Is it really eight years since Nigel Cole’s warm-hearted movie about ladies “of a certain age” stripping for charity hit the large screen?

From this film spawned the play written by playwright Tim Firth, who has adapted his own script (co-written with Juliette Towhidi) for the large stage. This current (and reputedly final) version is superbly staged and directed in a most sensitive manner, with supreme stagecraft. The cast is a true ensemble and while nobody tries to monopolise, each plays a full part in each aspect of this moving, yet at times hilariously funny story.

The death of John, splendidly played by Joe McGann, leads the members of the WI and his widow Annie – superbly played with humour and great poignancy by Trudie Goodwin – to set out to raise funds for a settee in his memory for the visitors’ room at the hospital. Deciding upon a nude, not naked, calendar, they are organised by florist Chris, excellently played by Lynda Bellingham, and a photographic session follows of the most exquisite sensitivity and humour. Gwen Taylor plays retired schoolmistress Jessie with irony and great timing, whilst Cora, a vicar’s daughter gone bad who leads the music and has a preference for jazz, is superbly played by Bernie Nolan. Jennifer Ellison is cast as Celia and is the most overtly sexy of them all, while Lisa Riley as Ruth is initially the most inhibited. Marie, the leader of the Napley WI, is a stern and forbidding social climber, played by Ruth Madoc, who many people will remember from her days in the TV sitcom Hi Di Hi. Diana Moran, remembered by many TV viewers as “The Green Goddess”, is well cast in the role of Lady Cravenshire, as is Bruno Langley (Todd Grimshaw from Coronation Street) in the role of Lawrence, the photographer.

The production is both highly comical and yet, at the same time, very poignant in parts. As in the film, the comic highlight is the sequence of snapshots among the iced buns and teapots in the village hall. The girls manage to be cautious and coy while claiming to be outrageous.

This is an excellent production and the Grand was packed to the rafters on the opening night of its run in Leeds. The cast received several well deserved curtain calls at the end of the performance but the greatest applause was heard when Linda Bellingham announced that there were half a dozen of the original “Calendar Girls” in the audience.

This was certainly an evening to remember - for all the right reasons. The production runs until Saturday, March 19.