It’s safe to say OXOPS have done it again. Their brave, bold and beautiful production of Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s Calendar Girls is a must-see at the Oxford Playhouse this week. The musical is based on the true story of some very wonderful women and a fabulous community who raised money, in a somewhat unconventional way, when affected by cancer.

We follow the adventure of Annie, played by the phenomenal Clare Dovey-Wilson, whose flawless vocals filled the auditorium and truly made me forget I was watching amateur theatre. When her friend Chris, beautifully acted by Chilina Thurlby-Brooks, suggests that their Women’s Institute create a very different and rather more risque calendar than usual, the women of this Yorkshire town have to face their fears and come together as a family.The friendship of the two women was completely convincing and the they were absolutely dazzling on stage. In fact, the casting was impeccable with all of the leads becoming their characters and totally transporting the audience to Yorkshire for the evening. Whilst they each deserve their individual praise, it is as an ensemble that the show became most heart-warming, credit for which must be given to the entire company.

The directorial choices of the production team allow the whole cast to shine and the director, Glen Young, was also thoroughly impressive standing in as Lawrence tonight, without any hint that the character is usually played by another actor. Chris Payne and Nicola Jones have also clearly worked hard to produce such sensational harmonies with the large ensemble numbers being a particular highlight. Everything then comes together with the exceptional band, elegant setting and sound and lighting design being the icing on the cake.

Whilst perhaps not as impressive as their performance abilities, I do feel that the entire cast should also be applauded for their extraordinary ability to perform dressed in full winter clothing during the Christmas scenes, with winter coats, jumpers, woolly hats and boots proving that they are very dedicated to their art even in this heat wave!

The leading ladies should all be celebrated with Cat Blagrove’s powerful voice as Cora being another highlight, alongside Kerry Crewe’s classy and charming Celia. Without giving away too many spoilers, the incredible women really bared all on stage and have my full respect! The talents of Marilyn Moore and Rachel Haydon were also uplifting and each managed to make me both laugh and cry. It really was an emotional evening and I challenge an audience member to maintain a dry eye during the show. I failed abysmally at such a task and had a gloriously cathartic cry pretty steadily at least throughout the second half, though set off by the amazing acting talents of Clare Dovey-Wilson and Dave Crewe in the first act. The overwhelming sense of community and the power of togetherness could probably be credited with the source of my rather constant tears as OXOPS created such a moving piece. Seemingly quite juxtaposingly, I also laughed aloud throughout the show. There were too many funny moments to count with brilliant comedic timing from many actors. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a show that causes such a contrasting emotional experience but Calendar Girls ticked the boxes no matter what emotion you desire from your theatre trip. I highly recommend getting a ticket to see this production which addresses so many important messages; reminding us that age is just a number; that we shouldn’t judge other people’s differences and that we are all beautiful.