Calamity Jane rides into Birmingham Hippodrome this week, in all her whip-crackin’, gun-slingin’ glory, with Carrie Hope Fletcher in the title role. An ensemble of actor-musicians bring the musical’s classic numbers to life, and the production oozes wild west saloon swagger and toe-tapping silliness - all adding up to a grand night out.

The story - naturally familiar to any fans of the 1953 film - concerns the no-nonsense Calamity Jane as she regales the good folk of Deadwood with tales of her adventures. Carry Hope Fletcher commands the stage, with a mud-smeared face and iconic fringed deerskin get up. 

When an evening's entertainment at the Golden Garter Saloon goes awry, Calamity promises the indignant men of the audience that she will bring to Deadwood Adelaide Adams - star of the Chicago stage and collectible cigarette cards everywhere. She sets off to the Windy City to do just that - unwittingly bringing back aspiring (and unknown) actress Katie Brown (Seren Sandham-Davies) instead. Hijinx, love triangles and hoedowns ensue.

The play is set almost entirely in the saloon, and features a stage within the stage, giving a cheerful nod to Calamity’s energetic, yarn-spinning ways. Entertainment is at the heart of life in this production, and the classic songs (Deadwood Stage, Just Blew in from the Windy City and Black Hills of Dakota, to name a few) feature innovatively staged live accompaniment. 

Most of the company picks up an instrument at one time or another - swinging cellos,  saxophones and double bases around the set with wild abandon. Seren Sandham-Davies proudly takes a bow in the curtain call brandishing her trumpet, and Wild Bill Hickok (Vinny Coyle) gets a lovesick moment with a guitar in Higher Than a Hawk. The most triumphant instrumental addition is the honky-tonk piano, which swings across the set to become the Deadwood Stage itself, with Claire Greenway at the keys - absolutely inspired.

Everyone on stage fits the bill to perfection - from handsome and exasperated Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin (Luke Wilson) to Rattlesnake (Richard Lock) who wordlessly gets the audience singing along before the curtain has even risen. The real Adelaide Adams (Molly-Grace Cutler) performs a deliciously dominating rendition of Tis Harry I’m Planning to Marry, and Francis Fryer (Samuel Holmes) provides occasional bursts of genius slapstick. A few moments in the script serve as a reminder that the show was set (and written) in a bygone era, but Calamity is on hand to shake things up a bit. Join her on a ride into the sunset - you won't regret it.

Five Stars

Calamity Jane was reviewed on Tuesday 18 March by Jessica Clixby at Birmingham Hippodrome, where it continues until Saturday 22 March. The show later tours to Stoke-on-Trent’s Regent Theatre from Tuesday 17 until Saturday 21 June, and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre from Tuesday 9 until Saturday 13 September.