Winter Gardens, Blackpool – until 28 June 2025
Reviewed by Debra Skelton
5*****
Calamity Jane has just blown in from the American Wild West and landed at the Winter Gardens Blackpool and will be showing until Saturday 28th June.
This classical musical from the Watermill Theatre’s ‘whip crackin’ production company returns to the UK for the first time in 10 years with Nikolai Foster and Nick Winston’s direction bringing the town of Deadwood to life with some creative and often comedic choices. It features the long-awaited musical theatre return of Carrie Hope Fletcher as the notorious sharpshooting frontierswoman Calamity Jane.
The stage adaptation of Calamity Jane premiered in 1961 and is based on the popular movie first seen in 1953 starring Doris Day and Howard Keel. The Watermill Theatre production company last brought this musical to the UK back in 2015 and its return has been received with mixed reviews, however for me it was a truly fun and enjoyable production.
Calamity Jane is based on an actual person who was described as the biggest mouth in Dakota territory and always up for a fight as can be seen with her relationship with the notorious Wild Bill Hickok where they constantly shoot insults at each other. However, things change when Calamity brings Chicago stage star Adelaid Adams to Deadwood and much to her annoyance, the men go wild for her and jealousy shoots out of her like a bullet, especially as she has her heart set on the dapper Lieutenant Gilmartin. Will Calamity work out who has her heart a thumpin, then come on down and find out for yourself.
This musical has been adapted for the stage by Charles K Freeman and brings a rip-roaring show to entertain with the topmost enjoyment. As this is based on one of my favourite films and brings back many happy memories for me, it was great to see the same joyous reaction from the audience who loved the nostalgia of this new take up of a classic.
This adaptation includes the majority of songs from the film including the opening number ‘Deadwood Stage’, which was every bit as (whip) cracking as you would hope and a singalong moment with the ‘Black Hills Of Dakota’. Other classics include ‘Just Blew in from the Windy City’, ‘Higher Than A Hawk’, ‘I Can Do Without You’ and the Oscar-winning ‘Secret Love’.
The cast of the show includes the multi-award-winning West End actor and singer Carrie Hope Fletcher (Cinderella, Les Misérables) as Calamity Jane who has become a well-loved name in theatre with her versatility and ability as a performer which can be seen in this production where she brings sass and comedy into the role.
Carrie is joined by Vinny Coyle (Hugo in Aspects of Love) as Wild Bill Hickok who’s thrilling stage presence requires eyes on him throughout, Luke Wilson (Much Ado About Nothing) as the lovelorn Danny, Seren Sandham-Davies (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory) who standouts with their impressively strong performance as Katie Brown and by no means the least, the rest of such an incredibly talented cast. Their voices can only be described as out of this world and along with their acting talents created such a presence on stage with a standing ovation at the end.
The production also needs special thanks to Matthew Wright for creating such an adaptable set and authentic costumes, Olivier, Grammy and Tony Award winner Catherine Jayes for the musical supervision & orchestrations, Tim Mitchell for the lighting design, Ben Harrison for the sound design and Nick Winston for the streamlined choreography which elevated the production with ensemble numbers proving the most captivating moments.
So, all there is left for me to say, is shoot on down to the Winter Gardens Blackpool and book yourself a ticket to a wild but enjoyable evening.