Review: Calendar Girls ***

The tale of a group of gutsy Yorkshire women who dare to bare for a good cause translated beautifully onto the screen, so to attempt to adapt the screenplay for the stage was always going to be a bit of a gamble – but it's a gamble that's paid off.

Hamish McColl's production of Calendar Girls is sad and poignant, yet at the same time deliciously funny. Although at times a little disjointed and lacking substance, especially in Act 2, it is a heart-warming piece of theatre with a brilliant cast who bring to life their own particular characters in an amazing way.

Set in a small village in North Yorkshire, it tells the story of a group of very ordinary women, all members of the WI, who cause a global phenomenon by persuading one another to pose for a charity calendar with a difference. As interest snowballs, the Calendar Girls find themselves revealing more than they planned.

Lynda Bellingham, as Chris, the village florist, is outstanding. She drives the play and keeps it fresh and alive, radiating a warm Yorkshire charm coupled with a secret desire to rebel, especially against WI talks on the history of tea towels.

As Annie, Jane Harvey finds the perfect balance between the emotional scenes with her terminally ill husband and the hilarious moments of the WI's escapades ranging from cake baking to semi naked photo shoots – realistically but tastefully done.

There are some hilariously funny interludes from Judith Baker, as Jessie, the oldest of the "girls" – her blunt revelations about her private life soon put paid to her respectable schoolteacher persona, while Gemma Atkinson has all the traits, including the wardrobe, of the young trophy wife.

Vicars' daughters are always good comedy characters and Letitia Dean, as Cora, although more council house than Cracoe (where the real event took place) delivers some wonderfully brazen lines in complete contrast to Hannah Waterman's timid and mousey Ruth.

To March 13