Calender Girls The Musical On Tour

Last night my mum and I had a fabulous girly night at The Bournemouth Pavilion watching Calendar Girls The Musical! I can’t remember the last time it was just the two of us, so it was very special.

I have watched the film a couple of times (a while ago), and remembered bits and bobs of the story. The musical remains true to the original story which began in 1998 when John Baker, husband of Angela Baker, was diagnosed with blood cancer. John sadly passed away. Following their loss, Angela and her friends (all of which are in the WI) set about creating the well know alternative WI calendar!

Through beautiful lyrics and music (by Tim Firth and Gary Barlow) we follow the challenges the ladies face in their day to day lives to get to the making of the calendar. Actress Sarah Jane Buckley and Rebecca Storm play principal roles, but what I really liked is every one of the calendar girls got to shine, telling their own story through song.
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All of the actors were very strong. As a cast as a whole I thought they were fantastic. I was literally moved to tears through laughter and sadness. In particular actress Rebecca Storm stood out, she was hilarious! I felt like I wanted to be a part of their friendship group by the end!

At times I did think the singing was a little bit weak, I couldn’t always hear the lyrics clearly. Saying that I the songs themselves were extremely complex, creating a challenge for any singer.

The set design worked very well. By using the same set of the rolling hills of Yorkshire throughout, and introducing new props for the different seasons was simple, yet very effective.

I felt the performance was a little big long winded in places, and jumped around quickly. However the scene of Johns passing was done incredibly well. It was very tasteful, and moved time along at a fast pace in a sophisticated way, through beautiful lyrics, and movement.

By the end of the show the entire audience were on their feet, cheering and applauding! If they felt anything like me, they felt uplifted and warmed by every single one of the characters. The performance as a whole was a fun celebration of life, and a reminder of how precious both life, and friendship is. 

Calender Girls The Musical is on tour right now! It is on at The Bournemouth Pavilion until September 21st, grab your tickets via BH Live today to avoid missing out! ​

​(This was a gifted experience via Bournemouth Bloggers, however all of the above opinions are my own. The images belong to BH Live)