Continuing what has become a tradition, this is another production that originated at Berkshire’s Watermill Theatre making use of the talents of actor-musicians. There’s an off-stage drum kit (though if my memory serves me correctly, some Watermill productions have even included an on-stage one, with different actors swapping in and out during the performance), played by James Wycherley, and musical director Christopher Mundy took a bow at curtain call. A double bass is manoeuvred about, which later became conspicuous by its absence. Nick Winston’s choreography works well to incorporate the instruments. Some of the actor-musicians play from two raised platforms at the rear of the stage, neither out of sight nor out of mind, but also not detracting too much from the central action of any given scene.
The 1953 motion picture came before the 1961 stage show. The film was not exactly kind to Native Americans, or ‘Indians’ as they were referred to, portraying them as people who lacked intellectual capacity and had vastly inferior weaponry that was no match for the shotguns and rifles of the ‘cowboys’. In this 2025 version, the controversy is quite literally removed – that is, there are no Native Americans in the narrative at all, leaving the on-stage characters to make fun out of each other instead.
The actual ‘Calamity Jane’, Martha Jane Canary (1852-1903), had a more varied life than the one portrayed here. Carrie Hope Fletcher’s character, if one really must compare it to Doris Day’s iconic performance, is subtler, commanding respect without the need for near-perpetual hollering. She is also a tad more vulnerable, which gives the character some nuance. Overall, the storyline borders on farcical, taking substantial amounts of creative licence, at least in part because both the real Calamity and the one in the show tended to be economical with the truth. It is a show of its time: a fellow theatregoer sighed on several occasions, wishing the pace of the musical would speed up somewhat. At two hours and fifteen minutes including an interval, I must admit it felt a little longer than that.
Then again, it would be very bizarre indeed if Calamity Jane went any faster: this is, as Calamity pointed out, a community in which there is neither railway line nor telegraph service. References are made to ‘the stage’, meaning a stagecoach pulled by horses. The relationships that develop between Calamity and Wild Bill Hickok (Vinny Coyle), and wannabe entertainer Katie Brown (Seren Sandham-Davies) and Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin (Luke Wilson), aren’t particularly deep or poignant. You might, in all seriousness, find more intensity in a blossoming relationship on Love Island.
This does not, in the end, matter too much. It’s wholesome, family-friendly fun – very much the definition of ‘light entertainment’. Ben Harrison’s sound design ensures every lyric is heard. On leaving the theatre, a good number of people were humming or singing ‘The Black Hills of Dakota’ from the show – a clear sign, surely, that the production resonated in some way with the audience. A strong and well-drilled cast were a delight to witness in this enthusiastic and pleasant night out.
Review by Chris Omaweng
The whip crackin’ musical comedy classic will tour all around the UK and Ireland until 27 September 2025, marking ten years since the show last hit the road. Based on the much-loved Doris Day movie, this foot-stomping new production features all the sure-fire classic songs including The Deadwood Stage (Whip-Crack-Away), The Black Hills of Dakota, Just Blew in from the Windy City, and the Oscar-winning Secret Love.
CAST
Carrie Hope Fletcher – Calamity Jane
Vinny Coyle – Wild Bill Hickok
Luke Wilson – Danny Gilmartin
Seren Sandham-Davies – Katie Brown
Peter Peverley – Henry Miller
Hollie Cassar – Susan
Samuel Holmes – Francis Fryer
Molly-Grace Cutler – Adelaide Adams
Richard Lock – Rattlesnake
Ben Mabberley – Hank & Stage Door Keeper
Fergus Murphy – Joe & Harry
Tomas Wolstenholme – Buck
Claire Greenway – Doc
Lara Lewis, Emma Jane Morton, Theo Diedrick, Jacob Leeson, Stephen Scott Stark – Swings
CREATIVES
Original Director – Nikolai Foster
Co-Director and Choreographer – Nick Winston
Musical Supervisor and Orchestrations – Catherine Jayes
Adapted for the stage by Charles K Freeman from a screenplay by James O’Hanlon
Produced by Warner Bros.
Music by Sammy Fain
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
Original orchestral and vocal arrangements by Philip J Lang
Jamie Wilson Productions, Kevin McCollum, Gavin Kalin Productions, Evolution Productions, Tilted, Willette & Manny Klausner in association with Grace Street Creative Group and David & Hannah Mirvish present The Watermill production of
CALAMITY JANE
Manchester Opera House, 21 to 25 January 2025, then continues on UK and Ireland tour until 27 September 2025
