Funny, feel good and empowering! What more could you want from a girls night out with your mum? This delightfully warm and witty musical had us laughing, crying and everything in-between. Based on the true story of a group of Yorkshire born and bred WI members, helping their grieving friend raise money with a nude calendar. Put together by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, the show cleverly took viewers through a real journey with them. While initially the show feels a bit slow to start, it soon comes together and you will see the characters undeniable bond and charm blossom, into what can only be described as the most feel good ending you can imagine. The cast included feisty Loose Women star, Lisa Maxwell who plays an ex air hostess and a bit of a Trophy wife, she was witty and hilarious from beginning to end and played that character perfectly. Sarah Jane Buckley took the lead role as Annie, I was impressed with how captivating her performance was when dealing with her Husbands death. This teamed with the simple yet effective stage set up made for a moving and poignant performance.

Adding to the Girl Power vibes was the audience. Clearly loved by all, the atmosphere in the theatre was electric from start to finish. From elderly to young, man and woman, the performance from the cast had people in fits of laughter multiple times. The energy of the cast teamed with some seriously clever songs left our sides hurting. Personally my favourites were ‘My Russian friend’ and ‘I have had a little work done’. The production also features some really well thought out scenes. The way they tastefully shoot the calendar whilst making it absolutely hilarious is admirable and flawlessly executed.

The ending saw the cast sing one last song before the curtain went down and when the wonderful cast came out to take their bow, the whole auditorium where on their feet clapping. As we left the show there was an undeniable buzz- always a good indicator that a great time was had by all! Overall I highly recommend going and watching this feel good performance. Calendar Girls is at Bournemouth Pavilion until Saturday 21st September and you can buy the tickets at the box office or online now.

While this post features gifted tickets for the purpose of the review, all words and opinions are my own.