Calamity Jane - BMOS

Photo: Luke Flaherty

Be prepared for some fun as Calamity Jane by BMOS plays the New Alexandra Theatre. This classic Wild West musical was portrayed well by a likeable cast, playing until Saturday 18 June.

Faye O’Leary was wonderful as Calamity Jane: a great accent, powerful singing voice and devil-may-care attitude (watch out for those gunshots!) made her truly a delight to watch. She was paired well with Wild Bill Hickock (Alistair Joliffe), their banter and transitioning relationship engaging and believable.

Carys Wilson came across well as the charming and loyal Katie Brown and matched nicely with Lieutenant Danny Gilmartin (Mark Walsh); both enchanted in Love You Dearly with lovely harmonies and good chemistry.

As Francis Fryer, Jake Genders gave an utterly fantastic performance, with a pleasing rendition of Ev’ryone Complains About The Weather followed by the hysterically funny Hive Full of Honey which had the audience howling and crying with laughter. Henry Miller (John Spencer) and Rattlesnake (Pat Price) also came across well in their respective characters as the constant worrier (used to good comic effect) and lovable drunk.

The leads have a highly supportive chorus, whose enthusiasm shone through for the vast majority of the show – a couple of the dances missed a little energy, however this was more than made up for with rousing chorus numbers, highlights being Windy City and The Deadwood Stage.

For a story with a very quick second half with not much action, the cast dealt with this very well (along with a few minor delayed microphone and lighting issues), throwing themselves wholeheartedly into the second act, maintaining their energy and ensuring the story was not lost and the emotional journeys of the two couples fully explored and shared with the audience.
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A very enjoyable production with catchy songs and great humour and romance, grab your tickets before they sell out – Whip Crack Away!