*****
GARY Barlow, usually regarded as the main musical talent within Take That, has branched out into musicals.
You begin to wonder whether the snippet of Jerusalem will be the only song of interest, but then the show perks up
His second score is for The Girls, based on the true story which inspired the smash-hit Calendar Girls film, a tale of jam and bug buns within a rural Yorkshire chapter of the Women’s Institute. Tim Firth wrote the original film, turned it into a play and now, with Barlow’s aid, it’s become a musical running at The Lowry and filling the huge Lyric auditorium.
British audiences love a heart-warming musical with hints of sadness, and this certainly delivers. It’s also far funnier than might be expected; a wealth of jokes easily outrank the much anticipated ‘bigger buns' line.
The basic story: following the premature death through cancer of a popular village man, husband of Ruth, the Napley Women’s Institute decide to raise money to replace a sofa in the relatives’ room at Skipton Hospital. Raffles and jams are rejected in favour of a nude calendar, the tasteful variety, using flowers and cake-stands to maintain their modesty. Along the way lie opportunities for self-discovery and more, as befits the musical medium.
The opening song Yorkshire sets the scene of an ordinary day in the county, where all the days are much like any other. Another day/year in Yorkshire begins to sound like a sentence within a very middle class prison (no wonder they got so excited by all those men on bikes the other year). The greatest excitement for the women is their evening meeting at the WI, and for the men, the chance to nip to the pub while the women discuss jam.
You begin to wonder whether the snippet of Jerusalem will be the only song of interest, but then the show perks up and the women begin to show a little independence of spirit.
The evening turns into an enjoyable one due to some spirited and characterful dialogue, an excellent cast and acute direction. Tim Firth, co-writer, is also co-director along with Roger Haines, whose years at The Library Theatre are fondly remembered. The direction, particularly during musical numbers, is pacey, and brings a beautiful air of naturalness to the show. The musical form provides opportunities the film often missed for a glance into the inner thoughts of the characters, and the lyrics cleverly place the drama of the big events and decisions within the everyday: how will Ruth store the towels on the shelf that only John can reach?
I hadn’t expected much of the evening. I’m certainly no Take That fan, my love of musicals is highly selective and I’ve always been critical of women taking their clothes off for money. So I'll admit I was pleasantly surprised by how entertaining the evening was, particularly in the shorter and sharper second act.
Though I'm not convinced there'll be much of a market for the repeat visit, an important part of musical box-office success. With neither depth nor any real dancing it wouldn’t bring me back for a second viewing. Still, on the evidence of the standing ovation, I could be wrong.
The Girls runs at The Lowry until 30 January before transferring to the West End
