After their thrilling production of ‘Frankenstein’ in June, Congleton Players were back on stage with something completely different; Tim Firth’s ‘Calendar Girls’. Louise Colohan was in the director’s chair, with assistance from Wendy McKie, for this production. There were some great directorial choices throughout this production. Having an ensemble was a stroke of genius, helping to create fuller scenes, as well as helping with scene changes. This added a new dimension to the play, and helped with the pace of the production. Using the ensemble to read the letters in the second act made that scene more personal, and was staged beautifully. The photography scene was executed well, and having one of the door panels transparent was a stroke of genius, allowing the audience to see Lawrence’s facial reactions before being invited back into the room. The ending created for this production was a goose bumps moment. The musical arrangement of the WI anthem, ‘Jerusalem’, was spell-binding and performed well by the entire cast. Great work from David Francis for this arrangement. The entire auditorium was then filled with sunflowers, as members of the cast, front of house, and members of Congleton Players were on stage and in the auditorium holding sunflowers. This was an emotional and poignant ending. As the curtains opened at the start of the performance, we were met with a fantastic set showing the interior of a village hall. The attention to detail was great, with pictures of the Queen and mayor adorning the walls, as well as a working emergency exit light! The outdoor scenes on the Yorkshire moors was depicted by projections, which were good, especially the final scene with them full of sunflowers. The costumes were very good, and suited each character’s personality, such as Cora’s array of band t-shirts Celia’s country chic attire.
Technical aspects were well integrated into the production. The sound balance was very good throughout – every word could be heard from the cast. The lighting design was also very good, including the effects used for Brenda Hulse’s projections. The projections were also a good part of the production.
Gilly Thompson gave a strong performance as Chris. Gilly really let go in this role, delivering great comedy as well as reining it in during the emotional scenes. Her relationship with Sarah’s Annie was explored well throughout, as their friendship hit rocky times.
Sarah Francis equalled Gilly’s performance as Annie, creating a great friendship. Although the complete opposite of Chris, Sarah gave Annie a quiet strength. There were some lovely moments with David, as she came to terms with his cancer diagnosis.
Mandi Dearing put in a good performance as Cora. Mandi was very down-to-earth as Cora, which worked with the rest of the Calendar Girls. Mandi gave a truthful performance to Cora, especially when talking about her daughter.
Claire Morris played former teacher, Jessie. The characterisation was spot on from Claire as the ex-teacher. There was a sense of authority that worked well. Her speech about how age shouldn’t define you drew a good response from the audience.
Lindsey Brough played Celia – very much lady of the manor with a hint of Claire King’s Kim Tate from Emmerdale. It totally suited the character and the quips were delivered well by Lindsey.
Angela McIntyre put in a sincere performance as Ruth. Always wanting to please, Angela played this part to a tee. The growth of the character was played well, with the scene where she confronts Elaine receiving applause from the audience.
Claire Bentley was very funny as the competitive Marie. There were great moments of comedy from Claire, but the argument with Chris stands out. The energy was palpable as Claire verbally attacked Chris.
David Francis, as well as arranging the music, put in a sincere portrayal as John. This was a strong performance as you could see the change in John as his cancer worsened through David’s physicality.
Andrew (Sam) Salmon provided good support as Rod, Chris’s long suffering husband. You could sense his undying love for Chris, despite her putting her interests above the family business.
Michael Shneck was suitably nervous as Lawrence the photographer, but really coming into his own during the photoshoot. Michael’s reactions were great, adding to the humour of the production.
The supporting roles were performed well by the rest of the cast, helping move the story along. From Sophie Williams as broccoli obsessed Brenda Hulse to Kate Naylor’s prim and proper Lady Cravenshire. The partnership between William Vickers as a very camp Liam and Michelle Hiley-Parr as Assistant Director was very funny. Crystal Holford was totally unrecognisable as Elaine and Julie Cowper was crystal clear as the Lady Announcer.
The ensemble cast (Alex Williams, Claire Copestick Brown, Pippa Brown, Sara Critchley, Liza Edwards, Lorraine House, Meredith Small and Angie Wedgbury) made great contributions throughout. As mentioned previously, the letter scene was delivered beautifully.
Overall, this was a very good production. With some lovely directorial choices, a strong core of six women, and a good balance between humour and pathos.
A big thank you to everyone at Congleton Players for their kind invite and hospitality. All the best for your next production, ‘Macbeth’, next year.
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