THE run of an uplifting musical about a group of women who created a nude calendar for charity has been hailed as a ‘huge success’.

Calendar Girls, performed by the Barrow Operatic and Dramatic Society (Bods), opened on Tuesday night to a packed audience at the Forum, finishing with a standing ovation from theatre-goers.

It was the first performance of a six-show run on Barrow’s stage, which took audience members through a ‘rollercoaster of emotions’.

Calendar Girls follows the lives of six members of a Yorkshire branch of the Women's Institute and is based on the true story of the death of Angela Baker's husband John Richard Baker, who died from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma at the age of 54 in 1998.

What followed was an inspirational and daring challenge to raise money in memory of John and to support others living through similar ordeals by creating a nude calendar featuring carefully-placed cake and flower arrangements.

READ MORE: Barrow Operatic and Dramatic Society (BODS) is performing Calendar Girls: The Musical

Barrow Operatic and Dramatic Society secured the rights to perform Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s award-winning production of Calendar Girls back in 2019, pre-pandemic, and it's been a long journey since then whilst theatres slowly return to full capacity.

Director of the Barrow production, Sharon Bell, said everyone who watches the musical can relate to the story in one way or another.

She said: “The opening night of Calendar Girls was a huge success, taking the audience through a rollercoaster of emotions.

“Everyone who watches this beautifully written musical can relate to the story in some way in their lives.

“I was incredibly proud of the whole cast and team of people who have worked so hard to bring this fabulous show to life and at the same time support CancerCare”.

One audience member said: "I laughed until I cried, and cried until I laughed.”

Another audience member remarked: "It was like being at a football match; the crowd roaring their approval.”