Calamity Jane (Queensland Theatre) – musical theatre review

Folks of any age are likely to know the evergreen movie with Doris Day, from which this stage version was adapted. The name Calamity Jane is synonymous with Day’s iconic performance as the woman from the wild west who was as tough as any fella and prided herself on not having any of the traditional feminine wiles going for her. (The character also appeared in the dark HBO series, Deadwood.)

Queensland Theatre’s production of the musical adaptation by Ronald Hanmer and Phil Park (from the stage play by Charles K. Freeman) is a thoroughly joyous affair – a real crowd-pleaser, which had the opening night audience in fits of raucous laughter, happy to go along for the rootin’ tootin’ ride.

Naomi Price (Drizzle Boy, Ladies in Black) absolutely nails it in the lead role, made famous in Australia by Virginia Gay a couple of years back. Price combines a strong and vibrant voice with great comedic timing. Highlights from her include a funny piece about ex-cyclone Alfred and a few Raygun-style moves. It’s these contemporary and locally relevant nods that add another enjoyable layer to this tale.

The other standout performance is Darcy Brown in his Queensland Theatre debut (previously with Shake & Stir). He’s hilarious in the role of Francis Fryer, an entertainer who, among other things, is forced to impersonate a woman for a while because Henry Miller (Andrew Buchanan), owner of the Golden Garter Saloon (designed by Lauren Peters) thought he was getting a “Frances” Fryer, in other words, a woman. Henry’s promised patrons the real thing, so Calamity Jane offers to bring Adelaide Adam to Deadwood. However, the woman she returns with turns out to be Adelaide’s maid, Susan, looking for her big break.

The first half of the show has a theatre-restaurant vibe, with plenty of songs and the audience being reeled into the action in the cosy space of the Bille Brown Theatre. This is particularly so for the audience members who get to have a seat in the saloon and are occasionally given tasks to do. (Don’t worry – it’s voluntary. You can book those special seats, if that’s your thing.)

Post-interval, Calamity Jane becomes more conventional in its storytelling, with multiple romances popping up, along with jealousy. And, of course, there’s the famous song, Secret Love, which many have interpreted as having a double meaning. Is Calam singing about a guy or about Susan, with whom she’s now sharing her cabin? A beautiful rendition of The Black Hills of Dakota is another musical highpoint.

Several of the cast make their QT debut and all the performers deserve accolades. Juliette Coates shows off her impressive vocal skills in the dual roles of Susan and Adelaide; Laura Bunting similarly excels as both Katie Brown and Flo; QT veteran Buchanan, along with Anthony Gooley as Wild Bill Hickok and Sean Sinclair as Lieutenant Danny, are all great. Musical Director, Nigel Ubrihien takes to the stage as Rattlesnake, playing up a storm of honky tonk saloon music on the piano.

The production is in the very safe hands of director Richard Carroll, who helmed the Virginia Gay version, which won Best Production of an Independent Musical in the Sydney Theatre Awards. This also marks his QT debut.

There’s very low availability of tickets for this one so you’d better be quick if you don’t want to miss the Calamity Jane stagecoach. It is playing at Billie Brown Theatre until  17th April, 2025.

Vicki Englund

Other reviews you might enjoy:

• Antigone (Queensland Theatre) – theatre review
• The Almighty Sometimes (Queensland Theatre) – theatre review
• Lady Beatle (La Boite) – theatre review