October 2012 - Calendar Girls

The pictures might be a bit cheeky, but a Sheffield theatre group, the Tudor Players, is hoping it hasn’t boobed with its latest production of Calendar Girls. Tudor Players is one of over 500 societies worldwide set to stage this beloved show after am-dram rights were released for a limited period. The Star has already reported how various groups in South Yorkshire, including Stannington Players and Barnsley’s L S Theatre Productions, are gearing up to perform the play. However, the Attercliffe-based Tudor Players are going one step further than most, with eight actresses stripping off for an actual calendar too. 

“It’s a bit like art copying life,” says publicity officer, professional actor, and occasional director Roger Bingham. “The original film and stage show of Calendar Girls was based on a real-life tale about members of the Rylstone and District Women’s Institute who shot a naked calendar to raise money for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research charity. 

“So, we thought it made sense to do the calendar alongside the play and raise some money for the same good cause.” Which, of course, is easy for him to say. He’s not the one flashing his flesh to the world. Partner Pam Bush is, though. 

“Were we apprehensive?” considers the 62-year-old. “Of course. This is unlike anything any of us have done before. But the photographer is a member of the group, and he made us feel comfortable. It’s tastefully done, and, of course, it’s for a good cause.” 

The subjects in the calendar range in age from their mid-30s to a proud 74-year-old Carolyn Heslop, who was one of the founding members of the Tudor Players back in 1967. 

“I definitely never thought I’d be doing anything like this back then,” says the grandmother-of-one from Dore. “There have been a few raised eyebrows, but it’s a lovely story.” 

There’s a small twist to the calendar too: each month’s picture is based on a popular am-dram production. February features The Winter’s Tale with the stars standing in snow (“computer-generated,” says Roger, “it would have been a bit chilly otherwise”); July is themed after The Garden Party; October showcases The Memory Of Water, and December, naturally, is Season’s Greetings. Each is shot in black and white with a single splash of colour. 

“I have to say this, of course, but it looks great,” says Roger, 66, who lives with Pam in Ranmoor. “We’ve had a print run of 150 to start with, and we’re hoping they sell out. I think, in the end, the girls really quite enjoyed doing it.”

Director Phil Gascoyne makes an immediate impact as the audience is plunged into darkness, simulating a deep coalmine with all the accompanying whirrs and hums. We are introduced to the main characters Phil, Jim, Harry, and Andy, who arrive on stage in overalls, helmets, and lights. The Stannington Brass Band then strikes up a rousing rendition of Death or Glory.

Set in 1994, a couple of years after Heseltine’s pit closure scheme and a good decade on from Scargill’s Miner’s Strikes, the play portrays a time when money is tight. The men are kept sane by boozing and playing in The Grimley Brass Band, while their wives tackle screaming children or conduct pit closure protests. The play is funny but carries serious social and political messages, reminiscent of the themes in Calendar Girls. The standout performance is from Kevin Cheeseright, whose final speech regarding the destructive Tory government left me misty-eyed. He perfectly captured Pete Postlethwaite’s repertoire from the film, making it all the more poignant given the great man’s demise last year.

Fran Larkin is on good form as Sandra, a young mother struggling with debt, while Stuart Rooker delivers a measured performance as ladies’ man Andy. Dominic Stevenson, at only 15, is confident as Sandra’s eldest Shane, though it’s a bit of a stretch to believe he is nine! Good use was made of a large projection screen, featuring amusing photos of the band (plus supporters) on their way to the Albert Hall, much like the community spirit celebrated in Sheffield Theatre productions by the Tudor Players.

Patrick Barlow’s adaptation of John Buchan’s book lampoons the serious Hitchcock film of the same name. In director Ian G Walker’s hands, the Tudor Players, known for their engaging productions like Calendar Girls, make it a very, very funny play. Our hero Richard Hannay is played expertly by a dapper John Moran, complete with immaculate hair, pipe, and the obligatory pencil moustache. He spends most of the play running from the police and foreign spies for a murder he did not commit.

Hansel D’Roza and his set team have their work cut out as the characters appear in no less than fourteen locations, including the Forth Bridge and the London Palladium, showcasing the versatility often seen in Sheffield Theatre productions.

The script is good, and Moran’s deliberately underwhelming, stiff upper lip deliveries are amusing. It is the inventiveness of the cast using props, however, which is the most fun. John Fereday and Phil Gascoyne, for example, who play multiple parts, have a great train station scene. Fereday flips back and forth between station announcer and passenger using hats, whilst Gascoyne does the same between passenger and newspaper seller. Moran provides special effects by flapping his own coat when simulating running on top of a train. A lot of the clever prop manipulation is down to intricate timing helped by choreographer Aggie Gryszel.

We even get the biplane chase from the film, as a computerized outline of Hannay is projected onto a screen followed by a similarly simple plane image. Emma O’Neill only manages three parts but enjoys stretching her accent repertoire with an 'Allo 'Allo German, Scottish, and accurate plum English.