Love Midlands Theatre

  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Contact

Tamworth Arts Club Deliver A Charming Calamity Jane

15/10/2015

Comments

 
Picture
Packed full of well-known songs including Deadwood Stage, Whip Crack Away and The Black Hills of Dakota; Calamity Jane is one of those classic shows guaranteed to have the audience humming their way out of the theatre, and Tamworth Arts Club’s production is no exception. 

It is the singing throughout the production which really stands out and carries the show along. Full credit is due to Sue Arthur for her sympathetic musical direction. The principal performers grasp their solo moments with great energy and their voices blend well together in duets, while the ensemble deliver powerful, balanced harmonies in all their numbers. 

Funny and brash; Jenny Barlow-Jennings is perfect in the title role with a strong voice that really comes into its own in Secret Love. Excellent vocals too from Andrew Gilman as Wild Bill Hickok and Nicola Downs as Katie Brown, while Connor Brooks adds a near-show stealing performance as Francis Fryer.

The set is simple yet works well and avoids the need for clumsy scene changes. The Assembly Room stage is small for the cast of 35 which leads to some static staging in places and this can slow the pace of the action a little. That aside, this is a warm, charming production which gives everyone on and off-stage a moment in the spotlight – the front of house staff in western costume setting the tone of the evening from the first entrance into the building.

This is a classic show that is so well-known, so iconic in Doris Day’s career that it is difficult to take it in a new direction, but Tamworth Arts Club have succeeded in creating a show with just the right balance of slapstick, showbiz and timeless romance to satisfy old fans and new audiences alike.

Runs until Saturday 17 October at Tamworth Assembly Rooms.  
Comments

    Love Midlands Theatre

    Sharing the latest theatre news and reviews around the Midlands.

    Picture
    Tweets by @midlandstheatre

    Subscribe to our mailing list

    * indicates required

    Archives

    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015

    Categories

    All
    Amateur Theatre
    Birmingham
    Coventry
    Love Midlands Theatre
    Professional
    Review
    Solihull
    Stafford
    Tamworth
    Theatre
    Wolverhampton

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly