Calendar Girls

Calendar Girls The Musical (previously titled The Girls) is a musical with music by Gary Barlow, lyrics by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, and a book by Tim Firth. The musical is based on the 2003 film Calendar Girls, which is in turn based on a true story. Synopsis Annie's husband John dies from leukaemia at an early age. Her close friend, Chris, wants to purchase a comfortable sofa for the visitors' lounge in the hospital where John was treated. She hits upon the idea of printing a calendar featuring some of the members of the Knapely branch of the Women's Institute, discreetly posing nude while engaged in traditional WI activities, such as baking and knitting, in order to raise funds. Her proposal is initially met with great scepticism, but she eventually convinces ten women to participate in the project with her. They enlist one of the hospital workers, an amateur photographer named Lawrence, to help them with the calendar. Background The musical is based on the 2003 film Calendar Girls. The film itself was produced on a budget of $10 million, earning over $96 million in global box office receipts. A stage play adaptation was launched in 2008 at the Chichester Festival Theatre, before embarking on a national tour and transferring to the West End's Noël Coward Theatre in 2009. Production history