Review of Calamity Jane at Milton Keynes Theatre

Should you never have seen Calamity Jane before, as I hadn't before catching it on its UK tour's arrival at Milton Keynes Theatre this week, you may still very well know a little about it by its name alone. However, barring a couple of well-known tunes, I knew far less than I thought, and it was an excellent experience of discovery.

The story of Calamity Jane recounts the town of Deadwood and, specifically, the tomboy Calamity Jane, full of tales and daring deeds that may or, more likely, did not happen. When the local theatre owner fails to bring the American star promised to the stage, Calam sets it upon herself to get the biggest star of the country to grace that darn stage.

Calamity Jane is, at its core, just a jolly old-fashioned musical, filled to the brim with disturbingly simple but very catchy numbers from Sammy Fain and lyrics from Paul Francis Webster. Some you will no doubt recognise, such as Deadwood Stage, Just Blew in from the Windy City, and Secret Love. Others, such as the Black Hills of Dakota, will be less familiar but may linger in your mind for a while.

Directors Nikolai Foster and Nick Winston have kept the staging uncomplicated and straightforward, allowing the full energy of the piece to come through the cast. Matthew Wright's set looks picture-perfect, a brilliant recreation of old town Deadwood and its rustic theatre, and there, set upon it, the whole staging, adapted by Charles K. Freeman, is played out.

So, the actors, who are an excellent group, are allowed to do their thing unhampered. Leading the cast as Calamity is the magnificent Carrie Hope Fletcher, who I have had the pleasure of seeing twice before, and with Calamity, she continues to prove to be a star. From her first, sneaky appearance on the stage during Deadwood Stage, she captures the character to perfection. It also goes without question that the numbers she performs are excellent, and with her Secret Love solo, she is superb.

Vinny Coyle offers fabulous deadpan support as Wild Bill Hickok. Performed with a dry humour and a slightly tired nature, he develops the character well throughout the story, and his vocals also add a deep extra edge. Seren Sandham-Davies is a fun and lively Katie Brown, a character out of her depth, but performed with a nice comic edge.

Also superb is Samuel Holmes as the immensely likeable and awkward Francis Fryer, the actor somewhat mistaken for someone entirely different. He brings a tremendous amount of comedy to the show, as does the glorious Richard Lock's performance as the supporting Rattlesnake. Opening the show, his gangly persona of the role fills many moments with background humour.

The music, primarily performed on stage by the cast, is a delight under the direction of Christopher Mundy and never feels like a distraction, as this format can sometimes be. It brings a constant flow to the show, with the cast able to bridge quick scene changes with a little reprise of a memorable number.

Calamity Jane is a cracking, if old-fashioned musical, which is without question full of energy. The UK tour continues until September and is well worth packing that wagon train and getting on down to that "the-air-ter" near you for a rip-roaring cotton-picking treat.

A rooting tooting thigh splapping spectacle of a classic musical.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Performance reviewed: Tuesday, 29th July 2025, at the Milton Keynes Theatre.

Calamity Jane is at Milton Keynes Theatre until Saturday, 2nd August 2025.

For details of the tour, see the website at https://calamityjanemusical.com/

For further details about Milton Keynes, see their website at http://www.atgtickets.com/venues/milton-keynes-theatre/

Production photos: Mark Senior

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