A whip-cracking production of CALAMITY JANE at Manchester’s Opera House delivers infectious energy, stunning performances, and lively choreography, making it a feel-good musical triumph.

It’s a cold, wet evening in Manchester but inside the Opera House there’s a whip cracking staging of CALAMITY JANE with an ensemble cast who are more than up to the job of taking the audience on a feel good tale of romance; well, eventually.
Jamie Wilson’s touring production of the revival first seen at The Windmill Theatre has it all. The energy is infectious, the songs familiar and a cast that creates a very believable gold rush town of the original wild west.
Speaking of songs they come thick and fast; hardly has the curtain rising drawn breath than we are launched into barnstormer THE DEADWOOD STAGE and from then on it’s just a riotous ride through 22, yes 22, songs both ensemble and solos. That’s a lot of singing for a mining town. Then there are the dance routines. Choreographed by Nick Winston, the stage becomes a whirling riot of hoe downs with every performer utilised to the maximum.
The whole staging works so well with good use of every part of the stage from the saloon, to Calamity’s house, to Chicago seamlessly creating a very fluid progression through the performance.
Turning to the cast the supporting actors are great; Samuel Holmes as Francis Fryer is note perfect in his utter discomfort during his first appearance on stage and Seren Sandham-Davies as Katie Brown shows us development of her character from downtrodden to centre stage with finesse; her interaction with Luke WIlson as Danny is joyful.
However we all know that Calamity Jane is a tale of two people made for each other who just cannot see it; that of Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok played respectively by Carrie Hope Fletcher and Vinny Coyle.
Vinny Coyle has a strong voice and his characterisation of Bill allows a hint of pathos to shine through the hard man exterior. It is pretty clear early on to the audience that he has feelings for Calamity especially during the duet I CAN DO WITHOUT YOU.
As for Calamity Jane herself, what can you say about Carrie Hope Fletcher? Her strong voice is evident from the start and her comedic timing is razor sharp. However the show stopper for her must be SECRET LOVE; the song that gave the originator Doris Day a massive global hit. Miss Day is not let down here at all as the strength and power delivered are frankly stunning; this is a voice that was made to deliver such a song.
As expected by the end of the show misunderstandings are explained, loves are reunited and yet another excuse for a hoe down is found. In summary the cast are excellent throughout, the staging imaginative and the pace fast. The Deadwood Stage may be coming in over the hill but it is the audience who have a whip cracking time and, to misquote another song, there’s no need to keep that under your ten gallon hat.
CALAMITY JANE runs at the Opera House, Manchester, until 25 January 2025.
Social Profiles