Saddle up York! Calamity Jane is rolling onto the Grand Opera House stage this week – and you are in for a whip-crackin’ time.
This technicolour western film first released in 1953 is back on a UK tour, with the same familiar charm, heart and high-kicking spirit of the original.
As we follow our fearless protagonist Calamity’s mischievous misadventures, chaos is never far behind her and neither is a little unexpected romance! Bold and brash, there’s nothing our heroine won’t set her mind to, and she’ll certainly be ready to tell the tale.
Calamity Jane is at the Grand Opera House York from Tuesday 29 April to Saturday 3 May.
As the audience took their seats, all eyes were drawn to a lone banjo hanging proudly against the house curtain, a quiet promise of the wild ride to come. And that promise was soon fulfilled with the entrance of the delightfully eccentric Rattlesnake (Richard Lock), an uncanny and unkept character who quickly won over the crowd.
Whilst opening the show with a nostalgic singalong of ‘The Black Hills of Dakota’ was a warm welcome to Deadwood, this did lead some patrons to mistake this production for a singalong throughout. A growing debate across musical theatre with fans urging audiences to leave the vocals to the professionals.
And who took a step into the famously big boots once belonging to the legendary Doris Day – West End star Carrie Hope Fletcher, with a fearless flair as our spirited frontierswoman. She brought a refreshing new spark to the role, leading rousing ensemble numbers like ‘The Deadwood Stage’, ‘Men’, and ‘Just Blew in From the Windy City’, each performed with galloping gusto.
Our heroine shared the stage with fellow talent: Vinny Coyle exuded rugged allure as the mysterious Wild Bill Hickok, while Luke Wilson’s Danny Gilmartin offered a calm, steady contrast with his easy charm.
Seren Sandham-Davies shone as the sweetly ambitious Katie Brown, the mistaken actress with stars in her eyes. Her duet with Fletcher, ‘A Woman’s Touch’, was a delightful shift in pace – playful, well-staged, and bursting with character, all under the slick direction of Nikolai Foster.
But for me, it was the talented on-stage musical ensemble, under the musical direction of Christopher Mundy, that truly stole the show and anchored its success. Armed with a dazzling array of instruments, this versatile group often lingered at the edges of the action, ready to burst into each toe-tapping number with infectious energy. They breathed fresh life into the 1953 original while honouring the heart and soul of its beloved score. Paired with Nick Winston’s vibrant choreography, the result was a hoedown not to be missed.
The musical supervision and orchestrations by Catherine Jayes, served to energise an otherwise static, though beautifully designed, set by Matthew Wright. While the set was accessorised to transport us to and from various locations and there was a clever use of minimal special effects, it did feel like this stationary scenery resulted in missed opportunity for Foster’s direction.
However, the production’s nostalgic charm is undeniable; and for those who grew up with the film, the familiar lines and musical numbers enable each memory to come flooding back, preserved with care rather than reinvented, and this is a choice that pays off. After all, why fix what already struck gold?
The only real calamity here would be missing out – so don’t delay. Book your visit to Deadwood here.
Calamity Jane is at the Grand Opera House York until Saturday 3 May. Tickets start from £19.50.
