''Calendar Girls'' (previously titled ''The Girls'') is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

with music and lyrics by

Gary Barlow Gary Barlow (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the British pop group Take That. Barlow is one of the United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, havi ...

and a book by

Tim Firth Tim Firth (born 13 October 1964) is an English dramatist, screenwriter and songwriter. Life and career Firth was born in Frodsham, England. He spent much of his time at school writing songs and it was only a few weeks before going to Cambrid ...

. The musical is based on the 2003 film ''

Calendar Girls ''Calendar Girls'' is a 2003 British comedy film directed by Nigel Cole. Produced by Touchstone Pictures, it features a screenplay by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi, based on a true story of a group of middle-aged Yorkshire women who produced ...

'', which is in turn based on a true story.

Synopsis

Annie's husband John dies from leukaemia at an early age. Her close friend Chris, wants to purchase a comfortable sofa for the visitors' lounge in the hospital where John was treated. She hits upon the idea of printing a calendar featuring some of the members of the Knapely branch of the

Women's Institute The Women's Institute (WI) is a community-based organisation for women in the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. The movement was founded in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada, by Erland and Janet Lee with Adelaide Hoodless being th ...

, discreetly posing nude while engaged in traditional WI activities, such as baking and knitting, in order to raise funds. Her proposal is initially met with great scepticism, but she eventually convinces ten women to participate in the project with her. They enlist one of the hospital workers, an amateur photographer named Lawrence, to help them with the calendar.

Background

The musical is based on the 2003 film ''

''. The film itself was produced on a budget of $10 million, earning over $96 million in global box office receipts. A stage

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

adaptation was launched in 2008 at the

Chichester Festival Theatre Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya John Hidalgo Moya (5 May 1920 – 3 August 1994), ...

, before embarking on a national tour and transferring to the West End's

Noël Coward Theatre The Noël Coward Theatre, formerly known as the Albery Theatre, is a West End theatre in St. Martin's Lane in the City of Westminster, London. It opened on 12 March 1903 as the New Theatre and was built by Sir Charles Wyndham behind Wyndham's ...

in 2009.

Production history

Leeds and Salford (2015–2016)

The musical originally premiered as ''The Girls'' at the

Grand Theatre, Leeds The Grand Theatre, also known as Leeds Grand Theatre and Leeds Grand Theatre and Opera House, is a theatre and opera house in Briggate, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It seats approximately 1,500 people. Building It was designed by James Ro ...

running from 14 November to 12 December 2015, followed by a transfer to

The Lowry The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex ope ...

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

from 13 to 30 January 2016. The production was directed by Roger Haines and Tim Firth.

West End (2017)

Following the Leeds and Salford tryouts, the production transferred to London's West End at the Phoenix Theatre with an official opening night on 21 February 2017, with previews from 28 January 2017. The production was directed by

, with sets and costume design by Rob Jones, lighting by Tim Lutkin, musical staging by Lizzi Gee, comedy staging by Jos Houben, sound design by Terry Jardine and Nick Lidster for Autograph Design, and projection design by Alex Uragllo, The production closed on 15 July 2017.

UK and Ireland tour (2018–2019)

In 2017 it was announced that the musical would embark a UK tour under a new title; ''Calendar Girls The Musical''. The tour opened on 16 August 2018 with a return visit to the

and toured for 15 months until 23 November 2019, ending at the

(the originating theatre of the original play adaptation).

Musical numbers

;Act 1 * "Yorkshire" * "Mrs Conventional" * "Scarborough" * "Who Wants a Silent Night?" * "Very, Slightly, Almost" * "Spring Fete' * "The Flowers of Yorkshire" * "Time Passing" * "Sunflower" ;Act 2 * "Dare" * "Protect Me Less" * "Girls (Reprise)" * "So I've had a Little Work Done" * "What Age Expects" * "Killimanjaro" * "Crazy Paving" * "Dare (Reprise)" * "My Russian Friend and I" * "For One Night Only" * "Sunflower of Yorkshire" The London Cast Recording was released on 9 March 2018.

Cast and characters

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Calendar Girls British musicals 2015 musicals Musicals inspired by real-life events West End musicals