Theatre Review: Calamity Jane at the Theatre Royal

Whip crack away! Say those words to anyone of a certain age and watch their eyes sparkle with delight. Yes, it’s the musical and movie Calamity Jane, famously immortalised by Doris Day and now reborn and appearing at the Theatre Royal.

And a fantastic production it is too, exploding onto the boards with all the energy of a stampede of buffalos. For those unaware of the plot, it revolves around Deadwood, a goldmine town in the middle of nowhere. Among its residents is Calamity Jane, a rooting tooting cowgirl who prefers deerskins to dresses, a sharpshooting, plain speaking, boisterous force of nature. She also likes to, not so much lie, but to be ‘careless with the truth’ when it comes to her tall stories of fighting with General Custer and more. She’s in love with a soldier stationed at the nearby fort. But she cannot stop bickering with her best buddy Wild Bill Hickock. Into this seething cauldron of emotions, ‘Calam’ brings a famous singer and dancer from faraway ‘Chicagi’. The idea is to brighten up the grubby little one-horse town. Only the singer is not all she seems.

The youthful cast dazzle in their talent. Acting, dancing, pulling off American accents and playing their instruments. How is that even possible? Carrie Hope Fletcher, three-time winner of a Best Actress in a Musical award, belts out the classics and has us laughing at the jokes. Vinny Coyle as Wild Bill Hickock brings on the charisma as his character struts around stage, somewhere between a peacock and a cobra about to strike. Luke Wilson as the soldier Danny Gilman earns our appreciation with a superb singing voice. The rest of the cast shine as well.      

But the real stars of Calamity Jane are the songs, which many of the audience already knew word for word. The Deadwood Stage, Just Blew In From The Windy City, Black Hills Of Dakota all brought sighs of contentment from the stalls. And Richard Lock as Rattlesnake, (the ultimate hillbilly redneck) strummed his banjo and led us on a few audience singalongs along the way.

The apex of the show is, of course, Secret Love, which finally had our eyes watering up. No doubt many theatregoers were recalling their lost youth, or late relatives who loved the movie, or lovers long gone. The best thing about shows like this is their nostalgia and the cherished moments they help us relive. And for some, Secret Love has a whole other subliminal meaning from a decade when same-sex love had to be concealed to survive. Well, the play is about a tomboy starstruck by ‘the purtiest thing,’ a beautiful dancing girl. 

But subtexts apart, this is an excellent show for all the family. For old-timers celebrating their memories or young’uns making some new ones. 

Calamity Jane plays at the Theatre Royal from Tuesday 26th of March to Saturday 29th of March 2025.