Presented by Edinburgh People’s Theatre

Directed by Jacqueline Wheble

Review by Hunter King

The Edinburgh People’s Theatre have returned to Church Hill, this time welcoming in our bright and sunny days with their sunflower laden production of Calendar Girls. Admittedly, it is sometimes an intimidating task to walk into a theatre and review a piece of media that has a lot of British cultural impact as a naive American, and with the Tim Firth film holding some weight I was expecting to have my work cut out for me. That said, EPT managed to strike a balance, keeping the show quite accessible for those who were less cultured (me) while maintaining a production that the film lovers would also find suitable.

For those who don’t know, Calendar Girls is the semi-nonfictional story of Annie (Lynn Cameron), a woman belonging to her local Women’s Institute in Yorkshire, whose husband John (Andy Moseley) has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. With the help of her friend Chris (Carol Bryce), and the rest of the WI, Annie tries to raise money for a new settee in the hospital waiting room and at Chris’ suggestion, they think to make a nude calendar as an alternative to the one that usually showcases the local churches, and subsequently, graveyards of Yorkshire. With some enthusiasm, and some reluctance, the women agree to make the calendar which ends up as a massive success. 

Cameron and Bryce both bring a natural energy to their characters with a believable “opposites attract” style friendship. Where Cameron is a bit more reserved, Bryce is a high energy firecracker, which balances them perfectly with Cameron carrying a lot of the emotional heavy weight of the show and Bryce keeping up the story of hope that persists despite the tragedy that inspires their work in the first place. 

Chris and Annie are joined by several women of the WI to make the calendar: the easily excitable Celia (Sharon Wilson), the seemingly bashful Ruth (Ruth Finlay), the well grounded former teacher Jessie (Helen E Nix), and the rebellious vicar’s daughter Cora (Frances Bain). The group of these six women are the heart of the show. Each brings a distinct individuality to their character and really makes the most of their time on stage. Special attention should go to Bain’s portrayal of Cora, who manages to have perhaps the most natural and empathetic performance of the night. 

While the first act can have a few moments that drag, by the time Chris has come up with the idea for the calendar the show consistently delivers. Additionally, one of the EPT’s strengths is knowing what they are capable of from a technical aspect. Jacqueline Wheble (who doubles as the director) has a simple-yet-effective set design that evokes the feelings of a local community center, complete with a beautiful stained glass window. Aileen Copland, Carol Caldwell, and Mary Macleod put together a set of costumes that are effective and plentiful. Each character seemed to have multiple costume changes, including a set of aesthetically matching sunflower dresses that are the cherry on top of a hopeful and happy ending. 

Of course this review could not ignore the glaring elephant in the room, the scene that everyone remembers from the film: the photoshoot scene. Wheble’s clever staging as well as the confidence of all of the actors made the scene one of the most effective of the show. Even with the wide sight lines of Church Hill, the clever direction and careful placement of props covered up all sensitive areas.

Calendar Girls is a big win for the EPT. The show leaves sunflower petals all over the church hill stage, a sunflower seed in each audience member’s pocket, and a ray of sun and hope shining down on those who experienced this powerful story of sisterhood.

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