Cheeky CALENDAR GIRLS Set for Rare Bay Area Run at City Lights Theater

Why should The Full Monty have all the fun? In the warm, poignant comedy Calendar Girls, two friends rally a group of women to raise money for the local hospital after one of their husbands dies of leukemia. Their project? A tastefully nude calendar featuring the women doing ordinary chores! The calendar becomes a global sensation, but fame can strain friendships...

A play rarely seen in the Bay Area but enormously popular in its native Britain, Calendar Girls is based on a true story and on the hit 2003 film, which starred Helen Mirren and was written by Juliette Towhidi and Tim Firth. Firth is also the author of the play.

City Lights is presenting Calendar Girls as its holiday offering (yes, the nude photo shoots are family- friendly, with carefully positioned props) from Nov. 17 through Dec. 18. Performances are at 529 S. Second St. in San Jose's SoFA arts district, Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2. For details and tickets, go to cltc.org or call 408-295-4200.

Calendar Girls had a Britain tour in 2009, then transferred to the West End the following year. It remains one of the best-selling plays in the U.K., where The Telegraph wrote, "It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, and it leaves you feeling better about life than you did when you entered the theater."

At City Lights, the production is directed by Jeffrey Bracco, who recently helmed Green Day's American Idiot, the top-selling show in the company's 34-season history. The cast features powerhouse Bay Area actresses, including City Lights favorites Ruth E. Stein, Karen Dehart, Patricia Tyler and Deb Anderson.

The lead role of Chris is played by Anne Younan, who besides being City Lights' development director is also a seasoned actor. She first appeared on stage with the company in A Girl's Guide to Chaos in 1988, back when City Lights was located in San Jose's San Pedro Square.

City Lights' nonprofit partner for the show is the San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles, to whom it will donate a portion of the box-office proceeds. The museum is hosting a reception in its space after the Dec. 4 matinee, and rumor has it that the museum's knitters may yarn-bomb the theater.

Cast: Anne Younan (Chris), Deb Anderson (Annie), Caitlin Papp (Cora), Mary Lou Torre (Ruth), Ruth E. Stein (Jessie), Karen Dehart (Celia), Patricia Tyler (Marie), Ken Boswell (John), Spencer Stevenson (Rod), Stephanie Crowley (Brenda / Lady Cravenshire), Jeremy Ryan (Lawrence / Liam), and Melissa Baxter (Elaine).

Jeffrey Bracco (Director), whose City Lights directing credits also include M. Butterfly and Monty Python's SPAMALOT, is also an actor and playwright with a professional theater career of more than 20 years. He co-wrote City Lights' world-premiere Truce: A Christmas Wish from the Great War with Kit Wilder, which played to sold-out crowds in 2014. Other writing credits include ShakesPod, which ran for three seasons in Paris with a yearly national tour from 2007 to 2009 and was also seen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He teaches directing, acting and theater history at Santa Clara University.

Designers: Ron Gasparinetti (Scenic), Anna Chase (Costumes), Nick Kumamoto (Lighting), George Psarras (Sound Design), Miranda Whipple (Props), Richard Newton (Dialect Coach).

Later shows in City Lights' 2016-17 season are: the darkly comic thriller Ideation by Aaron Loeb; Kit Wilder's world-premiere adaptation Frankenstein; Gina Gionfriddo's witty Rapture, Blister, Burn; and the Goth-rock musical Lizzie.

City Lights also hosts the Lights & Music Concert Series. Next up: "Ren's Winter Wonderland," featuring jazz singer Ren Geisick, pedal-steel legend Bobby Black, and several other musicians, at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 4. More information is at cltc.org/attend-special-events.

IF YOU GO:

CALENDAR GIRLS

Nov. 17-Dec. 18, 2016
Pay What You Can Night: Thursday, Nov. 17, 8 p.m.
$19 Preview Night: Friday, Nov. 18, 8 p.m.
Opening Night: Saturday, Nov. 19, 8 p.m.
Showtimes: Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. No performances on Nov. 20 or Thanksgiving Day, but there are shows the rest of Thanksgiving weekend.

At City Lights Theater Company, 529 S. Second St., San Jose, CA 95112

Regular tickets are $19-$42, with discounts for seniors, students/educators, and groups (10+). (There is a $2 surcharge for phone and in-person purchases.) Tickets for closing weekend are increased by $2.

For tickets or more information, go to cltc.org or call 408-295-4200. The theater is wheelchair-accessible.

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