Calendar Girls the Musical is currently touring theatres in Yorkshire. A talented cast of singers and actors well known to the public for appearances in TV serials and pop groups bring a wealth of experience and bags of energy to this popular revival.
The musical is set in a church hall in a Yorkshire town which is the meeting place for a local branch of the Women's Institute. There is a lot to take in in the first act which introduces five members of the branch and their leader and begins to outline tensions between those who fully accept the ethos and values of the WI and those who challenge and ridicule it.
Paula Tappendem as group leader Marie and Amy Robins as Chris, an irrepressible rebel, represent two conflicting points of view, while the rest conform or suppress their opposition.
The action moves on to the central storyline which concerns Annie (Tanya Franks) and her dying husband, John. Chris's suggestion that the group raise money for a memorial to John leads eventually to the outrageous proposition that the women should allow themselves to be photographed for a nude calendar.
The second act is less of a struggle because the audience is now beginning to distinguish between the various members of the group and there are now individual solos which tell us more about specific characters.
The fun in the second act centres around the women's feelings and reservations about appearing naked, their ultimate decision that it is worth it and the remarkable delicacy with which it is done.
Design by Gary McCann provides a convincing church hall, which adapts effectively to represent the hospital (authentic corridor guidance signs) and other short scenes.
The small orchestra under musical director Jordan Alexander provides a full, rich tone in accompaniment to the singing and is particularly effective in Maureen Nolan's solo as Ruth, when she combines comedy with pathos as she sings to her 'Russian Friend', the vodka bottle that sustains her.
Credit for movement and musical staging go to Jos Houben and Carole Todd as well as director Jonathan O'Boyle. The scene in which the nude women are photographed is full of artistry, a visual delight and a triumph of choreographed deception.
But at the heart of the production is the powerful performance of the women, each one of them vital, strongly vigorous and full-voiced throughout. In the second act, their characterisation becomes increasingly convincing and emotional episodes moving and believable.
It is important not to forget the two husbands, Colin R Campbell and Graham MacDuff, who provide essential and convincing support for the action.