Milton Keynes Theatre welcomes Calendar Girls the musical to the stage this October….

Celebrate 20 years since the release of the beloved film adaptation with Calendar Girls the Musical, which comes to Milton Keynes Theatre from Tue 17 – Sat 21 Oct 2023!

Calendar Girls follows the extraordinary women in a small Yorkshire Women’s Institute, prompted to create this calendar following the death of a much-loved husband, to raise funds for charity.

But upturning preconceptions is a dangerous business and none of the women are prepared for the emotional and personal ramifications they will face, as the fabulous and funny calendar brings each woman unexpectedly into flower.

The cast of this new production of Calendar Girls the Musical includes recent stars from Coronation Street and EastEnders (Amy Robbins and Tanya Franks), three recording stars whose hit records have approached nearly 70 million in sales (Lyn Paul with The New Seekers, Maureen Nolan with The Nolans and musical theatre star Marti Webb), the co-star of one of TV’s most popular series of the last twenty years (Honeysuckle Weeks of Foyles War), and Paula Tappenden star of Blood Brothers.

The true story of the Calendar Girls launched a global phenomenon: a million copycat calendars, a record-breaking movie, now celebrating 20 years since its release, the fastest-selling stage play in British theatre history, and now a musical written by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, which coined the term “craughing” – the act of crying and laughing at the same time!

With unforgettable songs, every performance continues to add to the nearly £6 million already raised for charity and prove that there is no such thing as an ordinary woman.

This brand new production sees this incredible true story continue to bloom, with a reimagined book and new music bringing the joy to life.

This tour is proud to be supporting Blood Cancer UK, the charity dedicated to funding research into all blood cancers including leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma, as well as offering information and support to blood cancer patients.

Tim Firth, co-writer of the show, says: ‘Pre-pandemic I had been preparing the musical for a foreign production which was of course then postponed. When the skies cleared and a new production in the UK was proposed I looked back and thought, ‘This is the version we ought to stage’. The story and songs, a little like the real world, had been thrown in the air and come back slightly different. What we had in our hands lay somewhere between the original play and the original musical and it seemed right for a time when sunlight, optimism and humour seemed more necessary than ever. Like the calendar itself, it seemed that something dark had created something unexpectedly bright.’

Gary Barlow, co-writer of the show, says: ‘I am delighted to be working on this new production of Calendar Girls and getting ready for the joy, the laughter, and the nostalgia to take the stage again. It’s been 20 years this year since the film was released, and around 10 years since I first saw Tim’s play with my mum Marjorie. We’ve already had a fantastic time in the rehearsal room workshopping the show and weaving in new music, reworked songs and reimagining the book. We cannot wait to see the way these incredible leading ladies bring the story to bloom as we head out on tour later this year.’

Calendar Girls the Musical (previously titled The Girls) was originally produced by David Pugh & Dafydd Rogers and the Shubert Organisation and is based on the record breaking play Calendar Girls by Tim Firth, and the 2003 motion picture of the same name, written by Tim Firth and Juliette Towhidi.

Book your tickets here.

Calendar Girls the Musical

Performances: Tue 17 – Sat 21 October 7:30pm (Wed and Sat Matinees 2:30pm)