Calendar Girls The Musical review Natalie

Calendar Girls The Musical at The Lowry Review by Natalie Anglesey

Think you've seen Calendar Girls The Musical? Well if you were at The Lowry tonight 30th October you would have seen the newly revisited version about which, I admit, I had initial misgivings. However at the interval producer David Pugh told me that he was responsible for  persuading the joint creators to make some changes- and he was right!

You may already have read the best-selling book by Tim Firth, based on the true story of a group of Yorkshire women who bared all for a nude calendar to raise awareness for cancer, because one of their husbands died of the disease, and also to raise enough money for a hospital couch. It led them to be known forever as The Calendar Girls. and those original brave women were there in force tonight and walked on stage after the curtain call to accept well-deserved applause. 

The book and the award-winning movie, starring Helen Mirren, brought them global recognition and their story became a play and eventually a musical. Now, in a rare move, the original musical has been revisited by its creators Tim Firth and music icon Gary Barlow who are both from the Cheshire village of Frodsham. There’s not only a change of set  by Robert Jones, from the gravity-defying huge staging but some of the original music has also been changed for the better.  

There’s also a change of cast with novelist and television presenter Fern Britton, returning to the stage for the first time in 30 years, as bossy Marie, the local head of the W.I. The rest of the talented cast includes Lorraine Bruce ( The Syndicate),Denise Welch ( Coronation Street, Waterloo Road )and a great performance from West End star Sara Crowe (Bedroom Farce, Hay Fever, The Real Inspector Hound & Black Comedy). Also making a mark with her tremendous vocals are Rebecca Storm (Blood Brothers) and popular Ruth Madoc, who had already bared all on the televised female version of The Full Monty for cancer charities,  will also be remembered for series like Hi-De-Hi, Little Britain and the stage musical Gypsy.

It's skilfully directed by Matt Ryan, with much-needed humour, and once again it's produced by David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers It’s heartening to know that this life-affirming story still finds resonance among so many people and that a portion of the profits goes to the cancer charity Bloodwise.

You can read more about this production in The Cheshire Magazine and do go and see this new version of Calendar Girls the Musical at The Lowry until 10 November.