Even before they take the stage, the cast of Calamity Jane break the fourth wall as they mingle with the Sydney Opera House staff to seat the audience in the Golden Garter, Deadwood’s not so dead centre.
Here, the saloon’s proprietor Henry Miller (Phillip Lowe) introduces us to the world on the fringes of the old west, its rowdiness and its insatiable desire for booze and girls, particularly show girls.
With the town’s Marshall freshly dead, Deadwood now looks to Wild Bill Hickok (Andrew Cutcliffe) to keep a semblance of order with the help of sharpshooter, tom boy and self-appointed western legend Calamity Jane (Virginia Gay).
This task is called in immediately as Miller has imported a mail-order show girl, who turns out to be Francis, not Frances, Fryer (Ryan Gonzalez).
Miller attempts to make up for the mistake by setting his sights on an even bigger prize, Adelaide Adams (Victoria Falconer), the doyenne of the American stage.
The only problem is that she is appearing in Chicago, where she is getting ready to leave for a European tour. To save Miller’s hide, Calamity comes to the rescue as she vows to bring Adams back to perform at the Golden Garter.
Instead she meets her stage assistant Katie Brown (Kala Gare), and the rest of the musical cascades towards its unexpected ending.
From the opening song The Deadwood Stage (Whip-Crack-Away) this irreverent musical has the audience onside, helped by the casts’ inclusion of them into the act.
Making an early appearance with Miller is Adams, also as the hapless but enthusiastic showgirl Susan, and Nigel Ubrihien as the Golden Garter’s musical anchor, the barrelhouse pianist Rattlesnake.
Despite it being largely Calamity’s story, this is essentially an ensemble piece, with all characters getting a turn to bring a tune to stage, and none more anticipated than the dashing Lt Danny Gilmartin (Kaya Byrne) who duets with Katie Brown on Love You Dearly in the second act.
Fryer’s turn comes early with his show stopping Everyone Complains About The Weather early on and Gay gets to show her vocal strength in Windy City with the ensemble, while Susan and Rattlesnake show what they can do with Can-Can.
A touching and hilarious take on domesticity moment is Calamity and Katie’s shared A Woman’s Touch, while The Black Hills of Dakota shows what the two can do both by themselves and with the ensemble.
Starting off with Gay strumming a banjo it develops slowly into a powerhouse of Americana folk tradition reminiscent of Alison Kraus and the earlier Carter Family.
Of course everyone is waiting for My Secret Love, which does not disappoint. Starting off as simple solo from Gay, the ensemble and Gay reprise it as a powerful leitmotif as it describes all of the subtext that has made this musical so enduring.
Directed by Richard Carroll, who also directed the 2018 Hayes Theatre production, many of the original creative team including Nigel Ubrihien, Cameron Mitchell (choreographer), Lauren Peters (set and costume) and Trent Suidgeest (lighting) have also joined this production.
The role of Calamity Jane will be shared with Billie Palin.
That this musical is taken from a film now over 70 years old explains a lot of its hokeyness, that is rescued to a large degree by the quality of Sammy Fain’s music with words by Paul Francis Webster.
But this is a problem now facing the re-staging of many classical musicals, with Guys and Dolls now over 75 years old and even Cats is 44 years old.
The problem for many revivals is keeping them fresh and relevant and Calamity Jane has done this largely by updating some dialogue and not taking itself seriously, while bringing the audience in on the journey.
It has also helped that the ‘is she, is she not” question of Calamity’s still questionable sexual preferences has been kept alive by an enthusiastic gay and lesbian following.
This production unashamedly plays it all to the hilt, ensuring that we all leave the theatre with our interpretations intact after having a damn good time.
Calamity Jane
Studio – Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point, Sydney
Performance: Sunday 19 October 2025
Season continues to 16 November 2025
Information and Bookings: www.sydneyoperahouse.com
Images: The Cast of Calamity Jane – photos by Daniel Boud
Review: John Moyle