Whip Crack Away!

Hello everyone! So this review is going to be the last one for March - thank God! I don't think I have ever seen so much in the same month. Blame all these tour organisers for putting them all in Manchester so close to each other! And this one was the last one for March! So what is it you ask? That would be the UK Tour of Calamity Jane - and in the real windy city of Manchester =P 

The show, with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster, is based on the real life of Martha Jane Cannary (or Calamity Jane) and the 1953 film which starred Doris Day in the title role, and also won an Oscar for the song Secret Love.
After the latest performance at the local saloon backfires, Calamity Jane goes from Deadwood to Chicago, and brings back who she thinks is the famous actress Adaleide Adams (in fact she brings back her assistant, who wants desperately to be in her boss' shoes). When this young actress falls for the man Calamity likes however, things start to turn a bit sour....

Jodie signing brochures for fans

Now, before we go any further, I have to get into the main reason why I enjoyed this production so much - the cast were all actor/musicians - and good actor/musicians too. There would be people who'd switch from piano to flute to violin all in the space of a few songs. And what amazed both my boyfriend and I when we were watching them sing, dance and play and the same time, was just HOW they made it sound! I have to give some credit to the sound team; I have no idea where all the microphones were on those instruments to have made it sound that good! Honestly, it was like a professional recording!
The setting of the whole production was a very simple saloon and for other scenes, such as Calamity travelling to and from Chicago, they shifted objects around to look like the Deadwood Stage, or used lighting effects to show her being on a train. I mention this because, added with the amazing music and sound quality, it felt like you were really on stage with the actors, in a real hoe-down. I personally think this has made Calamity the most intimate show I have seen since Little Shop of Horrors (click here for my review of that) - and so this gives you a better idea of why I say that, Little Shop was at the Royal Exchange Theatre, which is much smaller than the Palace Theatre, and there you could see Audrey II devouring her victims right in front of you wherever you sat. In a larger theatre, it is of course much harder to get that sense of intimacy than a small theatre would, and I think the team behind Calamity pulled that off beautifully.

Me and my boyfriend with Jodie Prenger =D

I have already mentioned the company were brilliant actor/musicians and I don't really want to get any deeper about that for fear of spoiling an incredible experience. I do though have to mention the two principals; first up, Tom Lister as Wild Bill Hickcock. It's, according the programme, only his 2nd musical (?) and to be honest, he should do more as he has a really nice voice and played the part pretty well indeed - the moment when he dresses up as Queen Victoria is just brilliant! And the second person I have to mention, and a big reason why I wanted to see this show, is Jodie Prenger as Calamity herself. She may not exactly look much like a man as Calamity did (seriously, people thought she was a man), but it didn't really matter to me - I believe that if you play the part well enough and you get the character across, it doesn't really matter what the character looks/supposed to look like as the audience can use something called their imaginations. And that's what Jodie did. I probably shouldn't go any further, and just want to encourage you guys to go and see it for yourselves.

My brochure, signed by Tom Lister
and Jodie Prenger!!!!

Finally, before I finish up, I'm just going to show off I suppose with what happened after the show. Throughout March, the entire company had been collecting money for a human trafficking charity which was founded in Manchester (really sorry, I can't remember the name - but I do want to mention that on their weekend off, the cast cycled all the way from London to Manchester and raised A LOT of money, so well done guys), and so the cast were collecting change around the theatre - and while people were popping their spare change (and notes) into the buckets, both Tom and Jodie were also in the foyer taking autographs!!! Well it certainly beat the normality of waiting at stage door in the cold!! And therefore, I got my brochure signed by both of them, with my picture taken with my boyfriend and Jodie herself!!

Talk about icing on the cake after what had already been a wonderful day spent in Manchester with my boyfriend - and Calamity was also the first show, after nearly 18 months together, that we saw together. Well, better late than never as they say and it seems like it all worked out fine =P

And what a coincidence - I'm catching up on EPOS at the same time, and what comes on as I'm finishing up...? I just came in from the windy city, the windy city is mighty purty!!!