Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s musical comedy, CALENDAR GIRLS The Musical, have announced that the production will return home to Yorkshire and open at the Leeds Grand Theatre on 16 August 2018 at the start of a new UK & Ireland Tour. The first 30 weeks are listed below, with further dates to be added.
The new tour will star novelist and television presenter Fern Britton, returning to the stage for the first time in 30 years, as Marie, Lorraine Bruce (Kay Mellor’s The Syndicate and theatre credits include Piaf at The Donmar and Vernon God Little at the Young Vic) as Cora, Anna-Jane Casey (Billy Elliot on tour, Stepping Out in London’s West End, title role in Annie Get Your Gun at Sheffield Crucible) as Annie, Sara Crowe (West End roles include Bedroom Farce, The Real Inspector Hound & Black Comedy and Hay Fever) as Ruth, Ruth Madoc (Hi-De-Hi, Little Britain and Gypsy) as Jessie, Rebecca Storm (discovered by Willy Russell and cast as Mrs Johnstone in Blood Brothers, and her handprints are part of the Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre Walk of Fame) as Chris and Denise Welch (The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Coronation Street and Waterloo Road) as Celia.
The critically acclaimed and award-winning production played a six-month London season at the Phoenix Theatre last year, and, before that, this musical comedy played sold-out seasons in Leeds and Manchester.
Gary Barlow and Tim Firth grew up in the same village in the North of England and have been friends for 25 years. With Take That, Gary has written and co-written 14 number one singles, has sold over 50 million records worldwide and is a six times Ivor Novello Award winner. Tim has won the Olivier Award and UK Theatre Award for Best New Musical, and the British Comedy Awards Best Comedy Film for Calendar Girls.
CALENDAR GIRLS THE MUSICAL is inspired by the true story of a group of ladies, who decide to appear nude for a Women’s Institute calendar in order to raise funds to buy a settee for their local hospital, in memory of one of their husbands, and have to date raised almost £5million for Bloodwise. This musical comedy shows life in their Yorkshire village, how it happened, the effect on husbands, sons and daughters, and how a group of ordinary ladies achieved something extraordinary.
Bloodwise, the UK’s specialist blood cancer charity, will continue to receive monies from this production.
CALENDAR GIRLS The Musical is directed by Matt Ryan and designed by Robert Jones, with comedy staging by Jos Houben, movement by Lucy Hind and casting by Sarah Bird.
2018/19 TOUR SCHEDULE
16 August – 1 September Leeds Grand Theatre
5 – 15 September The Marlowe, Canterbury
18 – 29 September Newcastle Theatre Royal
2 – 13 October Festival Theatre Edinburgh
16 – 20 October Leicester De Montfort Hall
23 – 27 October Venue Cymru, Llandudno
30 October – 10 November The Lowry, Salford
13 – 17 November Stoke Regent Theatre
20 – 24 November Hull New Theatre
27 Nov – 1 December Liverpool Empire
8 – 19 January 2019 Mayflower Theatre Southampton
22 Jan – 2 Feb 2019 Bord Gáis Energy Theatre, Dublin
5 – 16 February 2019 Norwich Theatre Royal
19 Feb – 2 March 2019 His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen
5 – 16 March 2019 The Orchard Theatre, Dartford
19 – 23 March 2019 Sunderland Empire
26 – 30 March 2019 New Victoria Theatre, Woking
2 – 13 April 2019 Sheffield Lyceum Theatre
16 – 20 April 2019 New Theatre, Oxford
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