I feel as though I can now regard myself as a seasoned theatre writer after my visit to this show. It is the first one where I have been to both the world premier and the second version, which is described in the programme as, ‘featuring a re-imagined book and new music.’ The difference between the first and second incarnations was quite staggering.
If you were lucky enough to see the show the first time round you will notice several differences. the main one being that the action is almost all set in the village hall where the WI meets. No outdoor scenes in the rolling hills and dales of God’s Own County. The few times the story does stray beyond the walls, the hall is enhanced with minimal extra props, see below. The cast has also been pared to only include the seven ladies along with two husbands; John, played by Colin R Campbell, around whom the story revolves and Chris’s husband, Rod, played by Graham MacDuff, who takes the photographs for the calendar. There are no children, the memorable scene when Chris’s son walks into the village hall just as his mum drops her dressing gown to reveal all, takes a split second and the son is a stage hand standing in the wings.
The ladies in the village hall. Marie, Paula Tippenden; Jessie, Lyn Paul; Annie, Tanya Franks; Chris, Amy Robbins; Celia, Marti Webb (replaced by Liz Carney); Cora, Honeysuckle Weeks and Ruth, Maureen Nolan. Photo Alex Harvey-Brown
I seem to remember noting in my last review, that the switching between scenes didn’t work very well as it made the show seem a bit staccato. I would like to thank whomever read that and decided to change it for my sole benefit, but I think that you went a bit too far in the opposite direction so now everything appears to have been done on a shoestring and is quite claustrophobic.
The set, by Designer Gary McCann, was very utilitarian, being the interior of the village hall. It also acted as a hospital waiting room with no other modification than the lowering of NHS style signs from the flies to direct patients and visitors to the appropriate department. A settee, which was a pivotal element, was also wheeled on and off by a stage hand in doctor’s white coat. There was a short scene when it morphed into the rostrum at the WI National Conference in an equally basic manor, although concealed lighting in the frame of the hall replicated the traffic light system controlling the length of the speeches.
The writers are the same duo of Gary Barlow and Tim Firth who viewed lockdown as an opportunity to both amend the narrative and add new songs. The result has placed the emphasis on the music with the lyrics telling the story and the spoken dialogue being reduced. I am not a huge fan of this, as the words sometimes get lost in the accompaniment. Perhaps they should utilise the electronic screens employed in the opera productions, on which the libretti are displayed.
For those who are unaware of the plot, and have not seen the show in its original form, let me give you a brief synopsis.
Photo by Alex Harvey-Brown
Annie is a member of the local branch of the Women’s Institute in a North Yorkshire village. Her husband, John, a florist and gardener, is diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 53, from which he dies five months later. The members of the WI think that a fitting tribute to his memory would be to buy the local hospital new sofa for the room where patients meet their visitors, as the current one is well past its best. They come up with the idea of producing a parody Pirelli-style calendar featuring themselves in nude poses rather than nubile young models. After much discussion and argument they agree to do it and, because of the novelty value and national news coverage, the sales are astronomical. As an aside, so far they have raised over £6 million for the charity Blood Cancer UK, and that is after buying the new settee!
Chris, Amy Robbins, discarding her bra, watched by, l to r; Jessie, Lyn Paul; Annie, Tanya Franks; Ruth, Maureen Nolan and Cora, Honeysuckle Weeks. Photo by Alex Harvey-Brown
The evening began on a bit of a downer for me as we were told that the wonderful Marti Webb, who was billed to play Celia, the ex-airline stewardess and wife of the captain of the local golf club, would not be performing, her place being taken by Liz Carney. My mood soon lifted as she was brilliant, flouncing around with a superior air but getting down and dirty in the more raucous scenes. The rest of the cast is a collection of familiar faces from television, film and the pop charts, as we so quaintly used to refer to them. Tanya Franks, as Annie was a regular in EastEnders as well as many other series; Maureen Nolan, whose character, Ruth, is no stranger to a sly vodka – or several, was one of the Nolans who, with her sisters, had a no.2 hit in 1979 with I’m In The Mood For Dancing. Tonight she sang My Russian Friend and I, to a bottle of Smirnoff.
The cast l to r; Lyn Paul, Honeysuckle Weeks, Marti Webb, Graham MacDuff, Amy Robbins, Tanya Franks, Colin R Campbell, Paula Tappenden and Maureen Nolan. Photo by Alex Harvey-Brown
Lyn Paul, who played Jessie, a retired school teacher, had even greater success during her singing career in the New Seekers, with two no.1s; I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing and You Won’t Find Another Fool Like Me – my tune – as well as several other familiar hits.
Amy Robbins is a tv regular in series such as Coronation Street and The Royal. Honeysuckle Weeks, Cora, played Sam Stewart in nine series of Foyle’s War as well as being in many other favourites. Paula Tappenden who played Marie, is from more of a theatrical background, although the programme has her down as appearing in Tom Jones and Crimewatch, not as a wanted villain I hope. Marti Webb has been in many a musical produced by the late Bill Kenwright, notably Blood Brothers, and has had hits with Take That Look Off Your Face, Ben and Tell Me On A Sunday. Her understudy, Liz Carney, is another theatre specialist but has also been in The Royal, and, worryingly enough, is another Crimewatch veteran.
Colin R Campbell is a telly star being in five series of Unforgotten, whilst Graham MacDuff is mainly associated with treading the boards but has been in The Royal, Down To Earth and Hollyoaks.
I seem to have got a bit carried away there with the biographies but it shows what a stellar cast is involved and every one of them lived up to expectations, or beyond in the cases of those I didn’t previously know.
Although the subject matter is very serious, it was handled in a good old Yorkshire way, if you can’t beat it, laugh at it! The dialogue between the characters was sharp as a tack and had me chuckling out loud at a couple of things. I knew that all would be well from the moment the ladies first got together with their offerings for the autumn display. One of them was a corn dolly but it was holding a microphone, Corn Dolly Parton! OK, it sounded funnier than it reads. The dynamics between the characters were quickly established and the narrative bounded along nicely after that.
Half a dozen Christmas crackers. Photo by Alex Harvey-Brown
The singing was wonderful, especially from the ex-pop stars and I found the song which Jessie sang, What Age Expects, to really hit the spot. It was about the way in which we crumblies are perceived by society. I am sick of supermarket assistants making a bee line for me as soon as they spot me at the self-scan checkout to see if I need any help with the tech. I have managed to zap everything with the handset, or my mobile phone app if it is branch with none, so why do they think I need help in pointing the thing at the QR code and passing my phone over the card reader. They wouldn’t do that to a 34 year-old without being asked so why do it to a 74 year-old. Thank you, I needed that.
I must make special mention of the band under the Direction of Jordan Alexander. They were superb throughout and gave the impression that they were far more in number than the five-piece that they were. Take a bow Assistant Musical Director, Tim Jasper, Keys; Alexia Barbera, Bass; Neil Morgan, Guitars and Simon Pembury, Drums. The aforementioned Mr Alexander also played Keys.
Despite the impression I got that this is a bit of a cut-price show insofar as the production is concerned, I would highly recommend it. There was comedy, singing and acting, all of the highest order and I defy you to watch it and not laugh and cry. There were a few tears shed by this writer, especially as the actual Calendar Girls from the Rylstone WI were in the audience and introduced at the end.
Calendar Girls runs at Leeds Grand Theatre until Saturday 11th, November. For more information and to book, please go to https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/calendar-girls-2023/
For details of other shows at Leeds Grand Theatre and City Varieties Music Hall see https://leedsheritagetheatres.com/whats-on/
Images and photographs provided by Leeds Grand Theatre
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