We spent a brilliant evening at the Quay Theatre yesterday
evening where we saw Sudbury Dramatic Society’s production of Tim Firth’s
Calendar Girls. This play is based on
the 2003 film that starred Helen Mirren and Julie Walters, and tells the true
story of how members of a Women’s Institute in Yorkshire produced a calendar of
nude images in order to raise funds for leukaemia research.
The play is more than simply a ‘northern romp’ featuring a
collection of clichéd comic characters.
It is a complex work, and skill and sensitivity is required to convey
how the characters of the women change and evolve during the course of the
action. The SDS cast carried this off exceptionally well and, as a result, what
could have been somewhat mawkish and sentimental was genuinely touching and
affecting. The comic scenes demanded a
good level of pace and co-ordination in order to avoid the pitfalls of risking nudity
on the live stage and the slickness of these scenes in particular were a credit
to the direction of Sue Clark.
It seems unfair to pick out individuals from a collection of
what were all good performances. However
special mention is due to Sue Bailey, who took the demanding role of Annie and
made it convincing throughout, and also to Lucy Foster who made the most of the
comic role of Ruth. Cathy Press who
played the important part of Chris, was making a return to the stage for the
first time in 20 years, but her professional stage background certainly shone
through, and Paul Press gave a convincingly pathetic performance as the dying
John. I was rather sorry that he died so
early on in proceedings!
Wonderful as the play was, what is even more exciting is
that, appropriately, the production and its stars, are being used as an excuse
for local fundraising. A SDS Calendar
for 2013 has been produced featuring tastefully posed photographs of members of
the cast in a number of picturesque settings around the Sudbury area. These are being sold to raise money for the
St. Nicholas Hospice and are available in Tesco’s and Waitrose for £9.99.
 |
| Cathy and Paul Press plus calendar after the show. |
No comments:
Post a Comment