Review: Calendar Girls
Gary Barlow’s Calendar Girls the Musical is the latest production to hit the stage at Ipswich’s New Wolsey, and it delivers a genuinely heartfelt balance of sharp comedy and moving drama.
Based on the famous true story of a group of Yorkshire Women’s Institute members who bared all for a charity calendar after one of their husbands was diagnosed with cancer, the story has already seen massive success as a 2003 film and a hit play. This musical adaptation, a collaboration between Barlow and his long-time friend Tim Firth, first premiered in 2015.
This new touring version—a co-production between the New Wolsey, the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Theatre by the Lake, and the Octagon Theatre Bolton—brings a fresh energy to the material. The humor is its real strength; it hooks you with plenty of laughs without ever undercutting the story’s emotional core. The characters feel like real people—flawed, vulnerable, occasionally stubborn, but fiercely united.
What sets this production apart is its exceptionally talented cast of actor-musicians, who seamlessly swap their characters’ dialogue for instruments. Barlow’s score is excellent, cleverly weaving traditional Yorkshire brass band textures right into the heart of the soundtrack.
Karen Holmes (Chris) and Christina Meehan (Annie) anchor the show with a brilliant, believable chemistry. From start to finish, it is a tight, faultless production. It will absolutely make you laugh and cry, but more than anything, it’s a powerful reminder of what friendship looks like in the face of grief.
- The New Wolsey, Ipswich: Running until 26th September (newwolseytheatre.co.uk)
- The Octagon Theatre, Bolton: 8th – 31st October
Review: Mark Keable, Ipswich24 Magazine
Picture: Will Green Photography