I’d seen the film and cried, so when I heard Calendar Girls , the play, was coming to Watford, I wondered how well they could make it work on stage.

The show caused a bit of a stir with its star-studded cast of soap and comedy actors including Lesley Joseph, Sue Holderness, Ruth Madoc, Kathryn Rooney, Camilla Dallerup, Helen Fraser, Deena Payne, Kacey Ainsworth and Kevin Sacre. It certainly was fun working out which show I’d seen each one of these fabulous celebrities in before.

Calendar Girls follows a group of ordinary women from Yorkshire who do something extraordinary and ignite a global phenomenon when they persuade one another to pose for a charity calendar with a difference.

The cast clearly had a fun time and when the big ‘reveal’ of each actor was done, it was performed with genuine warmth, humour and sensitivity. All on a simple stage set, but clothed with a very witty script full of humour and thought-provoking moments. 

Cancer is the significant point for the events that surround Calendar Girls , but it does not overwhelm the play. The conclusion, in spite of the preceeding tragedy is a big life-affirming two fingers to the disease and a thumbs up to those who continue to live through it and fight it every day.

Given its predominantly female audience, some would say that Calendar Girls is a ‘girls’ show’ but it’s so much more than that. There is enough wit and warmth for even the most reluctant of males to identify with. By the end, I felt like I could really smell the fresh Yorkshire air. I laughed so much and I cried again – even more so when I remembered that it is based on a true story.

 

Pauline White