turn but has such a tender warm scene with Chris in Act 2 it made me cry.
There’s also more focus on the teenagers in the story and this adds a fresh dimension, with 2 of the mortified youngsters delivering the hilarious number Protect me Less at the start of Act 2. All credit to three fine performances from Charlie Jones as Tommo, Hector Duckworth- Smith as Danny and Emily Bonfield as Jenny., who has a particularly fine singing voice.
At the beating heart of this real life tale is the friendship between John’s wife Annie, played by Victoria Carey and Chris, played by Debbie Este. Opposites attract and as the safer and quieter of the two Annie has endured mad cap Chris’s crazy ideas since school. When Chris has the idea of the nude WI calendar to raise money in memory of John, Annie finds new strength and determination.
Annie has two of the most emotional numbers in the show, Scarborough and Kilimanjaro and carries them off with such emotion again it made me cry. Her voice soars as she decides the sun isn’t ready to set on her and her life. Chris, a former Miss Yorkshire, also isn’t ready to throw in the towel of womanhood and brings the energy to the part that is needed. Chris is a force of nature and we see and hear that with her big number Sunflower.
The other four ladies who make up our six leads are also marvellous, and sparkle with their own show off numbers. Zoe Hunt as vicar’s daughter Cora with a feisty streak and a hang up about being a single mum. Sam Barker as former school teacher Jessie, who gives the girls and lesson in not growing old gracefully. Emily Robshaw-Hull as glamourous Celia trying to fit in at the golf club and failing and Katre Davy as the ever obliging, down trodden Ruth who goes through the biggest transformation in the show. All six are tremendous and you feel that bond between them, which makes the show work so beautifully.
The show has now finished but played to sell out audiences which is exactly what this wonderful group deserve.
Bra – Vo! 😉🌻
SUFFOLK THEATRE 