Calendar Girls was reviewed at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick where it continues until 5 September 2026. The tour continues until 31 October 2026. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Empowering, uplifting with tears and belly laughs abounding.
Tag Archives | Tim Firth
Five Questions With: Nancy Allsop
Nancy Allsopp is playing the lead role of Nicky in Tim Firth’s award-winning joyous and uplifting show This is My Family, making its London premiere at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, running until 12 July 2025.
This is My Family – Southwark Playhouse Elephant
This is My Family continues at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, London until 12 July 2025. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ There’s something universal to recognise in its charms, its squabbles, its in-jokes and its occasionally buried love.
Full cast for London debut of This is My Family
Anthology Theatre has confirmed the full cast and creative team for the London premiere of Tim Firth’s award-winning musical This is My Family at Southwark Playhouse Elephant this summer.
Vicky Featherstone to direct London premiere of Tim Firth’s award-winning musical This Is My Family
Anthology Theatre will present the London premiere of Tim Firth’s award-winning musical This Is My Family at Southwark Playhouse Elephant this summer.
Calendar Girls the Musical – Milton Keynes Theatre and Touring
Calendar Girls the Musical continues at Milton Keynes Theatre until 21 October 2023 before continuing on tour until 2 December 2023. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Kym Marsh and daughter to star in Take That musical Greatest Days on tour
Former pop star and Coronation Street regular Kym Marsh will star alongside her daughter Emilie Cunliffe in the UK and Ireland touring production of The Official Take That Musical Greatest Days.
Musicals Mash-Up 6-14 November 2022
Welcome to Musicals Mash Up in which we catch up with lots of the week’s stories that haven’t yet appeared on the Musical Theatre Review pages. News editor Angela Thomas reports
Take That musical Greatest Days to embark on tour in 2023
The Greatest Days – The Official Take That Musical will take to the road for a UK and Ireland tour from 5 May 2023. Timed to coincide with the 2023 release of the official movie version of the hit musical and celebrating the 20th anniversary of Take That’s first UK number one ‘Pray’, the tour […]
Gary Barlow – A Different Stage – Duke of York’s Theatre and Touring
Gary Barlow – A Different Stage continues at the Duke of York’s Theatre until 25 September 2022 and tours until 15 November 2022. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The clue is in this show’s title: Gary Barlow – A Different Stage. And, this very different stage, an interesting and intriguing platform for his […]
Extra London performances for Gary Barlow’s A Different Stage
The West End run of Gary Barlow’s theatrical one-man stage show A Different Stage has been extended in response to unprecedented public demand. The singer, songwriter, composer and producer will now take centre stage at the Duke of York’s Theatre from 30 August until 25 September 2022 with the emotional show the Take That star […]
Now Is Good – Storyhouse Theatre, Chester
Now Is Good continues at the Storyhouse Theatre, Chester until 28 May 2022 with a live-stream also available on the closing night. Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩ Now Is Good, Tim Firth’s first new musical since The Band in 2017 was first conceived in 2019, and has had a delayed journey to the stage. Inspired partly by […]
West End run for Gary Barlow’s heartfelt A Different Stage
Gary Barlow’s critically acclaimed theatrical one-man stage show A Different Stage is heading for London’s West End this summer. The singer, songwriter, composer and producer will take centre stage at the Duke of York’s Theatre from 30 August until 25 September 2022 with the emotional show created with Barlow’s long-time friend and collaborator Tim Firth. […]
Cast for Tim Firth’s Now Is Good
Full casting has been confirmed for the world premiere of award-winning stage and screen writer Tim Firth’s new musical Now Is Good at Storyhouse in Chester. As previously announced, television and theatre favourite Michele Dotrice (Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, The Girls, Phoenix Theatre) will feature in the cast. She will be joined by stage […]
Storyhouse debut for Tim Firth’s Now Is Good
Award-winning stage and screen writer Tim Firth’s new musical Now Is Good will receive its world premiere at Storyhouse in Chester this spring. Directed by Joyce Branagh (The Sunshine Boys, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning) and arranged by George Francis (Amelie the Musical, Watermill Theatre/UK tour/West End), the musical comedy starring television and theatre favourite […]
Calendar Girls The Musical – New Wimbledon Theatre and Touring
Calendar Girls The Musical continues at New Wimbledon Theatre, London until 5 October 2019 and then tours until 23 November. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Ee bah gum, as Yorkshire folk actually don’t say, this musical version of the true story about the good ladies of the WI making a calendar […]
