Calamity Jane at The Regent Theatre Stoke on Trent Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by H Chan
My dad and I were invited to the press night of Calamity Jane at The Regent Theatre, in Stoke on Trent. It is a lovely theatre, and I absolutely love going to shows there as the staff are always friendly, and the venue itself is beautiful.
Calamity Jane The Whip Crackin’ Musical, is based on the 1953 film of the same name. A film which reminds me of rainy caravan holidays with my family and has a special place in my heart. So with high expectations and lots of nostalgia, I made my way to my seat in the stalls with a very excited grin on my face and from where I had an excellent view of the stage.
Set in the Wild West, in a small mining town, we meet Calamity Jane, a cowgirl who is a little flexible with the truth. She gets herself into a situation, chaos ensues, but it all works out in the end. There were obviously some changes from the original format, which all worked out for the better. Expect a few outdated comments of how men and women should behave, but the characters views are important to moving the story along. (It’s set hundreds of years ago).
It was so much fun, just wonderful, and I was blown away by Carrie’s voice. Carrie Hope Fletcher, a very well known actress, author and vlogger, played Calamity Jane. These were some very big boots to fill, but there was no question about it, she was perfect. I loved every minute of it. There is so much believable, on stage chemistry between Carrie and Vinny Coyle, who played Wild Bill Hickok. Again, what an excellent singer! I particularly enjoyed their song, I Can Do Without You. Well rehearsed and their timing spot on. You can feel the angst and clearly, they can’t do without each other. I also loved the songs Men, and Careless With the Truth. I felt they were performed brilliantly.
Samuel Holmes brought a lightness and humour to the show as Francis Fryer, and it was adorable when he hooked up with Susan, played by Hollie Cassar. Seren Sandham-Davies was fantastic as Katie Brown, and I loved her song with Calamity as they make up the house, A Woman’s Touch. Their relationship seemed genuine and when they argued, there was so much emotion.
The orchestra, the instrumentalists and ensemble onstage, lighting, in fact the whole team deserve a round of applause.
I loved the set, it needs a mention, so much detail and work had gone into it and every piece worked so well. The use of props for horses and carriages and even a train was very clever, and all tied together with brilliant music from some very talented artists. The costumes were fantastic.
My dad and I gave this show five out of five stars, we really enjoyed it and felt Carrie was exactly the right person to lead. She had the right amount of sass and a beautiful voice.
Rating: 5/5
You can find tickets here www.atgtickets.com and they begin at £15 for the back rows, going up to £69 for the middle rows of the stalls. The only thing I’d mention, is that it was loud in places with fake gunshots or shouting. All fine and in line with the performance, but just as a little trigger warning.