★★½

“The cast, across the board, is excellent, reaffirming their ability to shape and invigorate otherwise middling writing”

‘This is My Family’ is a refrain repeated with such alarming frequency in this show, I started to hope it might actually hint at a much darker piece, which used ‘happy families’ as a veil for a seedy Mafia tale of subterfuge, criminality, and intrigue, expressed via showtunes. Alas, it did not.

It was, in fact, about an unremarkable, nuclear family from somewhere unspecified in the North of England in which 13-year-old Nicky (Nancy Allsop) wins a competition that grants her and her family any holiday of her choosing. Except her ideal family, as described in her application, is not so ideal: her brother (Luke Lambert) has become some kind of satanic incarnation of a teenager; her grandmother (Gay Soper) has burgeoning dementia and an affliction for arson; and her mother (Gemma Whelan) and father (Michael Jibson), who have been together since they were 16, are steeped in mediocrity and have grown indifferent towards each other. Tim Firth’s new play (or musical?) engages with all these topics but tends to neglect a nuanced exploration of them.

Firstly, and truly, one is reminded that good actors are wonderful artists. The cast, across the board, is excellent, reaffirming their ability to shape and invigorate otherwise middling writing. Allsop as Nicky is particularly charming, eminently watchable and sweet, and with a delightful voice. Whelan is also a standout as Nicky’s deeply frustrated mother, Yvonne.

This is my Family is nominally a musical. And yet, its status as such calls into question the framework and requirements necessary to earn its place as a musical. Because, surely, just sing-speaking constantly does not a musical make. A musical should really justify its songs: they have a reason for being: when speaking isn’t enough. Not when speaking is just not interesting enough. In this piece, dialogue and song became interchangeable and quickly indistinguishable, substituting memorable showstoppers for loosely spoken song. In all honesty, the only memorable bit of music is the aforementioned ‘this is my family’ line.

Set design (Chloe Lamford) was a standout: an initial shed-like house soon collapses, giving us a cosy interior. The switch to greener pastures in the Second Act was also a neat design choice.

In general, This is my Family is mediocre, but with first-rate actors. Whilst a play need not have a profound moralising conclusion, or solve the world’s most pressing problems, it ought to say something interesting, and with nuance. The plot is circuitous and often tedious, its twists predictable and its characters on the stock side. In its defence, it is light and fun, and the stakes are generally quite low. This may be a particularly palatable thing for theatre and audiences at the moment, given *gestures vaguely at everything* stuff. This is my Family is unimposing, gentle, and lightly comic, appealing to many a sensibility. However, its lightness came at the expense of subtlety and depth and is entirely devoid of a ‘showstopping number; a real showstopper’.

CALENDAR GIRLS at the The Mill at Sonning

★★★★

“Innocently raunchy and with a feelgood factor as comforting as home-made plum jam”

‘We’re not naked… we are nude!’. This distinction is a playful leitmotif that runs through the charmingly English comedy-drama, “Calendar Girls”. That the debate can follow seamlessly from a discussion on the history of broccoli, or sit comfortably next to the stoical last words of a dying cancer patient, is testament to Tim Firth’s writing. Based on a true story that caught the world’s attention in 1998, the film release in 2003 was a global hit too; inevitably followed by the stage version which made its way to the West End. Sally Hughes’ revival at The Mill at Sonning is faithful to every note and nuance of the original, retaining the fine balance of humour and sadness without giving in to schmaltz or slapstick.

The story chronicles a group of women, members of the WI in a Yorkshire village. Following the death of Annie’s (Natalie Ogle) husband John (Andrew Ryan), the ladies decide to buy a new sofa for the hospital that treated John during his last days using the proceeds from their yearly calendar. Desperate to find a way of increasing its sales they hit on the idea of spicing up its subject matter by photographing themselves performing typical WI activities (baking, gardening, playing the piano, knitting… and so on) but naked (sorry – nude!).

We are in an authentically rural landscape peopled by down to earth, self-mocking Yorkshire folk that Hughes’ cast present as the real thing. The scenes follow the months and seasons over a year. From the women’s initial resistance to stripping off, then relishing the idea, through to milking it for all its worth and ultimately providing a far grander memorial to John than they could ever imagine. Of course, along the way we witness the personal confrontations and mini dramas of these individuals as they grapple with their fears and desires.

“Kitty Harris and Dawn Perllman compliment the company with dual roles, adding further light and shade to an already dynamic production that gently gnaws at our emotions”

Imperious and snobbish Marie (a delightful Elizabeth Elvin) leads (or rather tries to lead) the ramshackle, sometimes subversive group of women. Debbie Arnold’s sassy Cora conceals her own insecurities behind rebellious, bluesy piano chords while Basienka Blake’s Celia wears hers as openly as her sex appeal and glamour. Natalie Ogle, as Annie, convincingly captures the emotions of a woman recently bereaved, clashing and reconciling with Rachel Fielding’s Chris – the ambitious matriarch who’s hard coating shields a heart of gold. Sarah Whitlock, as Jessie, has some of the juiciest lines, matched by Ciara Janson’s initially timid Ruth who ripens into a sauciness that equals the others’ gaiety and glee at baring all (well – nearly all).

Only have half of the year’s months are captured on camera for the calendar, which shortens the pivotal scene in which the women find ingenious ways of preserving their modesty when shell-shocked amateur (a hilarious Oscar Cleaver who doubles as cocksure TV lackey Liam) is roped in as official photographer. In fact, we mustn’t forget the men in this piece, who do in fact carry much of the emotional burden on their shoulders. Steven Pinder, as Chris’ neglected husband Rod, holds a fragile and tipsy veneer over his own lonely struggles while Andrew Ryan’s John short-lived role captures the sad deterioration of the cancer victim with a vulnerable strength.

Kitty Harris and Dawn Perllman compliment the company with dual roles, adding further light and shade to an already dynamic production that gently gnaws at our emotions. It paws rather than hits. We purr rather than laugh out loud and our eyes glass over rather than shed tears. There is a reserve that is quintessentially British and that is utterly fitting for this interpretation. Innocently raunchy and with a feelgood factor as comforting as home-made plum jam. A heart-warming tale of people coming together, layered with humour and topped with a creamy layer of poignancy.

THIS IS MY FAMILY

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

★★½

“The cast, across the board, is excellent, reaffirming their ability to shape and invigorate otherwise middling writing”

THIS IS MY FAMILY

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Reviewed on 28th May 2025

by Violet Howson

Photography by Mark Senior

Last ten shows reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

THIS IS MY FAMILY

THIS IS MY FAMILY

THIS IS MY FAMILY

CALENDAR GIRLS at the The Mill at Sonning

★★★★

“Innocently raunchy and with a feelgood factor as comforting as home-made plum jam”

“Kitty Harris and Dawn Perllman compliment the company with dual roles, adding further light and shade to an already dynamic production that gently gnaws at our emotions”

CALENDAR GIRLS at the Mill at Sonning

Reviewed on 20th April 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Andreas Lambis

Previously reviewed at this venue:

CALENDAR GIRLS

CALENDAR GIRLS

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