Calamity Jane

New Wimbledon Theatre

An old classic brought to the stage with Carrie Hope Fletcher playing the iconic Calamity Jane. Make sure to check if the tour is blowing into a windy city near you!

The 1953 classic Calamity Jane, written by James O'Hanlon; which previously starred the legendary Doris Day in the original film. Has been adapted to stage for a tour around the UK and Ireland this year. Directed by Nick Winston, who has worked on Bonnie and Clyde (2022), Your Lie in April (2024), Burlesque (2024) and Midnight Cowboy (2025). Last week the tour landed at the New Wimbledon Theatre... and here is the scoop!

If you don't already know the story, it doesn't matter, because this is a show for all and the plot is crystal clear. Calamity Jane is a fearless, confident lady who always seems to manage to get herself in trouble with her loud personality. Set in Deadwood in South Dakota, this wild musical follows Calamity as she promises her small town a performance by the famous 'Adelaid Adams'. She travels to Chicago to go get her, little does she or the town know what drama is in store and who to trust. The musical is filled with toe tapping tunes, the most charming gun slingers and a hoedown that you'll wanna kick your boots off and get involved. This modern adaptation stays true to the original and paints the story in wild colours. Warning, the songs are extremely catchy and you will be singing them for days after!

Carrie Hope Fletcher, the esteemed musical theatre actress, plays the lead as Calamity and she does not hold back. Her bubbly personality, fierce dedication and connection to her character makes the show an absolute treat. Her vocals blow the whole of Wimbledon away, it's clear she has made her mark in the musical theatre industry for a very good reason and her hard work is unmatched. 'Phantom of The Opera' star Vinny Coyle plays Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity and Hickok's distaste of each other is savage. He plays a charming character, who opens up into this warm, comforting figure. It would be more interesting to see him being more interested in Calamity and their arguments having more embedded chemistry. This would make it less of a shock when the two find their love for each other, as it feels out of the blue. Richard Lock is a gives a gem of a performance as 'Rattlesnake', his character is hilarious and gives the show's comic tone a push. He brings energy, his accent is fantastic, and the character gives the show and a touch of slapstick. His beard is s great addition to the character and adds to creating the western style.

Choreography is an absolute dream! There's a divine Hoedown number where the whole cast get involved and there is a great example of dance skill by Luke Wilson and Vinnie Coyle! There is even a beautiful tap moment! It was well suited to the production. Nick Winston adds some of the best choreography in musicals and this is great example of his work. His style is very distinctive.

The style of the set is also wonderful, the different levels, the wooden western style that Matthew Wright has created. At the beginning of the show the curtains are yellow and red, a Banjo hangs in front of the curtains, at the beginning of the show Rattlesnake takes the Banjo down and starts to play. This sets the scene perfectly for the audience. They also use chairs to portray riding horses, whilst this is simple it works well and the cast time the movement of the chairs to the beat of the music, in time with each other! It is refreshing to have such an intriguing set design that displays the western atmosphere perfectly, without having being too much and they have used levels of the items on set to show status of characters, but also the theatrical element within the story of the show.

If you love the classic musical, then this show is perfect for you and those that you want to introduce to icon Calamity Jane. Having Carrie Hope Fletcher, whilst she is a magnificent actress, she does also bring in a younger audience and it is great that they will be a new generation of lovers of this musical! It keeps the story of Calamity Jane alive and sustains the musicals place in theatre history. Make sure to see where the tour is headed next and if you haven't already lasso those tickets while you still can, because you for sure won't want to miss this whip crackin, boot tappin musical hoedown.

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