Bravery in the buff: 鈥淐alendar Girls鈥� comes to Little Lake Theatre
Courtesy of Little Lake Theatre
Touching, inspiring and cheeky are just a few adjectives one can apply to the latest play to come to Little Lake Theatre.
Tim Firth’s 2008 stage adaptation of “Calendar Girls,” the hit 2003 film, will be at Little Lake in North Strabane Township through Sunday, Nov. 16. The production was inspired by real Yorkshire Women’s Institute members who posed nude for a charity calendar after one husband’s leukemia diagnosis.
One doesn’t always think of pin-up girls as being on the older side and yet the calendar-featuring women aged 45-to-65-ended up resonating with people worldwide. With “naughty bits” strategically hidden by props like tea pots and flowers, the calendar sold 80,000 copies in its first year and enabled the women to raise over $6 million for Blood Cancer UK.
Taking on the roles of Annie and Chris
Mary Meyer is a seasoned veteran of the stage, having started acting in high school. She studied theater and English, performed improv and sketch comedy, and graduated from the Second City Conservatory program in Chicago. Meyer moved to Pittsburgh about 18 years ago and a chance meeting inspired her to become involved with Little Lake Theatre.
“I met a mom at a Chick-fil-A playland and she was a choreographer for a children’s show there. My husband also worked with a man affiliated with the theater, so I received unsolicited recommendations from two people,” she recalled.
Meyer plays the role of Annie, sometimes described as the emotional anchor of “Calendar Girls.”
“Annie is kind, loyal and has a beautiful, loving relationship with her husband who dies of cancer. It’s a devastating loss because they were so much in love, yet she continues to look for light and help others-she continues to be of service and found that a way to do that is to lean into her friendships,” said Meyer.
For Meyer, the role strengthened her feelings about friendships.
“Going from having a partner to relying on your friends-there’s still joy to be had,” she said.
Helga Terre, who hails from Australia and has been in the Pittsburgh area for 15 years, plays Chris, one of the driving forces behind the calendar.
“She is the life of the party, very outspoken and gets carried away with the fame of the calendar and that affects her relationships and her husband,” said Terre.
And if those attending “Calendar Girls” detect a bit of chemistry between Chris and her onstage husband, it may be because Terre’s actual husband plays the role.
“We met in the theatre in Australia,” explains Terre.
Both women agree that the production has its share of challenges, from props strategically placed while “in the round” to adopting a Yorkshire accent-an effort aided by a dialect coach.
Directing the play
Director Sunny Disney Fitchett said she’s relishing the opportunity to bring “Calendar Girls” to life, especially given its basis in real events. “I love when people are willing to step out of their comfort zones in an era of timidity. All of the women did that, not only the ones this is based on, but the ones on stage as well,” she said.
And then there’s that tricky Yorkshire dialect.
“We couldn’t adopt a strict Yorkshire accent without providing subtitles,” she said, with a laugh, noting that an approximation to enable the audience to understand the dialogue will do.
Fitchett agrees that establishing what the playwright deems “fabulous concealment” is a challenge in the round. “The process has taken so much trust and collaboration on everyone’s part and I believe we succeeded in providing the coverage. We won’t offend a single audience member; we’ve been very, very careful,” she said.
Fitchett said that the audience will also enjoy the humor. “It has moments of great humor and comedy and many moments that are tender and touching,” she said.
A calendar that still inspires
More than two decades have passed since the original calendar hit the stands and it continues to resonate. It’s a story of courage, resilience and friendship that continues to strike a chord with audiences and will continue to do so at Little Lake.
Showtimes are Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m.; Nov. 13 and Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.; Nov. 15 at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; and Nov. 16 at 2 p.m. For information call littlelake.org or call 724-745-6300.