Virginia Gay in Calamity Jane. Photo by John McCrae.
Originally staged in Potts Point’s 111-seat Hayes Theatre, this touring production of Calamity Jane has been so warmly received by Melbourne audiences that an encore season in December has already been programmed – and deservedly so. It’s a rib-tickling, rip-snorting delight from go to whoa.
Virginia Gay stars as the eponymous Calamity Jane, real life frontierswoman and teller of tall tales, and the subject of the 1953 film on which this musical is based. The small cast – an audience member is roped in to flesh out their numbers – are full of enthusiasm, and more than live up to their promise to ‘party like it’s 1869′.
The bulk of the action takes place in Deadwood’s Golden Garter Saloon, with additional seating on the stage adding to the frontier-bar atmosphere. Here, we meet Calamity and her friends, including Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin (Matthew Pearce) the object of her not-so-secret affections; gunslinger Wild Bill Hickok (Anthony Gooley, whose soft tenor comes as a surprising counterpoint to his gruff demeanour) and barmaid Susan (Christina O’Neill, who doubles wonderfully as a vampish diva and a moustachioed back-up singer).
When anxious saloon owner Henry Miller (Tony Taylor) books actor Francis Fryer (Rob Johnson) to perform under the misapprehension that Fryer is a woman, Calamity promises to save the day by bringing the much-desired showgirl Adelaide Adams to town. Instead, she brings Adelaide’s maid Katie (Laura Bunting) by mistake, and mayhem and romance ensue.
The story itself is relatively slight, even problematic by contemporary standards – Katie puts Calamity in a dress instead of the dusty men’s clothes she prefers and suddenly she’s perceived as attractive by the men in her life; Native Americans are described as savages.
What makes this production, deftly and lightly directed by Richard Carroll, work so well is the way the musical’s clichés and outdated gender norms are acknowledged and subverted. The sexual tension between Calamity and Katie is played up, gleefully exaggerating the lesbian subtext of the original film, and Gay takes advantage of every opportunity to break the fourth wall and interact with the audience.
On rare occasions one wishes the director would dial the jokes down just slightly – a reference to Gay’s appearance on the long-running medical drama All Saints feels a trifle forced, for instance, while another joke about making ‘Deadwood great again’ just feels cheap – but such minor quibbles aside, this is an outstanding production, and Gay excels in the titular role.
Calamity Jane is the perfect vehicle for her talents, aptly demonstrating what an engaging, charismatic and versatile performer she is. She sings richly and beautifully and switches effortlessly from broad humour to heartfelt sincerity in the blink of an eye. Her Calamity is blundering and passionate, raucous and vulnerable; a beautifully rounded characterisation of what could easily be a two-dimensional role. Indeed, Gay is so good that she almost eclipses her fellow performers, through Taylor, Johnson and Bunting all impress – especially Johnson’s evolution from bumbling thespian to passionate swain. Credit too to the random audience member who played barman Joe on opening night – excellent vocal projection, unknown sir!
Musically, the production is stripped back and skillfully driven by musical director Nigel Ubrihien on piano, which more than suits the saloon setting – though I did half-wish a Wildean ‘Please do not shoot the pianist. He is doing his best’ sign had been added to the set; not as a criticism of Ubrihien’s performance, just for verisimilitude’s sake. At other times, cast members add to the score on sundry other instruments: blowing across a bottle top, picking up a ukulele – the production even features a tuba solo.
Ubrihien’s arrangements are excellent and imaginative, with the highlight being a torchsong-style take on ‘Black Hills of Dakota,’ which begins with Gay singing solo, accompanying herself on ukulele before being joined by Bunting for a sweet duet, culminating with the cast singing en masse. Its beauty brought tears to my eyes, as did the subsequent, gently underplayed duet between Gay and Gooley on ‘Secret Love’. Elsewhere in the production I roared with laughter, aided by the cast’s full-blooded performances, Cameron Mitchell’s rollicking choreography, and the ensemble’s imaginative use of the space.
Calamity Jane is truly the most fun I’ve had at the theatre so far this year – unhesitatingly recommended.
4 stars
Calamity Jane
Adapted by Ronald Hamner and Phil Park
From the stage play by Charles K. Freeman
A Warner Bros film written by James O’Hanlon
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster
Music by Sammy Fain
Directed by Richard Carroll
Musical Director: Nigel Ubrihien
Choreographer: Cameron Mitchell
Production Designer: Lauren Peters
Lighting Designer: Trent Suidgeest
Sound Designer: Andrew Sampford
Assistant Director: Dash Kruck
Wig Designer: Ben Moir
Producer: Richard Carroll
Cast includes Virginia Gay, Laura Bunting, Anthony Gooley, Rob Johnson, Matthew Pearce and Tony Taylor
Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne
14 – 25 March 2018
