This review begins at the end, with the big ‘reveal’, when a group of brave and vivacious WI ladies bare all for a charity calendar in memory of a member’s husband. Tasteful, empowering and touching in equal measure, the standing ovation was well-deserved by the cast of Calendar Girls.

You can hear Gary Barlow’s influence – the way the chords and keys shift is unmistakable – and whilst the tunes themselves aren’t necessarily ‘earworms’, their lyrics and messages stick.

Kim Ball and Libby Pike delivered stand-out performances as Annie and Chris, best friends of 40 years, who even found their respective husbands on a double date together. Watching their differing journeys run parallel was part of what made this show so powerful, with Chris’ husband alive and well, but Annie’s having passed away by the interval.

Kim’s delivery of ‘Very, Slightly, Almost’ was especially heartbreaking. Split staged, with Chris’ family going about their lives on one side, whilst Annie sat on the other in a hospital waiting room, the song focused on the carefully chosen words of medical professionals and the way loved ones cling to them. It was performed to perfection: this was acting through song at its very finest, every emotive crack in Kim’s voice drawing the audience in further. Everyone knew how John’s story was set to end, yet it was impossible not to ‘almost’ believe there was hope.

The friendship between Annie and Chris was crucial, and Libby Pike’s gutsy Chris was the perfect complement to Kim’s more grounded Annie, each bringing out the best in the other. Libby’s nuanced yet humorous performance made Chris lovable, and watching her character go from confident to uncertain and back again was a joy.

Each central WI member had a moment in the spotlight, their story told through song, and each and every one of these fabulous women delivered, without fail – Traci Reader, Maria Wilkinson, Amanda Barnley, Cheryl May and Amanda Gregory, hats off to you all for capturing these characters so beautifully.

Extra comic moments were supplied by Rebecca Finch and Ellie Rutherford as the Wilson sisters, whose (perfectly reasonable!) answer to everything was tea or coffee. Vivien Russell also made two very enjoyable appearances as Lady Cravenshire and Brenda Hulse.

Daniel Farmer was excellent as Lawrence the photographer, whilst Andy Ball deserves a special mention for his engaging turn as the good-natured and supportive Rod (Chris’ husband). John Woodford as Colin worked wonderfully against Cheryl May as Jessie, whilst John Kerr gave a solid performance as Denis, and Paul Gwinnett made an impression as the ill-fated John that made his later absence notable.

Completing the cast were three young actors – Alfie Luke, Tom Thorne and Enid Rees, all students at the Island-based Curtain Call Creative – and they were remarkable. Three exceptional talents, whose maturity and depth of performance will no doubt take them a long way.

Every character was recognisable within rural community life, but particularly noticeable were the number of WI groups in the audience: every so often there were audible whispers of ‘That’s just like you!’, which set everyone nearby off laughing – the one who sets out to bake a dozen scones and turns up with over 100 of them being just one example!

An enjoyable show, Director Tony Wright, MD Andrew Woodford, Choreographer/Stage Manager Jake Alabaster, Production Manager Abigail Hennings, and indeed the whole cast, crew and band, should be very proud indeed.

Mountbatten is a name Islanders know well, and this show brought home just how lucky we are to have such a wonderful facility on the Island: hopefully Calendar Girls has raised plenty for them, the way it deserves to have done.

In the words of the show itself, ‘there’s a courage you only ever find is there if you dare’ – this team certainly dared, and it well and truly paid off.