An exciting, invigorating, 'whip-cracking' tour of The Watermill Theatre's 2014 production of Calamity Jane was enthusiastically received by a full audience of all ages at the Lyceum last night.
The production is strongly influenced by the popular 1950s film version starring Doris Day, which also breathes life into the story of Martha Jane Canary, an orphan and the original Calamity Jane, who survived a tough life in the Montana gold rush by becoming indistinguishable from the gun-toting, hard-drinking men who surrounded her.
The success of the production, apart from the audience's familiarity with the story and the songs, is credited to original director Nicolas Foster and co-director and choreographer Nick Winston. The performance is full of witty production ideas, and the outstanding choreography is performed by an experienced cast of actor-musicians, who sing, dance and play a wide range of instruments live on stage, from cello and violin to guitar, flute and oboe.
In an impressive sequence, the Deadwood Stage is brought to life using beer barrels and other detritus from the main set. We see and hear the horses' hooves and the wind blowing the umbrellas of the passengers as the coach tears by at full speed.
Carrie Hope Fletcher, who plays Calamity Jane, has had an extensive professional career which includes musicals like Les Misérables and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as well as solo singing tours and solo albums. This is the first time she has been required to engage in highly energetic group dance routines, which she was determined to take part in and quick to develop a new skill. She is particularly known for her singing voice, and her rendering of "Secret Love" near the end of the show was rapturously received by the audience.
There are memorable performances by other members of the cast. Vinny Coyle as Wild Bill Hickok is a convincing pistol-wielding tough guy, but sings a beautiful solo. Danny Gilmartin is played by Luke Wilson, a charming romantic presence, strong in the dance sequences, with another lovely voice.
Seren Sandham-Davies gives an emotional performance in the role of Katie Brown as well as demonstrating her ability to entertain the excitable Deadwood male audience. Samuel Holmes finds comedy as Francis Fryer in and out of drag and displays an excellent range of dance skills.
The set is economical and effective as a venue for the Deadwood audience, but also adapts quickly and effectively to represent the small, grubby home Calamity shares briefly with Katie and its transformation once a real woman is involved.
The current production is playing at a time when gender identity is an issue and a court tries to provide a definition of male and female. Doris Day's time was very different from ours, but a woman who preferred to live as a man was a suitable subject for entertainment on the assumption that a good man would soon turn up and sort her out. The issues are different today, but Hickok's bullying attack on Calamity for behaving like a woman, i.e. being jealous, emotional and petulant, do not sit well.
However, a great deal to enjoy and admire in this delightful production, and familiar songs like "The Deadwood Stage" and "The Black Hills of Dakota" are particularly enjoyable.