Christina Meehan’s Annie and Karen Holmes’s Chris in Calendar Girls The Musical. Picture: Tony Bartholomew
STEPHEN Joseph Theatre artistic director Paul Robinson’s production of Calendar Girls The Musical is on the shortlist for a major award.
Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s 2015 show has been revived this year in a co-production between the SJT, Scarborough, Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake, the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich and the Octagon Theatre, Bolton.
Opening at the SJT, in late-June in its first-ever actor-musician staging in the round, Calendar Girls has been nominated for Best Musical Production, sponsored by Tysers Live, in the upcoming UK Theatre Awards.
Robinson’s production moved on to Keswick throughout August and is now playing the New Wolsey before moving on to the Octagon throughout October.
Barlow and Firth’s much-loved show charts the story of a group of Yorkshire women who create a fabulous fundraising calendar after the death of one of their husbands.
CharlesHutchPress’s review concluded: “Honorary Yorkshiremen Barlow and Firth, in tandem with Robinson – a director at his best in comedy – have delivered the best version of Calendar Girls yet, not least thanks to the leading performances of Karen Holmes’s Chris and Christina Meehan’s Chris, Yorkshire women of such spirit and resilience.”
Robinson says: “Being nominated for a UK Theatre Award is an incredibly proud moment for us in Scarborough. It reflects not just the work on stage, but our shared commitment, alongside our vital regional partners, to bringing high-quality and engaging storytelling to local audiences.
“This production simply wouldn’t have been possible without the immense trust of Tim Firth and Gary Barlow; allowing us to take their beautiful show and create its first-ever actor-musician version was a huge leap of faith.
“I am immensely proud of our spectacular, multi-talented cast and crew, and our visionary creative team who pushed all the boundaries to bring our ambitious vision to life.”
Calendar Girls The Musical faces stiff competition in the awards, to be announced in London on October 12. The fellow nominees are: The High Life (National Theatre of Scotland & Dundee Rep Theatre co-production in association with Aberdeen Performing Arts and Capital Theatres); Kiss Of The Spiderwoman (Curve, Bristol Old Vic & Mayflower Southampton co-production) and Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (Birmingham Rep).
Since 1991, the annual UK Theatre Awards have celebrated the creative excellence and outstanding work seen on and off stage throughout England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.