REVIEW: Calendar Girls is balm for weary souls

By Stephen NearApr 15, 2026

Story of group of English women posing nude to raise money for their church is a nuanced exploration of aging, expectation, disappointment, and refusing to accept limitations. Binbrook Little Theatre’s production features brave performances and a solid focus on the story.

Uplifting stories seem hard to find these days. With some exceptions, our news feeds are filled with stories of conflict and strife. Although art has a place in ruffling feathers and confronting injustice, just as important is work that offers a balm to our souls, even if just for a night. If the work can accomplish both at the same time, it’s an achievement. This is what makes Binbrook Little Theatre’s production of Calendar Girls such a triumph.

The story starts on a deceptively simple yet heartbreaking note. Annie and Chris are members of a Women’s Institute (WI) in the English countryside who, alongside friends Celia, Cora, Jesse and Ruth, spend their time in typical WI activities: bake sales, knitting, choir, and holiday charities. But when Annie’s perpetually optimistic husband John falls victim to cancer, and Annie remarks on the uncomfortable conditions in the local care ward, Chris hatches a plan to honour his memory. The duo set out to raise money to fund a settee (couch) for the hospital by creating a special WI calendar.

Realizing a traditional calendar won’t raise enough funds, Chris pitches the idea of an “alternate” calendar featuring the women posing nude (“not naked”) while doing traditional WI activities. Tempted by the prospect of breaking their roles as wives and homemakers, Chris and Annie soon convince the others to participate, much to the chagrin of WI chairwoman Marie. With the help of budding photographer Lawrence, the women overcome their doubts and bare all for the calendar. But as the project gains them success and visibility (in more ways than one), it soon reveals deeper conflicts in their respective lives and between each other.

We’ve seen this kind of story of hope overcoming grief before, such that it’s become a bit of a trope. But as the women shed their clothes along with their constraints and inhibitions, Calendar Girls moves beyond the trope into a nuanced exploration of female identity in the face of age and expectation. By the end, it’s little wonder many of them have reconnected with forgotten passions, abandoned toxic marriages, reunited with loved ones, or simply rediscovered what it means to be alive.

Calendar Girls runs at Binbrook Little Theatre until April 25. PHOTO: Brad Fortman

Calendar Girls is engaging because it deceptively leads audiences down one story only to literally unveil the intriguing depths of another. What starts as a straightforward and anodyne tale of friendship tested by tragedy gives way to an unconventional story, where the women rally themselves and defy the constraints of age, background or social status. Because it does so with earnestness and a tongue firmly in cheek(s), it leads to some of the show’s standout moments and some genuinely brave performances by the cast.

Anchoring the story are Nikki Kish as the group’s dynamic ringleader Chris, and Jessica Troian, as her confidante Annie. The two have an easy chemistry that makes you feel like they’ve known each other for decades. Though Kish is a powerhouse owing to Chris’ role in the story, Troian delivers a grounded performance of optimism soured by deep grief. Despite the show’s many laughs and revealing moments, Calendar Girls is at its best in scenes focused on the quiet solitude shared by these two.

The show also features a strong ensemble, all of whom excel in giving one another room to shine. Megan Paul brings sly confidence to Celia, a homemaker relishing her chance to break free of the patriarchy, while Tiffany Metcalfe shines as church pianist and divorcee Cora who moves from constraint to self-confidence over the course of the story. Heather Hurst brings a witty yet weary insight to school teacher Jessie, and Julie Buffet plays a compelling mix of fragility and fury in Ruth, a housewife who finally finds her voice through the calendar.

The supporting cast are all strong, including Johnathan Thompson as Lawrence, Paul Byrne as Chris’ husband Rod, and Robert Moore as Annie’s spirited, yet ailing, husband John. One of the standout performances is Heather Kirk, who elevates the irascible Marie beyond caricature, portraying a woman who desperately clings to the status quo out of obligation rather than malice.

Unfortunately, the show’s staging doesn’t always keep pace with the energy of the performers. Valerie Harrison’s direction stumbles in her consistent use of blackouts between scenes, a technique that slows the pace to a crawl instead of briskly moving us forward. Furthermore, transitions between moments of realism and poeticism onstage are too often signalled by the use of a spotlight. It’s an effect that sadly undermines the poignancy of the moments themselves. That said, Harrison doesn’t let the stage get cluttered with needless set pieces or props, letting her performers embrace a minimal environment and allowing the story to speak for itself.

Overall, Binbrook Little Theatre’s production of Calendar Girls is a surprising take, sidestepping the cheap laughs or maudlin melodrama often found in stories of age, friendship, and death. Instead, we get an honest story marked by moments of genuine sadness, humour, and hope. Buoyed by authentic and engaging performances, it makes for a worthwhile evening of theatre.