If you're a fan of the classic 1953 comedy-Western film and its long-running stage adaptation, or just looking for some good ol' fashioned escapism, then you're in for a treat early next year...
If you fancy marking the first half of 2025 with a whip-crackin' good time at the theatre, you'll be hard pressed to find something better than this brand new production of Calamity Jane, hitting the Theatre Royal on Tuesday 25 March and holding its horses there until Saturday 29 March 2025.
Featuring all of the classic music from the original movie, like Windy City and Whip-Crack-Away, this production, telling the iconic, action-tinged comic-romantic-drama story set in the cowboy town of Deadwood, Dakota, tours the UK from January 2025. Starring in the titular role is Carrie Hope Fletcher: a decorated stage actor and celebrated author, with leading roles in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella, and Les Misérables to her name.
Carrie is a 2022 Grammy nominee for two competing albums for Best Musical Theatre Album - Cinderella (Original Concept Album) and Les Misérables: The Staged Concert (Live Album). Carrie went out on her first solo tour, An Open Book, in 2023, touring the UK (including a sold-out performance at the London Palladium) and the. She embarks on her second solo tour, Love Letters, in Autumn 2024. Alongside theatre, Carrie has also written several best-selling novels and has huge social media presence with over 635,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel and a million views a month.
“Calamity Jane is one of those roles that doesn’t come around all that often,” says Carrie, adding, “she’s all action, romance and comedy packed into one character, and I can’t wait to take on the challenge of filling her shoes.”
First adapted for the stage in 1961, in Texas, by Charles K Freeman, from the 1954 film of-the-same-name starring Doris Day, Calamity Jane first hit UK stages in the early 70s and demonstrated its relentless touring legs from then on, later featuring stage-and-screen stars like Barbara Windsor.
The 2025 show, brought to life by producer Jamie Wilson, will reunite the crew from when Calamity Jane last hit the road, ten whole years ago in 2014. The returning creatives include director Nikolai Foster, Music Supervisor Catherine Jayes, and set/costume designer Matthew Wright.
“I am delighted to bring this wonderful production back to theatres all over the country after a 10 year absence,” says Jamie Wilson. “We have been waiting for the right artist to step into Calamity's boots and bring this hilarious and joyful musical back to the nation and we are thrilled that Carrie Hope Fletcher will be leading the company. Carrie is one of the UK’s most talented artists whose broad fan base will introduce this much beloved musical to many different audiences across the country.”
Calamity Jane will play at the Theatre Royal Nottingham between Tuesday 25 March and Saturday 29 March. To buy tickets, and to find out more about tour dates, head over to calamityjanemusical.com.
The production's full cast is set to be announced in due course. To keep up with new announcements, follow the production on Instagram/TikTok (@CalamityJaneLive) and Twitter (@CalamityMusical).
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