Paul Robinson's superb production of Calendar Girls: The Musical at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough brings Tim Firth and Gary Barlow's celebratory show to life in the round, creating a shared experience that is both heartfelt and hilarious. The musical, which runs until 25 July before touring to Keswick's Theatre by the Lake and Bolton Octagon (but not Ipswich), is praised for its understanding of community and its radical instinct for collective action.
Ordinariness and Community at the Core
One of the great qualities of Calendar Girls is its ordinariness. The story unfolds in a landscape of Morrisons supermarkets, hospital waiting rooms, and traffic jams, with the year marked by carol concerts and cake competitions. In the fictional Yorkshire Dales village of Knapely, even Cheshire seems snooty and crazy paving seems outré. The show makes fun of the jam-and-knitting conservatism of the Women's Institute but is wiser than that. The middle-aged women who gather to hear lectures on broccoli are more like naughty schoolgirls than small-town reactionaries, and they possess a radical instinct for collective action.
Staging in the Round Enhances Intimacy
Seeing the production in the round is a special thrill. Helen Coyston's sparing design eliminates the divide between audience and performers, creating a shared experience. When the women suffer grief, neglect, and failure, the audience is right there with them. When they achieve the impossible, the audience shares their joy. The logistical challenge of stripping naked with the audience on all sides is handled wittily and effortlessly, to rapturous, body-positive applause. The actor-musicianship in the sparkling Barlow and Firth version adds extra levels of vulnerability and humanity, with no scene so sentimental that it cannot be offset by a cracking joke.
Standout Performances and Emotional Openness
In an ensemble as gorgeous as this, singling out individuals feels invidious, but Karen Holmes and Christina Meehan shine as Chris and Annie, the best friends whose scheme to commemorate Annie's husband by undressing for a calendar is both celebratory and subversive. Their sisterly performances epitomise the production's emotional openness, its understanding of the messiness of intimate relationships, and its belief in the power of solidarity. They are first among equals in a deeply affecting show.
Calendar Girls: The Musical is at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, until 25 July, and on tour until 31 October.
