REVIEW - Calendar Girls The Musical offers comfort and laughter as the sunflowers keep on growing strong!

We were invited to see Calendar Girls The Musical at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton. Read what our reviewer Karen Ryder had to say about this brilliant show...

The Octagon Theatre, Bolton has a fabulous line up to celebrate their 60^th anniversary year, and I am thrilled that the brilliantly British Calendar Girls made the list!  It is a show that ticks so many boxes, taking you from humour to heartache and back again, faster than you can say “by ecky thump!”  Famously based on a true story with very real and exceptional people, Calendar Girls carries a wonderfully touching and important legacy about friendship, compassion, and making a difference.  Long before the headlines, the film, the award‑winning play and the musical, these woman simply wanted to lift the spirits of their friend and raise a little money to buy a couch for relatives to be comfortable when visiting their loved ones.  The idea of a nude calendar was never meant to travel further than their village hall, but as the idea blossomed and grew legs, it became something remarkable and inspirational.  Some stories have a way of gathering light and what started as a gesture of love grew into a global phenomenon.  A small act of kindness in a Yorkshire village became one of the most extraordinary and unlikely stories told.  Indeed, it has touched families far beyond Yorkshire and is a welcome reminder that when you act from the heart, incredible things can happen.  And just like the sunflower, it shows how turning towards hope can make us grow in ways we never imagined.

Calendar Girls The Musical came about because writers, Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, made good on their promise to each other, that one day they would write a musical together.  And thank goodness they did because the result is an absolute gem.  Their writing strikes a perfect balance of being deeply emotive without ever tipping into schmaltz, and naturally funny without ever prioritising a laugh over truth.  They not only make us love these characters but realise we know these characters.  We are these characters!  The story starts in a stark village hall, reminiscent of many across the country, as the WI women drift in one by one.  Their warmth, sense of community, and friendship instantly awakens the dreary room with their personalities, stories, and humour, springing it into life.  This is a safe space, a feeling that is echoed throughout the theatre by these wonderful performers bringing our heroines to life with love and respect.  There’s an honesty to these characters from the outset.  Real women with real lives, juggling the muddle and mess of everyday challenges with that unmistakable Northern grit.  Their Northern humour is dry, stoic and comforting, a trait that effortlessly pulses throughout the show, even in the most pressured of moments. 

Throughout the laughter we discover that one of their own, John, is unwell, and though the “Keep Calm and Carry On” spirit is strong, the truth of his illness quietly shadows their cheery exterior.  As their worst fears come true, a tenderness is respectfully shared between the characters and the audience, allowing grief to sit alongside the resilience of friendship.  It is from this place of love, loss, and loyalty that the seed of an idea begins to grow.  What follows is a beautiful journey of tenacity as these remarkable women confront their own fears and insecurities, step into the spotlight, and create not just a calendar, but a legacy that continues to shine far beyond their village hall.

Directed by Paul Robinson, this production penetrates the heart of this story, making the audience feel like an extended member of the WI.  It is busy, often chaotic, with an array of entrances and exits, scenes and transitions overlapping and blurring into one, creating a bustling community that thrives on its people and has each other’s backs, no matter what.  Each wonderful member of the WI is given her moment to shine.  And this spirit of equality and togetherness echoes the spirit of the Yorkshire community it celebrates.  Karen Holmes as Chris is an emotional centrepiece, making us feel all the feels with a spirit full of sunshine.  Christina Meehan as Annie is cheeky, feisty, and blooming with so much love that not only does it transcend to the other members of the WI but to everyone in the theatre too.  Annie Kirkman is Ruth and takes her character on a remarkable journey, giving us hilarious moments when drunk and guarded moments when challenged. 

Alicia McKenzie as Cora gives us some brilliant moments throughout, especially at the piano singing Victoria Wood-esque Christmas carols!  Fenella Norman is Jessie and does a stunning job of showing no person is ever the stereotype you imagine they are!  Pippa Duffy as Celia owns her womanhood and does a grand job of defending her choices to look exactly how she wants to.  Sarah Groarke is Marie and allows us to relate to her character whilst keeping that tough exterior and belief in the WI traditions.  Angela Caesar and Rachel Hammond multi-role and have a show stopping moment when they wheel on some refreshments during the photoshoot.  They both create many unique and fabulous characters.

Neil Moors is our beloved John and plays him with such dignity, humour and charm that it is instantly understandable why he was so loved.  Matt Ian Kelly multi-roles as Rod, Colin and Denis, physically and vocally altering himself for each role, bringing warmth, fun, and surprises.  Matt Helsop is Lawrence and effortlessly transforms from a shy, nervous and semi-reluctant photographer into an articulate warrior in John’s name.  Billy Currid is Danny and creates golden moments of humour, relief, and love, inspiring the next generation to push through and do the unexpected.  Tonights Tommo and Jenny were Charlie France and Grace Pearce who captured the essence of youth with their ever-changing range of expressions, motives, and situations.  The main adult cast were all talented actor musicians, playing a variety of instruments, and I particularly loved the brass element representing Yorkshire to a tee.  They continually carouselled, providing their own music and keeping it within their community.

Gary Barlow’s score truly does wonders to extend this story, with songs that capture the spirit, rawness, and truth of these formidable women.  Songs such as ‘Sunflower’ offer such hope, whilst ‘Yorkshire’ defines pride and authenticity, and ‘Kilimanjaro’ truth and vulnerability.  These songs flow effortlessly within this real life story and add wonderful insight and charm.  And of course, we have to chat about the calendar shoot, the focal point of the entire story.  To say I was intrigued to see how a theatre in the round would stage a nude calendar shoot whilst maintain the privacy and dignity of its performers is an understatement.  And it is simply brilliant!  It’s presented with respect, charm, and illuminating support from the audience.  Each photograph earns its own round of applause, a wave of support that rolls through the theatre like a physical force.  By the time the women return in full voice, arms full of radiant sunflowers, the emotion is overwhelming.  Teamwork, carefully placed sheets and lighting screens allow the women to create their pose in private, making the reveal a powerful statement.  Many emotions were whizzing around the theatre from admiration to grief, but above all, there was hope.  Calendar Girls The Musical offers comfort, laughter, and the kind reminder that none of us have to face the unimaginable alone.  It is witty, tender, and beautiful.  Calendar Girls keeps the sunshine bright and the sunflowers growing strong.

WE SCORE CALENDAR GIRLS THE MUSICAL...

Calendar Girls The Musical is on at the Octagon Theatre, Bolton until Saturday 31st October 2026.


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