Review of Downham Amateur Dramatics Society’s Calendar Girls: An emotional, confident and funny performance by a top cast

Our reviewer went to see Calendar Girls performed by Downham Amateur Dramatics Society at Upwell Village Hall. Here is what she thought…

If you’ve watched the 2003 film Calendar Girls, you will know what a touching, emotional, yet funny story it is.

I was excited to see that local performance group Downham Amateur Dramatics Society (DADS) was bringing the story from screen to stage with a series of performances at Upwell Village Hall.

I hadn’t watched the film for several years, so the plot was hazy in my head, but soon came back to me when the cast delivered a spot on performance which was full of passion, humour and emotion.

Each cast member brought their own unique portrayal to their character, which helped the audience completely immerse themselves in the storyline.

For those who are not familiar with it, Calendar Girls tells the story of Annie losing her husband John to cancer, which inspires her WI group to strip off to raise money for charity by posing for a naked calendar.

Scenes where the WI members stripped off were cleverly done, with some great props to cover certain elements, from cakes to pianos. Credit to the cast for having the confidence to do this, they were incredible!

Both main characters, Annie (Beccy Pooley) and Chris (Kathy Philipot), were superb; they portrayed a strong friendship with emotional scenes.

A special touch at the end of the performance gave audience members a moment to reflect. On each seat was an electric tealight, as well as some sunflower seeds and a note to take home.

After giving a grand applause to the cast, we were invited to light our tealight candles to remember a loved one affected by cancer.

It was a lovely end to a great show.