Calendar Girls (musical)
| Calendar Girls | |
|---|---|
 Original West End promotional art | |
| Music | Gary Barlow |
| Lyrics | Gary Barlow |
| Book | Tim Firth |
| Basis | 2003 film Calendar Girls |
| Premiere | November 2015: Grand Theatre, Leeds |
| Productions | 2015 Leeds 2016 Salford 2017 West End 2018 UK Tour |
| Awards | 2017 Best Regional Production Whatsonstage.com Awards |
Calendar Girls (previously titled The Girls) is a musical with music and lyrics by Gary Barlow and a book by Tim Firth. The show is based on the 2003 film Calendar Girls, which is in turn based on a true story. The musical received its world premiere at the Grand Theatre, Leeds in 2015, before transferring to The Lowry, Salford in January 2016. It went on to open in London's West End at the Phoenix Theatre in February 2017, with a UK Tour starting in October 2018.
Synopsis
Annie's husband John dies from leukaemia at an early age. Her close friend Chris, wants to purchase a comfortable sofa for the visitors' lounge in the hospital where John was treated. She hits upon the idea of printing a calendar featuring some of the members of the Knapely branch of the Women's Institute, discreetly posing nude while engaged in traditional WI activities, such as baking and knitting, in order to raise funds. Her proposal is initially met with great scepticism, but she eventually convinces ten women to participate in the project with her. They enlist one of the hospital workers, an amateur photographer named Lawrence, to help them with the calendar.
Background
The musical is based on the 2003 film Calendar Girls. The film itself was produced on a budget of $10 million, earning over $96 million in global box office receipts.[1] A stage play adaption was launched in 2008 at the Chichester Festival Theatre,[2] before embarking on a national tour and transferring to the West End's Noël Coward Theatre in 2009.[3]
Production history
Leeds and Salford (2015-16)
The musical originally premiered as The Girls at the Grand Theatre, Leeds on 14 November 2015, running to 12 December.[4] The production then transferred to The Lowry, Salford from 13 to 30 January 2016. It was jointly directed by Roger Haines and Tim Firth.[5]
West End (2017)
The production transferred to the West End at the Phoenix Theatre with an official opening night on 21 February 2017, with previews from 28 January 2017.[6]
It was directed by Tim Firth, with sets and costume design by Rob Jones, lighting by Tim Lutkin, musical staging by Lizzi Gee, comedy staging by Jos Houben, sound design by Terry Jardine and Nick Lidster for Autograph Design, and projection design by Alex Uragllo, [7][8]
The production closed in the West End on 15 July 2017, as it was announced that it would commence a UK tour in 2018.[9]
UK Tour (2018 - )
In 2017, the show’s title was changed to Calendar Girls The Musical .[10]
In October 2017, the first two venues of the UK Tour were announced as Leeds Grand Theatre and Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury. A full list of dates was announced on 19 January 2018.[11]
In January 2018, the touring cast was announced and included Fern Britton, Denise Welch, Ruth Madoc and Sara Crowe.[12]
Musical numbers
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The London Cast Recording was released on 9 March 2018.[13]
Cast and characters
| Character | Leeds & Salford cast[14] | West End cast[15][16] | UK Tour cast[17] |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annie | Joanna Riding | Anna-Jane Casey | |
| Chris | Claire Moore | Rebecca Storm | |
| Cora | Claire Machin | Karen Dunbar | |
| Celia | Vivien Parry | Sophie-Louise Dann | Denise Welch |
| Jessie | Sarah Kestelman | Michele Dotrice | Ruth Madoc |
| Ruth | Debbie Chazen | Sara Crowe | |
| Marie | Harriet Thorpe | Marian McLoughlin | Fern Britton |
| John | James Gaddas | ||
| Rod | Joe Caffrey | ||
| Dennis | Jeremy Clyde | ||
| Doctor | John Davitt | ||
| Brenda | Susan Fay | Soo Drouet | |
| Mrs Wilson (coffee) | Karen West | Jenny Gayner | |
| Mrs Wilson (tea) | Shirley Jameson | ||
| Lawrence | Steve Giles | ||
| Colin | Stephen Boswell | Maxwell Hutcheon | |
| Lady Cravenshire | Judith Street | ||
| Tommo | Josh Benson | ||
| Danny | Ben Hunter | ||
| Jenny | Chloe May Jackson | ||
| Ensemble | David Breeds | Frazer Hadfield | |
| Ensemble | Sarah Day | Jane Lambert | |
| Ensemble | Rebecca Louis | ||
| Year | Award Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Whatsonstage.com Awards [18] | Best Regional Production | Won | |
| Laurence Olivier Award [19] | Best New Musical | Nominated | ||
| Best Actress in a Musical | "The Girls" - Debbie Chazen, Sophie-Louise Dann, Michele Dotrice, Claire Machin, Claire Moore and Joanna Riding | Nominated | ||
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Ben Hunter | Nominated | ||
References
- ^ "Calendar Girls". boxofficemojo.com. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ "Calendar Girls Overview". cft.org.uk. Calendar Girls. Archived from the original on 8 May 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ "Calendar Girls Sets London Dates at Noel Coward". whatsonstage.com. Whats On Stage. 17 October 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ Hemley, Matthew. " 'The Girls' Musical review at the Grand Theatre, Leeds – ‘brilliant’" The Stage, 3 December 2015
- ^ Cavendish, Dominic. " 'The Girls', Lowry Theatre, Salford, review: 'already has the bare essentials of a classic' The Telegraph, 17 January 2016
- ^ Shenton, Mark. " 'The Girls', Musical by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, to Premiere in West End" Playbill, 16 September 2016
- ^ "Creative Team" thegirlsmusical.com
- ^ Shenton, Mark. " 'The Girls', Musical by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, to Premiere in West End" Playbill, 16 September 2016
- ^ "The Girls announces West End closure and UK tour". WhatsOnStage.com. Retrieved 2017-05-27.
- ^ "Gary Barlow and Tim Firth's 'Calendar Girls the Musical' " Leeds Grand Theatre, retrieved 14 October 2017
- ^ "The Girls". The Girls. Archived from the original on 2018-01-20. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
- ^ Bourne, Dianne (2018-01-19). "Denise Welch strips off to star in Gary Barlow's Calendar Girls musical". men. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
- ^ "Tim Firth: The Girls, a new musical by Tim Firth and Gary Barlow". www.timfirth.com. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
- ^ "Full casting is announced for The Girls - Entertainment Focus". www.entertainment-focus.com. Retrieved 2017-03-17.
- ^ "The Girls". Phoenix Theatre programme. 18 Feb 2017.
- ^ "Official Website". 21 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-02-27. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Gary Barlow and Tim Firth's Calendar Girls musical gets new cast". WhatsOnStage.com. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
- ^ "Gary Barlow and Tim Firth's 'The Girls' Triumphs at WhatsOnStage Awards" broadwayworld.com, 19 February 2017
- ^ Shenton, Mark. " 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' Receives Record Olivier Nominations" Playbill, 6 March 2017