The Band – Theatre Royal Haymarket
The Band continues at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, until 12 January 2019, then tours. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ The Band does the very unexpected. At face value, it is suspected that this musical’s sole focus is everything Take That, yet the heartwarming story of five girls and the importance of […]
The touring Calendar Girls meet the original Girls
Footage has been released of the new cast of The Calendar Girls on a trip to the Yorkshire Dales to meet the women who inspired the hit show as part of their preparations for the upcoming UK and Ireland tour. Already breaking box office records, the new production of the award-winning musical is due to […]
Take That-inspired The Band to play London season at Christmas
The hit Take That-inspired musical The Band will take a break from its record-breaking two-year tour to play a Christmas season at London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket. The fastest-selling UK tour of all time with ticket sales of £20 million, the tour which launched last year at the Manchester Opera House, the venue where Take That […]
Calendar Girls The Musical tour – cast includes Fern Britton, Anna-Jane Casey and Denise Welch
Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s musical comedy, Calendar Girls The Musical, is returning home to Yorkshire this year opening at the Leeds Grand Theatre on 16 August ahead of a new UK and Ireland tour. The new touring production of the award winning musical version of the story of the ladies who disrobed in the […]
Take That musical The Band – extra tour dates announced
Tim Firth’s new musical, The Band, with the music of Take That, will now play extra dates on the UK and Ireland tour. The newly announced 2018/19 dates are Cliffs Pavilion, Southend (19-29 September 2018), His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen (3-13 October 2018), Sheffield Lyceum Theatre (16-20 October 2018), New Wimbledon Theatre (23-27 October), New Theatre, […]
Our House – Churchill Theatre, Bromley and Touring
Our House continues at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley until 28 October and then tours until 25 November. Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩ Creating a 1980s jukebox (ish) musical from Madness’ hilarious, sparkily observed, high octane songs seems an unlikely proposition. Yet, with Tim Firth’s poignant, perceptive, thoughtful book, and directed by […]
The Band – Opera House, Manchester and Touring
The Band continues at the Opera House, Manchester until 30 September, then tours until 14 July 2018. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ There were raised eyebrows and mutterings of mild outrage back in March when it emerged that the winners of Let It Shine, BBC1’s shiny-floored search for new stars to […]
Take That inspired musical The Band – record-breaking ticket sales as full cast revealed
Advanced sales for the UK tour of the Take That-inspired musical The Band have now hit a record breaking £10 million. Due to launch on 8 September at the Manchester Opera House, the venue where Take That first performed in 1992, the show will play its national press night on 26 September. Revealing details of the […]
West End The Girls to close in July before beginning national tour in 2018
Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s musical comedy The Girls, based on the true story, the film and the award-winning play by Tim Firth, Calendar Girls, will return home to Yorkshire and the Leeds Grand Theatre on 15 August 2018, before touring to 42 theatres across the United Kingdom. The critically acclaimed and award-winning production will […]
Olivier Awards – all the essential details for tuning in on Sunday
A glittering line-up of famous faces will take to the stage to present this year’s Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday (tomorrow). The presenters will include David Baddiel, Alfie Boe, John Boyega, Michaela Coel, Leanne Cope, Julian Clary, Robert Fairchild, Ben Forster, Phoebe Fox, Andrew Garfield, Denise Gough, Matt Henry, Ruthie Henshall, […]
Take That inspired musical The Band becomes ‘fastest selling theatre tour ever’
The UK tour of new musical The Band, featuring the music of Take That, went on sale at 12 noon today (Monday 3 April) and within the first two hours the box office took £2 million, reportedly making it the fastest-selling theatre tour ever. Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen took to the stage of the Manchester Apollo on Sunday […]
Take That musical The Band – Gary Barlow reveals first details and dates
With Gary Barlow’s Let It Shine TV talent search now over, work has already begun on preparing the star’s latest foray into musical theatre which is expected to make its debut at the end of August. The fast turnaround means rehearsals have already begun for the stage show The Band, which will feature the winners of […]
The Girls – Phoenix Theatre
The Girls continues at the Phoenix Theatre, London. Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Musical adaptations of films are nothing new. Nor are adaptations of plays. Adaptations of plays that were themselves based on plays are rarer – but having the film, play and now musical written by the same person is unique. […]
