theatre trips Whitley WI members do love a good show, all the more if we can enjoy it together! Here are a few we have seen recently: The Brindley Runcorn "Desperate to be Doris" - Maggie Fox and Sue Ryding We arrived on a lovely evening, I am sure most of us were expecting just to hear songs made famous by Doris Day but, I think it was fair to say that, none of us were prepared for the entertainment that followed. We all laughed so much that some of us cried. It was a fantastic show by the theatrical group Lip Service lead by Maggie and Sue. By day, Dean is a salesman in a nightwear factory called The Pajama Game. Out by night he dreams of singing like Doris - cue ebullient dream sequences involving the show's umpteen-strong Community Chorus.But will the arrival of new boss Candida Pryce (one of the many parts played by Sue) sully everything for Dean and his workmates, such as the eccentric, inappropriately-named Joy, I.T Ian and the less than fragrant Same (all played by Maggie)? Will Dean be able to rescue Candida's improbable 'Doris-less' amateur production of Calamity Jane, and will Joy ever remember her one line - or is that two? Garrick Playhouse Altrincham "Out of Order" by Ray Cooney We arrived in good time for the show, which enable some of us to have a drink, in anticipation of an enjoyable evening. From beginning to end it was a great show. When you see three doors on the stage you realise what sort of comedy it is going to be and we were not disappointed. A great laugh for everyone. When Richard Willey, a Government Junior Minister, plans to spend the night with one of the opposition's typists, things go disastrously wrong - mayhem ensues, involving a 'Dead' body, various husbands and wives, and even a District Nurse! The Lowry Theatre "Calendar Girls" On their way to a sell out London season the Calendar Girls had a packed week at the Lowry in Manchester so we snapped up tickets for a row of seats and organised a coach. The famous cast, who included Lynda Bellingam, Gaynor Faye, Patricia Hodge and Brigit Forsyth, delighted us with a moving, funny and well staged production. The speakers in that WI are nothing like the ones we have (thank goodness!) but the audience forgave the farcical elements and enjoyed the pathos of John's fading into death and the surge of happiness as the sunflowers grew on the hillside. The whole theatre was filled with WI members when we went, and there was a real air of camarderie and the feeling of a shared in-joke. The script had some sharp little digs at Cheshire WI members v Yorkshire ones which convulsed the audience as we were all from Cheshire. A fun evening. The Opera House Manchester South Pacific We organised a coach and, despite horrendous traffic, arrived on time for the performance of South Pacific and enjoyed a colourful and lively rendition of this famous musical. The singing was good, the costumes and scenery were great and it was a very enjoyable evening! Fun is only one aspect of Whitley WI. We are also members of a strong national campaigning organisation.

Calendar Girls The Brindley