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Calendar Girls announces Casting for UK Tour

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Calendar

 

David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers, the producers of Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s musical comedy, CALENDAR GIRLS The Musical, based on the true story, the film and the award-winning play by Tim Firth, Calendar Girls, are delighted to announce that the production will return home to Yorkshire and open at the Leeds Grand Theatre on 16 August 2018 at the start of a new UK & Ireland Tour.  The first 30 weeks are listed below, with further dates to be added.

The new tour will star novelist and television presenter Fern Britton, returning to the stage for the first time in 30 years, as Marie, Lorraine Bruce (Kay Mellor’s The Syndicate and theatre credits include Piaf at The Donmar and Vernon God Little at the Young Vic) as Cora, Anna-Jane Casey (Billy Elliot on tour, Stepping Out in London’s West End, title role in Annie Get Your Gun at Sheffield Crucible) as Annie, Sara Crowe (West End roles include Bedroom Farce, The Real Inspector Hound & Black Comedy and Hay Fever) as Ruth, Ruth Madoc (Hi-De-Hi, Little Britain and Gypsy) as Jessie, Rebecca Storm (discovered by Willy Russell and cast as Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers, and her handprints are part of the Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre Walk of Fame) as Chris and Denise Welch (The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Coronation Street and Waterloo Road) as Celia.

The critically acclaimed and award-winning production played a six-month London season at the Phoenix Theatre last year, and, before that, this musical comedy played sold-out seasons in Leeds and Manchester.

Tim Firth said,

“To be given a chance to revisit CALENDAR GIRLS The Musical is a unique opportunity.  Gary [Barlow] and I have been working away and, as the great Stephen Sondheim said, ‘MUSICAL COMEDIES AREN’T WRITTEN, THEY ARE REWRITTEN’.”

Gary Barlow added,

“What a phenomenal new cast we have.  Tim and I sat in – and indeed played – on the auditions and have been so lucky to have put together such talented ladies.”

 

Gary Barlow and Tim Firth grew up in the same village in the North of England and have been friends for 25 years.  With Take That, Gary has written and co-written 14 number one singles, has sold over 50 million records worldwide and is a six times Ivor Novello Award winner.  Tim has won the Olivier Award and UK Theatre Award for Best New Musical, and the British Comedy Awards Best Comedy Film for Calendar Girls.
CALENDAR GIRLS THE MUSICAL is inspired by the true story of a group of ladies, who decide to appear nude for a Women’s Institute calendar in order to raise funds to buy a settee for their local hospital, in memory of one of their husbands, and have to date raised almost £5million for Bloodwise. This musical comedy shows life in their Yorkshire village, how it happened, the effect on husbands, sons and daughters, and how a group of ordinary ladies achieved something extraordinary.
Bloodwise, the UK’s specialist blood cancer charity, will continue to receive monies from this production.
CALENDAR GIRLS The Musical is directed by Matt Ryan and designed by Robert Jones, with comedy staging by Jos Houben, movement by Lucy Hind and casting by Sarah Bird.

 

https://youtu.be/-86Ix4rRb48

 

Photography by John Swannell

 

For full tour details, click on the image below

Calendar

 

RELATED STORIES

The Girls – Production Photographs

The Girls – Gala Night Photographs

 

 

Review of Deathtrap – 4 Stars

Deathtrap

Deathtrap

Mercury Theatre, Colchester

Reviewed – 31st October 2017

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

“design is initially majestic and also cleverly subtle, leaving plenty of discoveries around the set”

 

Watching Deathtrap put me in mind of when I read ‘Gone Girl’, and was frankly a bit bored with the opening action then became pleasantly surprised when it turned out that actually my initial boredom was sort of the whole point. In another likeness to that recent novel blockbuster, I find it is difficult to write a thorough review of this Ira Levin play without including a few substantial spoilers. Let us just say that there are a more plot turns and character spins than you can shake a spine-tingling stick at throughout two roughly 60 minute acts of middle American domestic disturbia. I left with the over all feel of having seen a middle aged, live action take on the kind of brash teen horrors typical of the late nineties, filled with cheap but effective scares and frequent whips of humour to keep things moving along. This probably speaks more of my own age and cinematic preferences than the classic noir periods of Hollywood and Broadway frequently referenced throughout Deathtrap, which will have a greater impact on genre fans of that type.

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Familiar faces of Albert Square Paul Bradley and Jessie Wallace take the top billing as the married couple at the centre of events. Jessie Wallace gives a solid performance of the disquieted wife to Bradley’s wonderfully sarcastic but volatile failing playwright Sydney Bruhl. Beverley Klein puts in a show stealing OTT turn as crazed Scandanavian pyschic Helga, though I have to call Sam Phillips as the standout performance of this production. His portrayal of Clifford Anderson is spot on, but is again difficult to comment on too thoroughly without over divulging the plot information. Phillips also manages to maintain a convincing and consistent American accent where some other cast members frequently fall short. Julien Ball in the smaller but still pivotal roll of Porter Milgrim ties the ensemble together neatly.

Production design (costume and set by Morgan Large) is initially majestic and also cleverly subtle, leaving plenty of discoveries around the set of Bruhl’s murder-prop adorned writing room for audience members with a wandering eye. Use of old suspense films clips (video design by Duncan McLean) gives a refreshing edge to the scene changes and points should be awarded for minimal but well placed sound (Ben and Max Ringham) and lighting (James Whiteside) effects.

Overall, director Adam Penford has dished up a bit of fun in this entertaining, if ever so slightly hammy play by the suspense powerhouse Ira Levin, whose work is heavily endorsed by chiller master Stephen King among many, many others. King fans might also appreciate the inward looking trick of creepy writers writing about creepy writers. Worth a visit either at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester until 4th November then heading to Birmingham and Richmond.

 

Reviewed by Jenna Barton

Photography by  James Beedham

 

 

DEATHTRAP

is at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester until 4th November then continues its UK Tour

 

 

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