Calamity Jane at the Liverpool Empire Review
Calamity Jane
Empire Theatre, Liverpool
5-9 May 2015
Reviewed by Linzi Davies
A last minute cancellation by another reviewer left myself and my fiancé with a very unexpected but eagerly anticipated date night. After only a couple of hours notice we were heading into Liverpool for a cheeky pre-show drink and a catch up on our very busy week, before heading to the Empire hoping to whip crack away to a wild western hoe down.
The stars of the show were undoubtedly Jodie Prenger as the sharp shooting, somewhat boastful and not entirely trustworthy Calamity Jane and her sarcastic male counterpart Wild Bill Hickok, played by the impressive Tom Lister (better known for his role as Carl King in Emmerdale) who attempts on numerous occasions to belittle Calamity, maybe to hide his true feelings? Not being familiar with the story, I initially found the southern drawl accents difficult to understand and mildly irritating but as I settled into the story, they became more a highlight of the show, especially when Calamity really slowed it down to hammer home a point.
As always even with the story of a quirky tomboy, the inevitable love interest, in this case ‘Danny’ slips along nicely in the background, with Calamity trying her utmost to get him to notice her. She doesn’t help her own chances when introducing the men’s favourite “Adelaide Adams” to perform at the theatre after Frances (with an I) isn’t all she initially promised to deliver! Adams is revealed as the sultry Katie Brown who steals Danny’s heart leading to some very feminine thoughts from our feisty leading lady Calamity. Sometimes true love shines in the place that one believes least likely to find it and even when the protest of “I can do without you” is beautifully delivered, is it actually true?
The set was an uncomplicated backdrop encompassing a saloon / hotel and theatre rolled into one for the various settings within the musical, it was simple idea which required very little change throughout the story. My favourite part was the depiction of the train on the way to Chicago and the horse drawn carriage on the way back, ingenious and comical in its appearance.
The first half in my opinion was slightly flat in places and could have done with a little bit more of a boost but the second half, bounded along at pace with humour, dancing and some awesome singing.
Overall the story had me laughing along with the cast and becoming submersed in wanting to find out how the happy ending was reached. For a light-hearted, witty, foot stomping evening out, head over to see this bright and bolshy show before it finishes at the Empire on the 9th May.
As always the Liverpool Empire was a wonderfully welcome venue, clean airy and warm enough on a particularly chilly evening. The show started half an hour late this evening due to a set problem which may have led to some travel issues as it finished after some of the last trains ran. On street parking was relatively easy to find and also free which was great. The staff were polite as always, although trying to find the stalls bar at the interval was tricky and we almost found ourselves setting off the alarm on the fire doors.
Rating: 4/5
Tickets cost from £21.90 to £47.40 (plus £2.85 transaction fee).
Calamity Jane is at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool until 9 May 2015. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 8713017.
Liverpool Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L1 1JE | 0844 8713017
