Calamity Jane

The season of Calamity Jane being staged by Rockdale Musical Society had been running for several performances by the time I attended the show, meaning it had a chance of settling down for the season.

The program note from the society President told me the show was “an oldie but a goodie”, and it was. This rarely performed musical was originally a film which starred the great Doris Day along with heart throb Howard Keel, loosely based on a relationship between a wild west woman, Martha Cannary, known as Calamity Jane, and the legendary Wild Bill Hickok. The film was never great, but it was extremely popular in its day and did give birth to an Academy Award winning Best Original Song, “My Secret Love”.

The stage musical isn’t great either, but it is an ideal vehicle for community theatre groups, lots of good roles, lots of ensemble work, a light script and a great musical score. The creative team at RMS, Glen  Stelzer Director, Kate Berger, Assistant Director, James Court, Musical Director and Keely Soulsby, Choreographer have pulled together a tight team of principal players, major and minor, and an energetic ensemble to breath some new life into this rarely performed work.

Three performers, Carolyn Burke (Calamity Jane), James Jonothan (Wild Bill Hickok) and Nicole Butler ( Katie Brown) gave particularly polished performances, ably supported by the other principals.

Bright costumes of the period by James Worner dressed the cast in style, simple but adequate sets moved us around several locations smoothly, however another door or entrance in the saloon would have given the shows within the show a better look, avoiding the need to come in from the street to present these “shows”

Overall this production was a delightful few hours of good fun entertainment, no one died, no violence, and a happy ending with a wedding. Three weddings in fact. What more could you ask for. I watched the audience as they left the venue, lots of smiles and no one appeared to be disappointed.

The one jarring note came in sound design and operation. Insensitive operation meant that the big love song in Act 2 was spoiled, particularly in the soaring notes, so loud that the voices were distorted. I felt for the performers who were working so hard at the time. Not right, and not fair to an otherwise splendid show.

Peter Roberts

Photographer: Chloe Snaith