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, 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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