It had been some time since I had seen Calendar Girls first take to the stage at HM Theatre.
For the life of me, I couldn’t remember much about it. I knew the basic storyline, of course, but the intricate details had long been forgotten since 2019 when it was last in the Granite City.
In a way I was happy about this as I thought it would feel like coming to it anew when seeing it return to Aberdeen last night.
While I couldn’t remember much I knew I had loved it.
So I was really confused during the first 40 minutes of last night’s show when I felt myself sitting there asking what it was I had enjoyed.
Don’t get me wrong, the star-studded cast was almost perfect.
But I felt disappointed by what I had hoped would be a rendition of musical theatre hits brought to the stage by none other than 90s pop icon Gary Barlow.
When in reality I found myself watching a bit of a mixture of a Loose Women panel singing a bunch of badly written songs.
I would reiterate the cast was faultless, especially when at only 10 minutes in I could feel myself welling up with emotion – despite the shaky start.
What I wasn’t to know was that my mind had not been playing tricks on me. And from the second the musical’s renowned Sunflower started to play we were on to a winner.
Packed full of fun and emotion the wholesome production, inspired by a true story, takes you on a journey of grief and joy all at the same time.
Set in Yorkshire, following a group of women who are part of the local Women’s Institute, they decide to pose for a nude calendar to raise funds for charity, following the death of Annie’s husband.
While the basic premise of the show remains the same, I later found out there had been some changes to the script and score – not all of which I was entirely convinced by.
But it is undeniable its message of hope and belief in strong women goes a long way with every performance continuing to add to the millions already raised for Blood Cancer UK.
During the second act, the musical comes into its own. I was bowled over by the raw emotion and powerful acting of the leads, in particular Laurie Brett, Liz Carney, Â Maureen Nolan, Lyn Paul, Helen Pearson, Samantha Seager and Honeysuckle Weeks and I left the theatre a bit of a teary mess.
The standing ovation at the end was more than well-deserved for the poignant performance.
Despite the slow start I would thoroughly recommend an evening with Calendar Girls this week while the production is in town.
The show runs until Saturday, February 17 and you can buy tickets here.
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