For a show that is over sixty years old, I was sceptical about how a production of ‘Calamity Jane’ could relate to an audience of today, but the cast and crew pulled it off. Though perhaps not everybody’s cup of tea, the cowboy saloon atmosphere and country-western jigs took the audience back to the Wild West; it appeared to be a moment of nostalgia for older audience members, who couldn’t help but sing along to the opening song, ‘The Black Hills of Dakota’, possibly the biggest hit from the musical.
Based on the true story of Martha Jane Cannary, ‘Calamity Jane’ follows a rough living Wild West woman through a series of comical failures, earning her nickname, ‘Calamity’. A role commonly associated with Doris Day, from the 1953 Warner Bros film, Jodie Prenger succeeded in portraying ‘Calam’ as the character we know and love, with vivacious charm and endearing showmanship. Whilst possessing a slightly masculine air, the role of Calamity also demands a sweet, girlish likeability, and Prenger succeeded in portraying this boisterousness contrasting with a helplessness that, as an audience, we can’t help but relate to. Similarly her singing was able to present these qualities to us, with a harshness to her voice in certain numbers, particularly in her duet with Wild Bill Hickok (played admirably by Emmerdale’s Tom Lister), ‘I Can Do Without You’ – a personal favourite in the show – but with a softness and feminine charm in ‘Secret Love’, when her vulnerability is exposed.
Jodie Prenger succeeded in portraying ‘Calam’ as the character we know and love, with vivacious charm and endearing showmanship
Prenger and Lister bounced extremely well off each other, both possessing great comical timing and an ability to have the audience laughing one minute and sympathising with them the next. Lister’s singing was equally impressive and captured the rawness of the Wild West. While all singers were fantastic, Phoebe Street’s performance as Katie Brown was highly commendable, and for me her voice stole the show. Her acting ability also deserves recognition; she ably portrayed an innocent young woman swept away by the fanciful nature of show business in 19th century Chicago. Another character taken in by show-biz was Francis Fryer, perhaps the funniest character of the musical, who when mistaken for a woman due to a spelling mistake had the audience in pieces.
Phoebe Street’s performance as Katie Brown was highly commendable, and for me her voice stole the show.
The talent of all the cast members cannot be denied, but I did find the show took a while to really get going. I found myself longing for something to happen during the first half of the first act, but cannot say whether this was due to the script or direction; once this hurdle was cleared however, I was hooked, and found myself humming and swaying to the catchy upbeat tunes of the musical.
I did find the show took a while to really get going.
An aspect of the show I particularly enjoyed was having the actors playing musical instruments on stage. This further enhanced the authentic feel created by the saloon theatre set design, and turned audience attention to the musical talent, which is so often overlooked when musicians are playing in the pit. I was extremely impressed with the talent of all chorus members; being able to play an instrument, act, sing, and dance, all to a high standard, is no easy feat, and all did so with conviction and an apparent ease. I really enjoyed the dancing throughout, and must commend choreographer Nick Winston for creating such uplifting routines.
Being able to play an instrument, act, sing, and dance, all to a high standard, is no easy feat, and all did so with conviction and an apparent ease.
Overall, ‘Calamity Jane’ is a really enjoyable show. There was not a weak link in the cast, and all played their roles convincingly and charmingly. It was really easy watching, with a slightly cliché ending, but nonetheless left the audience in high spirits.
Lucy Castle
Calamity Jane is running at Theatre Royal until 11th October, for more information see here
