Calendar Girls

There is a good reason why Spotlight is largely considered the premier community theatre on the Gold Coast. It’s their total commitment to the connection between audience and production, and the quality of what they do.

Spotlight is renowned for its musical productions; but it also excels with plays, especially comedies. This time round it’s the ever-popular Calendar Girls, adapted for the stage from his own screenplay by Tim Firth, and based on a true story of a group of middle-aged village women who strip for a nude (naked but tasteful) calendar to raise funds for Leukemia when a husband of one dies of the disease.

The story is both ‘broad and funny’ and ‘touching and poignant’, and director Helen Maden and her highly skilled cast draw us into the world of the Women’s Institute - stuck in its traditional past – and the village women who need to break free and actually do something different and daring.

There are no weaknesses in the cast, and that, in itself, speaks to the quality of the production. The driving forces are Annie (Monique Dumaine), whose husband John is dying, and Chris (Nikky Fisser). In an odd twist, Ms Fisser looks a lot like Julie Walters, who played Annie in the film. This is an actress of considerable skills who drives the action with great energy. It’s a stellar performance, only slightly marred by a tendency to drop her voice volume on the tag-lines of some of the gags. Nevertheless, she packs a punch and is never less than convincing, even in the more sombre second act scenes when she has to examine her own motives. Monique Dumaine’s Annie complements Fisser’s performance beautifully. It’s a finely measured mixture of sublimated grief, frustration and comedy relief. While Fisser drives the action, Dumaine is the rock – the earth mother – of the production. She breaks your heart even when she is managing to make us laugh with her.

Director Maden says she had such a wealth of talent to deal with, it was hard to assign the roles. Her choices ultimately are perfect, and she has a real feel for character subtext as well as a strong vision for the show.

Pamela Payne gives us a powerful Celia - the slightly sluttish Cougar who specialises in one-upmanship. Payne has a wealth of experience and knows how to perfectly time a line for maximum effect. Her strong stage presence can pull focus, but without any intent to upstage.

Michelle Watkins is Cora - the boho biker daughter of a clergyman. She fits so perfectly in Cora’s skin that I completely forgot I was watching an actress. That kind of credibility is rare. She also plays piano with aplomb, and oozes positive energy on stage - a valuable asset to any production.

Lilias Davie gives us the perfect Ruth, shy, lacking confidence, struggling to establish herself as her OWN woman. Ruth has the strongest character arc in the story and Davie gives a star performance in a cast of stars.

In the role of Jessie, the senior in the group, Laney McLean gives no quarter to the younger members. She’s poised and confident throughout, not surprising since she’s been treading the boards for more than 60years. Bravo. Stage presence stays with you forever.

Shelley Jacks as Marie, the ‘bossy-boots’ organiser of the WI, makes the most of smaller role which could be a throwaway in lesser hands.

(A small production side-bar here. There is a comic badminton match in one scene. Marie serves overhand. All services in Badminton MUST be underhand…from below the wrist. A little piece of business which jars but could be easily corrected. Oh…and one the racquets is a squash racquet, not a badminton racquet. A small thing, but noticeable when everything else is so well realised.)

There must, inevitably, be minor roles, but these cast members make major contributions. Dianne Lamb is deliciously pompous as Lady Cravenshire; Corinne Meunier is a valuable asset as Brenda and Elaine; Peter Maden gives us great pathos as the dying, but not self pitying, John, and Jimmy Corbett is so good and diverse as photographer Lawrence and TV director Liam that you would want him to be part of any show.

The set works a treat (designed by Director Maden with Michael Sutton) and the sunflowers are a totally delight.

And Spotlight deserves a cheer for its superb programme, which is actually a working calendar, commencing with March for 12 months and filled with pinups of the cast. It’s a marketing stroke of genius and I’m already using mine.

Coral Drouyn

Images: Vargo Studios