By Marilyn Jozwik
There are lots of choices for the “chick play” genre -- plays about a close-knit group of women who bond together to help one another. Among said plays are “Steel Magnolias,” “Dixie Swim Club,” “Cemetery Club” and “Calendar Girls,” Waukesha Civic Theatre’s latest offering.
At a recent Saturday matinee an audience of mostly women was treated to this funny, yet touching, celebration of female friendships and the power of their collective will.
The play, adapted by Tim Firth, premiered in 2008 and is based on a 2003 movie. Kelly Goeller directs.
The story, inspired by true events, takes place in England where a group of women in a women’s club become restless with the mundane programs (the last straw is a program on broccoli). After visiting the hospital where club member Annie’s much-loved husband John (Erico Ortiz) is being treated for leukemia, they decide to raise funds to replace a settee in the waiting room as a remembrance of John.
Women’s Institue President Marie (Kelly Simon) and Lady Cravenshire (Jacqueline Sanders-Allen) enjoy the Spring Fete. Photos by Anne Kenny Creative
Chris (Donna Daniels), the most assertive of the group, proposes a calendar, but not like the ones they’ve done in the past featuring bridges and such. This one would feature members discreetly posing nude with props suggesting various club activities such as knitting, floral design, baking, tea serving and playing the organ. This does not fly with the group’s staid chairwoman Marie (Kelly Simon); but after much cajoling, she agrees to the plan.
With the help of Lawrence (Noah Merz), a hospital worker who agrees to take the photos of the ladies, the calendar proves successful beyond the women’s wildest dreams, but also causes some rifts in the group. In the end, friendships are repaired and a fitting tribute to John has been accomplished.
Daniels’ Chris takes charge of this gaggle of gals with her character’s can-do attitude and powers of persuasion. She is totally comfortable in the spotlight that results from the calendar’s success. Some of the show’s finest moments are the fiery and tender moments she shares with Perry’s Annie, her close friend. Perry nicely portrays Annie’s gentle soul.
Besides Chris and Annie, the four other “calendar girls” – Jessie (Goo), Ruth (Lesley Grider), Cora (Jenny Kosek) and Celia (Tanya Tranberg) -- give their characters unique and engaging personalities. I especially enjoyed Grider as the timid Ruth. Grider gives Ruth a relatable, sincere vulnerability that she effectively portrays with dialogue and body language as well as an effective Irish accent. Grider’s Ruth is the peacemaker. While she is hesitant to commit to the crazy plan hatched by Chris, she doesn’t want to disappoint her friends. Yet, she has a strong allegiance to Marie, who is opposed to the calendar. It is a quandary that Grider’s Ruth navigates well.
John (Erico Ortiz) shares a tender moment with Annie (Beth Perry). Photos by Anne Kenny Creative
The centerpiece of the show is the photo shoot of the women for the calendar. Behind hand- held screens and other coverings, they disrobe and arrange various props – from bakery to balls of yarn – to keep the shots from turning X-rated. It is a hilarious scene as the ladies scurry to quickly complete their assignments in front of photographer Lawrence, played smoothly by Merz, who herds the ladies through their anxious moments.
It is a riotous romp executed wonderfully by the six women, who giggle through it all like high school girls at a pajama party.
With it’s English setting, cast members were tasked with accents from the British Isles and generally managed them well. Sometimes too well, which made some of the dialog difficult to understand. As Marie, Simon articulated the most clearly, maintaining her proper British character.
If you go:
Who: Waukesha Civic Theatre
What: “Calendar Girls”
When: Through May 17
Where: 264 W. Main St., Waukesha
Info/Tickets: 262-547-0708/WaukeshaCivicTheatre.org