Opinion: review of Maitland Repertory Theatre's Calendar Girls

Flesh sells in this poignant and witty production based on a remarkable true story Calendar Girls.

Directed by Aimee Cavanagh and set in modern day Yorkshire the narrative centres around a group of women who are members of the Women's Institute (WI).

Much like Australia's Country Women's Association images of quaint older ladies baking and knitting will spring to mind.

After the group experience a death of a member's husband, John, to cancer, they band together and decide to do something different.

Inspired by John's belief that 'the last phase of the flower is the most glorious', the women decide to create a charity calendar featuring jams, knitting, flower arrangements and themselves, nude.

The witty tongue-in-cheek dialogue of this play is to be commended. It's sharp and clever in a way that can cut through the seriousness of something like cancer and allow the women to laugh at themselves.

Some glorious one liners are delivered by Jo Cooper as Chris. Her timing and sincerity in playing this character are spot on. Another notable performance was that of Chelsea Slack as Cora.

Portraying a gutsy single mum Slack lights up the stage with her beautiful singing voice and costumes that suit her character brilliantly.

The stage design is also impressive with projections being used to help set each scene. Church windows slowly fade from day to night, seasons change and a field of sunflowers engulfs the stage.

I saw this play on opening night. When the moment came for the women to discreetly disrobe and pose in front of their WI essentials, including cheeky baked buns with cherries on top, the excitement was palpable.

The actual relief of the actors after they had disrobed had everyone in the audience cheering and we found ourselves swept up in their excitement. "So brave" commented the people behind me and I couldn't agree more.

I found myself thinking of the women who actually did this. Little did they know their calendar would become internationally recognisable and the politics of age, nudity and femininity would so challenge societal norms.

With a society obsessed with youth this play celebrates women who are of an age where they are often underappreciated and overlooked.

Calendar Girls is a great laugh and an uplifting story but it is not without its tensions and drama.

There is joy that comes from watching women shake off society's expectations and be proud of their bodies. Getting to see pearls with a silk robe or a cheeky badminton outfit doesn't hurt either.

Book and find out more at https://www.mrt.org.au/2023-season/calendar-girls/.

Calendar Girls by Tim Firth is on at Maitland Repertory Theatre until Sunday, December 10.

Directed by Aimee Cavanagh, tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for concession and groups of 10 or more.

Evening performances are on at 8pm on December 1, 2 and 8, and matinee performances are on at 2pm on December 3, 9 and 10. Doors open 30 minutes before performances.

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