Interview: Sue Devaney (Calendar Girls – The Musical, Hippodrome)

From July 9-20 the Hippodrome hosts the brand new tour of Calendar Girls – The Musical, the Gary Barlow / Tim Firth musical based on the true story of a group of Yorkshire ladies who achieved something extraordinary.

The musical follows the story of the friends, all members of the Women’s Institute, who in 1999 produced a nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia Research, after the death from cancer of one of their members’ husband.

We grabbed a chat with Sue Devaney (pictured top, at the piano), who plays Cora – and who happens to feature in one of our earliest childhood memories…

I remember watching you in Jonny Briggs, probably my favourite show as a ten-year-old. Happy memories of that show?
Yes, fantastic memories of doing Jonny Briggs. Recently we teamed up on the quiz show Pointless, and Richard Holian, who played Jonny, was still as cheeky as ever!

What have been your career highlights, stage and screen, so far?
Playing Gracie Fields in Our Gracie in my hometown of Oldham, next to Gracie’s own hometown, Rochdale, I would pick as a stage highlight. On TV, doing Dinnerladies with the phenomenal Victoria Wood and Julie Walters was a wonderful experience.

How do stage and screen acting compare for you?
It’s hard to compare the two. There’s always learning to be done. I love live theatre: having the audience so close is a real buzz. I tend to go where the good parts are – which recently, for me, has been theatre.

How have you enjoyed the Calendar Girls tour so far?
Performing in Calendar Girls is a great honour for me personally. I have lost my parents to cancer and my brother had leukemia, so it’s a storyline that’s very close to my heart. Every night before I go on, I say “This is for you, Mum”.

Have you worked with any of the other cast members previously?
When you’ve been around as long as I have, you do tend to bump into people again years later! I worked with Lesley Joseph [pictured top, with cello], who plays Jessie, over 30 years ago in a Channel 4 play called Exclusive Yarns…

Tell us a little about your character, Cora.
Cora is a single mum whose dad is a vicar. She went off the rails a little in her youth, and now tries her best to fit in with the norm. She’s very down to earth, with a cracking sense of humour (a bit like me). She’s also 5ft and northern (very like me).

What do you put the show’s huge success down to?
The true story it tells, of the incredible achievements of a bunch of Women’s Institute ladies in Yorkshire. It’s full of hope, friendship, and what people are capable of if they dream, dare and believe. It also shows that, out of bereavement we can still find joy, hope and humanity in this unpredictable world.

Calendar Girls – The Musical is at the Hippodrome from July 9-20. For more info and to book tickets, visit 

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