The Girls – 67-year-old understudy makes West End debut in leading role
In spite of intensive medical treatment, Michele Dotrice, who has never missed a performance in her entire career, has been diagnosed with acute bronchitis and is therefore unable to perform for the time being. The part of Jessie in Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s new British musical The Girls will now be played by Judith […]
Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards – Groundhog Day comes out on top
The Peter Hepple Award for Best Musical (new or revival) went to the Old Vic production of Groundhog Day at the Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards 2016 held today at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London. Written by Matilda the Musical’s Tim Minchin and directed by Matilda and Ghost director Matthew Warchus, Groundhog Day features a […]
The Girls dress rehearsal – nurses offered free seats
Gary Barlow and Tim Firth are offering nurses free seats to see the dress rehearsal of their new musical comedy The Girls at the Phoenix Theatre in London on Saturday 28 January at 2.30pm. Tickets will be available in person from the theatre box office at 10am on Saturday 28 January on a first-come-first-served basis, […]
The Girls and Gary Barlow – see behind the scenes
Here’s a first look at rehearsal photos of Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s new British musical, The Girls. Based on the true story, the film and the award-winning play by Tim Firth, Calendar Girls, The Girls will open in London’s West End at the Phoenix Theatre, with performances from 28 January 2017. The West End premiere […]
Madness musical Our House will tour starring Linda Nolan
A new production of the 2003 Olivier Award-winning musical Our House will tour the UK from 7 August to 25 November 2017, featuring the music of ska music pioneers Madness and starring Linda Nolan. Tim Firth, the writer of Calendar Girls, Kinky Boots and Our House, said: “Madness are unique in that they wrote songs […]
The Girls at the Phoenix Theatre – Sophie-Louise Dann and Joanna Riding among cast
Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s new British musical, The Girls, based on the true story, the film and the award-winning play by Tim Firth, Calendar Girls, will open in London’s West End at the Phoenix Theatre, with performances from 28 January 2017. The West End premiere follows sold-out runs at the Grand Theatre, Leeds and the […]
Barlow and Firth’s The Girls opens in the West End January 2017
The Girls, Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s musical version of The Calendar Girls story, is heading for the West End in January next year. Barlow’s take on the inspirational story of the Rylstone Women’s Institute members’ headline-grabbing fundraiser, has been co-written with his childhood friend, Firth, the writer of the original award-winning film and stage versions of The Calendar […]
The Girls – cast details revealed for Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s musical
Full details of the cast of The Girls, Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s much anticipated musical version of The Calendar Girls’ story have been announced. Debbie Chazen as Ruth, Sara Kestelman as Jessie, Claire Machin as Cora, Claire Moore as Chris, Vivien Parry as Celia, Joanna Riding as Annie and Harriet Thorpe as Marie (together with Shirley Jameson […]
Madness musical Our House revived at the Union Theatre this month
Madness musical Our House, with a book by Tim Firth, opens at London’s Union Theatre from 19 August to 12 September (press night is 21 August). The production is directed by Michael Burgen, with choreography by William Whelton and musical direction by Richard Baker. The story follows Camden lad Joe Casey who, on the night of his 16th birthday, makes a decision that […]
Gary Barlow’s Calendar Girls musical The Girls premieres in Leeds in November
Writer Tim Firth and Take That star and composer Gary Barlow are collaborating on The Girls, a musical version of the film and stage play Calendar Girls, which will have its world premiere at the Leeds Grand on 14 November 2015 (for a six-week run) before transferring to the Lowry Centre in Salford from 13 […]
This is My Family – Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield
This is My Family continues at the Lyceum Theatre until 18 October before touring until 15 November. Some may think the Lyceum Theatre has taken a bit of a risk reopening after a nine-week refurbishment with a new British musical about a modern family. Bear in mind though the words and music of This is My Family are by Tim Firth […]
Our House – New Wolsey, Ipswich and touring
Our House continues at the New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich, and then tours until 23 November. The Smiths were tarred as the great doom-merchants of the 1980s, but you don’t have to scratch too deeply beneath the braces and bomber jackets to find that Madness could give anyone – Morrissey and Marr included – a run for their […]
