Calamity Jane
Out in the Tame, Tame West
Calamity Jane
by Music by Sammy Fain, lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
Jamie Wilson Productions and Watermill Theatre at the New Wimbledon Theatre until 17thMay and then on tour until 27th September
Review by Patrick Shorrock
The trend of putting films on stage seems to be all but unstoppable nowadays, but this performance of Calamity Jane acts as a reminder that it is actually quite an old one: the 1961 stage version of Calamity Jane was based on the 1953 film with Doris Day, rather than the other way round. In any case, this production is a revival of one from the Watermill Theatre that dates back to 2014, although it’s hard to tell, as it feels fresh and well rehearsed with performances of infectious energy.
It’s one of the oldest stories of them all – from Emma to When Harry Met Sally – as old friends who are sparring partners discover that their feelings go beyond friendship. Its connection with the real-life figures of Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok is minimal. Nominally set in a Wild West without any native Americans on stage, it makes Oklahoma feel like a work of searing realism, and isn’t, to be honest, desperately believable. Not that anyone will care, I suspect, especially in a production as charming as this one.
The lack of strict realism is enhanced by Matthew Wright’s set which retains the stage within a stage, required early on, for the whole piece. This enables some slick scenic transitions (well supported by Tim Mitchell’s lighting) and is very effective, including an ingenious use of a piano as a stagecoach. Many (although not all) of the singers play their own instruments — a hallmark of Watermill Theatre productions that the award-winning and marvellous Benjamin Button in the West End also makes good use of. Nikolai Foster’s original production is ably revived by Nick Winston and works well, with gags that enhance rather than overwhelm. Winston, along with Megan Louch, is also responsible for the choreography which, with its leaping hoe-downs, is really rather impressive. I am reminded how much this production’s plot overlaps with Chichester Theatre’s joyous Crazy for You, a couple of years ago, another show in which performers from the city end up of in the middle of nowhere to life-enhancing and joyous effect.
The queer elements of the show – Secret Love is a classic lesbian anthem after all – now seem homely rather than transgressive. Francis Fryer (Samuel Holmes) complains that he was called after the girl his mother wanted, and attempts drag (disastrously and hilariously) when the advertised female singer fails to show up. A bearded (but not very wild) Bill Hicock (pleasingly sung by Vinny Cole) wears a dress for the sheer hell of it in one scene (not, I think, in the original). Two women – Calam(ity) and Susan set up house together (but only temporarily) extolling the virtues of a woman’s touch. Calamity Jane herself is at one point mistaken for a man, although I don’t think there is any doubt about which loo she would use. (The huge queues at the theatre for the ladies suggest the facilities at Wimbledon – a really lovely theatre otherwise – seriously need an upgrade!)
The chemistry between Carrie Hope Fletcher’s Calamity and Vinny Cole’s Bill Hickok is a bit fitful, but they both deliver in their own way. Hope Fletcher has a wonderfully clear voice and brings a charmingly hoydenish quality to the role, even if Secret Love doesn’t quite achieve the emotional weight that Doris Day achieves in the film. Luke Wilson as Danny Gilmartin and Seren Sandham-Davies as Katie are an enjoyable second couple, and Molly Grace-Cutler’s Adelaide Adams makes such an impact that you regret she doesn’t have more to do.
Patrick Shorrock, May 2025
Photography by Mark Senior
Mark Aspen 