Review of Loft Theatre Company production of Calendar Girls (2013)

This is the ultimate in WI recipes. A typically sugary, gelatinous mix, yes, but the icing on the top has to be savoured to be believed.

If you didn’t know it was true, this extraordinary tale of the Yorkshire bun brigade who chose to bare all for a charitable cause and became a world-wide sensation has all the ingredients of an old-fashioned West End farce. But true it is, plum true, so all can be forgiven in terms of relentless comedy revolving around Bakewell tarts and cellulite in the shadow, allied to moments of unashamed tear-jerking.

The jam is spread thickly in Gus MacDonald’s lively production – and rightly so. This is a crowd pleaser of the first order and anyone trying to be subtle would simply seem pretentious. It’s not the best-written play in the world – one senses that Tim Firth quickly grabbed the reins to turn a hit film into a fast-grossing stage enterprise – but the story speaks for itself and there’s a wealth of scope for the women of theatre to reveal their talents (in the truest artistic sense, of course, and all in the best possible taste!).

It would be a hard heart indeed that scorned the sentiment surrounding the WI ladies’ decision to produce a boobs-and-all calendar. Their aim is to raise funds for a hospital after the death of a member’s husband and this aspect is effectively conveyed in some nicely controlled, understated performances from Rayner Wilson as the driving force behind the venture and Mary MacDonald as the WI widow.

Equally holding the snuffles at bay, Rod Wilkinson manages to make hubby John’s decline more inspirational than tragic while the broader fun element of the piece is nicely conveyed by the spirited playing of Helen Ashbourne as the group’s senior member and Sue Wilkinson as their formidable ‘chair’.

Developed against some fine set designs, the production thrives through achieving an infectious ensemble effect. And always with a tea-cosy grin, never a sour-milk leer.

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Peter McGarry is an experienced, independent professional theatre critic who has agreed to review Loft Theatre Company productions.

The agreement with the Loft is that Peter is free to express his opinions for good or ill. The Loft Theatre Company has no control whatsoever over the content of these reviews and will never comment publicly on what he writes.