Calamity Jane- 04.02.2025
Invited| Review by Robyn Watson
Photo Credit: Mark Senior
Calamity Jane is storming into the Sunderland Empire Theatre this week with a whip crack and promises to deliver the best evening’s entertainment on the Deadwood Stage. Calamity Jane is a musical that blends comedy, romance, and adventure, set in the Wild West. It’s a retelling of the life of the historical figure Calamity Jane, a tough, independent, and tomboyish woman who is not afraid to speak her mind and is always up for a fight. The musical follows her as she navigates love, friendship, and self-discovery.

This is such an exciting reenactment of such a classic musical which hasn’t toured for the last 10 years. I am so ready for this comeback and it seems like many others are too! The show just manages to feel so timeless and the Doris Day version that is often televised throughout the year has become such a family staple in so many households.
With a bustling and busy theatre there was an excited anticipation in the air as the show began. The stage was lit with a dim, orange glow as Rattlesnake, played expertly by Richard Lock, set the crowd up straight away as he picked up the banjo and played Black Hills of Dakota and encouraged the audience to sing along. The curtain rises and reveals the chorus in the Saloon – The Golden Garter. The simple yet effective staging was set and looked like it had just leaped out of a Country and Western classic. Wooden panels and flooring were used with great impact alongside the use of the stage at the rear of the set.

The chorus were amazing throughout the whole show and really proved that they are such an integral part to the running of a show especially, as the multi talented bunch were also the live band. They played all of the instruments live on stage alongside their singing, speaking and dancing roles. It was absolutely ingenious how it was all planned out and I do not know how they were able to follow such vibrant choreography whilst holding their instruments, particularly the man with the Double Bass! The first number, Deadwood Stage, was a showstopper in itself and the cast moved effortlessly around the stage.
Carrie Hope Fletcher is playing good old Calamity Jane in this tour and boy, are you in for a treat. When a big name like Carrie’s gets cast you always hope and pray that they will be as good as you have heard and I have to say she exceeded all expectations. She had Calamity’s robust and obnoxious personality down to a fine art. Her voice was powerful and filled every inch of the theatre and it had such a stunning tone to it. My favourite had to be seeing her softer side come out at the end when she sang Secret Love, I literally had goosebumps as it was so stunning. Her accent for Calamity was fantastic as well as her choreography and physical acting.

Vinny Coyle played one of our leading men, Wild Bill Hancock alongside Luke Wilson as Danny Gilmartin. Both men did a stellar job and had crystal clear diction upon the stage. I adored Bill singing I Can do without you with Carrie and his Higher Than a Hawk was beautifully done with just the two guitars on stage. Very moving and a wonderful start to Act Two. Luke Wilson’s voice was also very strong and his duet with Katie Brown, played by Seren Sandham- Davies, Love You Dearly was expertly sung with great chemistry between them on stage.
Speaking of Katie Brown, she is such a strange role to play. I have seen it delivered in so many different ways across the years of watching it. I adored how Seren gave Katie Brown a feistier attitude as it made the character so much more likeable. She gave this girlish character some depth and sass and it made it much more believable that Calamity Jane would want to be her friend. She sang A Woman’s Touch beautifully and I particularly adored the choreography during this scene as she glided across the stage with such finesse as she fixed up Calamity’s cabin with her womanly touch using the props to her advantage.

The props throughout the whole show were very cleverly used and you could see how much thought and detail had been put into mastering and making the most of the fairly simple set. The direction from Nikolai Foster and Nick Winston was present throughout the entire show and I adored how they were able to bring this show back to life. My favourite part was the use of the props to create the Wagon and the Horse on their journey’s to Chicago and the ball. The lighting and movement from the cast added to this perfectly as through they really were on that very bumpy ride.
A real standout for me had to be Samuel Holmes as Francis Fryer. He delivered perfect comedic timing with both words and actions throughout his time on stage and quite frankly I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. His voice was sweet and paired perfectly with his dynamic dancing and Hive Full of Honey has to be one of the greatest numbers in the whole show. Perfectly accompanying Francis was Susan, played by Hollie Cassar. What a talent as well – I am certain I saw her play three different instruments alongside her role as well!

A special mention to Peter Peverly as Henry Miller and Mollie Grace Cutler as Adelaid Adams. They played their roles so well with Peverly delivering a perfect dithering saloon owner and Cutler singing and performing the hell out of Tis Harry I’m Planning to Marry – a real knockout voice.
The costuming throughout the whole show was once again simple yet highly effective. Everyone looked like they belonged in that era and Calamity Jane had her iconic brown suede two piece on. I am glad they kept the iconic look as I don’t think it would be the same without.
A rip roaring evening that will leave you feeling full of joy and nostalgia. Fearless vocals, raw emotion and clever use of staging brought the classic Calamity Jane to life this evening. A must see for all! Now, take me back to the black hills of Dakota.