Review: CALENDAR GIRLS, The Mill at Sonning

Calendar Girls is now seen as a quintessentially cheeky British feel-good comedy that it’s somewhat become the female equivalent of the Full Monty. Based on the real life story of a Yorkshire Women’s Institute creating a nude charity calendar to raise funds for leukaemia research in 1999, Tim Firth first turned the story into an acclaimed 2003 film. Turning it into a play in 2008 and later on a musical with Take That frontman Gary Barlow (which this production gives a nod to with one character’s costume choice), Firth’s heartfelt and funny play version returns to the charming Mill at Sonning.

Calendar Girls follows best friends Annie and Chris, who come up with an unconventional way to raise funds to buy a sofa for the hospital that took care of Annie’s deceased husband: a nude calendar. Recruiting their local Women’s Institute, little do they know how much of an impact the calendar will leave beyond the Yorkshire Dales.

Unlike Firth’s decision to stretch out the film’s first half for the musical, confusingly ending it on the long-awaited calendar photoshoot, his play adaptation allows the audience to see the impact the calendar has on the outside world and the women’s personal lives. Carrying more emotional weight, Sally Hughes’ direction keeps the production lighthearted and full of humour without crossing into sentimentality by highlighting the heaviness of the grief Annie is going through. While firmly set in the late 1990’s, the way Calendar Girls handles topics including body image, ageing and relationships in a way that feel relevant today.

Terry Parson’s imaginative set adds a cosy homemade feel to the production, featuring multiple calendars bordering the stage with Matthew Biss’ lighting design creatively using spotlights to indicate each month the events take place. While restricting most of the action to the village hall and Yorkshire Dales, Parsons still finds ways of showing the calendar’s impact beyond it, namely in a poignant sequence where the women read letters from people affected by cancer raining down the stage. That’s not even getting into the much anticipated photoshoot scene that closes act one, carefully staged while being filled with laughs as each set piece is revealed.

Natalie Ogle and Rachel Fielding feel like real friends as Annie and Chris respectively, making their tensions feel as Chris gets sucked into the fame the calendar gives her to the point of neglecting her husband’s work while Annie struggles to grieve her husband John. Sarah Whitlock brings humour to retired teacher Jessie while Debbie Arnold is feisty and as Cora, making them all feel like a tight-knit group. My highlights though are Ciara Janson’s Ruth, starting from a shy wallflower stuck in a toxic relationship before realising her self worth, and Oscar Cleaver in his professional debut as polar opposite photographers Lawrence and Liam.

A poignant celebration of friendship and community, Calendar Girls at The Mill at Sonning is a perfect night out for any fan of the film or real life story. With an amazing ensemble cast who make the titular calendar girls feel like a tight-knit group, it’s clear why this story still feels needed today.

Calendar GIrls runs at the Mill at Sonning until June 1.

Photo Credits: Andreas Lambis

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