Review: Calendar Girls The Musical, at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton

How ironic, that I am writing about a story based in Yorkshire (and very proud of it) in rainy Lancashire? 

I was lucky enough to attend the first performance of Calendar Girls The Musical at the Octagon in Bolton - and only just found time to sit down and write... oops. Oh well, better late than never, because I hope I can persuade at least one person to support the Octagon and buy a ticket to this show

I have had the opportunity to see the original UK Tour of Calendar Girls eight years ago (WOW!), but this is a collaboration between the Octagon, Stephen Joseph Theatre, Theatre by the Lake, and New Wolsey Theatre. Being in a very flexible stage as the Octagon, this production is staged in-the-round, immersing the audience in a Yorkshire WI. 

For those who don't know, Calendar Girls is based on a true story surrounding an ordinary group of women

When Annie's husband, John, dies from cancer, the WI gathers together to raise money for a new sofa for the hospital where he was treated - by doing a nude calendar!

Yes, this show is a guilty pleasure in so many ways: it's definitely one for the girls, the campy nature of it, the Gary-Barlow of it all. But what I had forgotten, or perhaps it just wasn't on full display at the time, was just how funny and heart-warming it is. 

As in you are in stitches one minute, and then nearly in tears the next

This is particularly down to the cast, who make these characters feel like real people in your neighbourhood. Neil Moors as John is excellent, and is truly the heart and soul of the show. As he opens up with the first few lines, he also almost as a narrator type figure for the first few minutes of the story, and truly feels like he is that one guy in the community that gets along with everyone and can rally everyone together. His loss is then all the more powerful when it does happen and absolutely devastating. 

Christina Meehan and Karen Holmes really do feel like the best of friends as Annie and Chris. You feel the love between them and the chemistry between them going back and forth. The other ladies in the WI all have their unique cadences and quirks that help them stand out, but I must also mention the young performers we had: Billy Currid as Danny, Dalton Bradley-Hampson as Tommo and Eva White as Jenny. All three of them are young Bolton talent. I hope we get to see more of them in the future. 

Calendar Girls was a fabulous show on a miserable Bolton Autumn day

If you're having a bad day, go and support the Octagon and see this production of Calendar Girls. 

It's funny, and full of friendship and heart. The only thing I would mention is that Tim Firth's book takes a while to get into the meat of the story, and so by the time they make the calendar, there's little to no time to see the impact of it. However, it is a small nit-pick that does not diminish these incredible performances.