All posts by Richard Evans

Musical, Theatre

Review: Operation Mincemeat, Storyhouse, Chester by Richard Evans

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Avalon production company in association with SpitLip

Storyhouse, Chester, May 4-9, 2026

out of 5 stars (5 / 5)

What a story!  The real life events of Operation Mincemeat are nothing short of remarkable, a MI5 plan in 1943 to divert Nazi forces from Sicily to Sardinia to enable an Allied invasion of Sicily to take place with little opposition.  90,000 soldiers were moved on the strength of phoney intelligence found in a briefcase of a downed RAF pilot who was ‘planted’ off the coast of Spain.  However, would this translate to the stage, especially in the form of a musical?  On the strength of the standing ovation, it certainly does.  

The musical follows the events of Operation Mincemeat closely, MI5 agents vie for proposing a plan to fool the Nazi defences, an outlandish plan is accepted and then enacted.  A local coroner alerted MI5 to a homeless man who had recently passed away whose body could be used to construct a false identity.  A considerable backstory was invented for this phantom pilot including love letters and realistic documentation.  The body is let go from a submarine in the Mediterranean and when it is washed up onshore, an autopsy is carried out and arrangements were made for the briefcase to fall into the hands of the Nazis.   

The cast of five all take multiple roles in a fast moving production and work together excellently as a team.  It was hard to pick out a stand out performer but Christian Andrews excelled as Hester Leggatt and others, a soft spoken more elderly secretary.  Georgina Hagen as Ewen Montagu was brash and bullish, full of pluck.  Sean Carey was a wonderfully bumbling Charles Cholmondeley who came up with the outrageous plan yet was too shy to promote it.  Jamie-Rose Monk was forthright as Johnny Bevan, the overseer of the project and Katy Ellis was assured as the put upon Jean Leslie, a talented spy but who was often overlooked because she was a woman. 

The set was very clever, illustrating an operations room for the most part but then by the use of strategic lighting transformed at one point into a plane.  The choreography was slick and helped hold your attention and while the band was a small four piece unit, gave the feel of a wartime vibe.  

There were issues raised by the production.  The identity of the phoney pilot at times was dismissed as unimportant, a homeless man is a nobody apparently.  However, measures were taken to find his identity and make sure that there was no surviving family who may be looking for him.  Eventually his identity was recognised and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission added his name to go with the false identity of the pilot on the memorial in Spain.  Montagu at one point was suspected of being a Soviet spy, passing documents to his brother who was a communist.  This turned out to be a screenplay, but the prospect kept the plot boiling with intrigue.

It is hard to do justice in describing this musical.  Despite being a complex story, it works wonderfully well and became a dazzling production, picking up on public school attitudes amongst the officers and communicating the story really well.  It deserves to become a must see production for anyone with an interest in theatre, musicals or the history of world war 2.  

Theatre

Review: 2:22 A Ghost Story, Venue Cymru, Llandudno, by Richard Evans

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Runaway Entertainment, written by Danny Robins, directed by Matthew Dunster & Gabriel Vega Weissman

Venue Cymru, Llandudno, April 27 – May 2 and on tour nationwide

out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5)

2:22, a ghost story or a debate over whether the supernatural is an actual phenomenon?  The premise behind 2:22 a Ghost Story is rich with potential,  a couple with a new baby move into their intended forever home yet while one partner is away, things start to go bump in the night.  On his return, they invite a good friend and her new boyfriend in for dinner and ask them to investigate the sounds which seem to occur at 2:22 in the morning.  Cue the shrieks, flashing lights and blackout.  

The cast do a great job in telling this story, each character has a well defined persona revealing multiple layers as the play develops.  James Bye plays the arch sceptic, Sam, who seeks a scientific explanation behind every event, natural or supposedly supernatural, Shvorne Marks plays the angst filled mother, Jenny, who has a faith based upbringing making her open to the supernatural. Natialie Casey plays Lauren, the old friend who holds more than a candle to Sam tainted with a sense of frustration as he once laughed at her when she told him about a meaningful, perhaps ghostly experience.  Grant Kilburn plays the new boyfriend Ben who is local, working class and seemingly less sophisticated than the others but who believes in the supernatural.  

The set is simple, an open plan kitchen/dinging room that is in the process of being redecorated after they have ripped out several walls to make it open plan.  Have they upset the lingering memories of families who have lived there before and who now return to haunt them?  We are led to believe this is the case, or perhaps the strange noise emanate from some urban foxes who are hugely vociferous, often in a sudden way.  

As the play develops and time draws near to 2.22, the fear that there is something out there trying to get to them grows.  The suspense is built when windows are opened unexpectedly, a teddy bear is moved into the bathroom and is found soaked in white spirit with no apparent logical explanation.  Sam interjects and tries to dampen down these feelings arguing for a rational, logical explanation for these strange goings on.  His arguments are powerful even though he is opposed by the other three.  

It seems the presuppositions Sam holds are that this world is thoroughly materialistic, there is no supernatural and that the universe is filled with chance events that people unite in their minds to find meaning and purpose.  While this viewpoint seems normative in the scientific community, there are alternatives.  Some believe that there is a supernatural world with some power behind it who uses chance to allow the universe to develop.  But being intelligent, the chances are loaded towards complexity and purpose.  Both options among others remain possible.   

Of course we are not allowed to tell others the dramatic nature of the ending, but therein lies a problem.  The play asks us to consider that when people talk about a person who is not there, their recollection becomes so real to them that they believe that they were actually present rather than a memory.  This stretches credibility.  The play also uses a lot of dialogue to explore the issues surrounding the supernatural, but then throws in some random screams to change scenes and to keep people jumpy.  This became tiresome.  

While there are problems with the storyline this does not alter the fact that this remains a watchable, engrossing performance that holds the attention of the audience and gives them a few things to think about in their ensuing sleepless nights waiting for that bump in the night.

Theatre

Review: Under Milk Wood, Theatr Clwyd, Mold, by Richard Evans

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Dylan Thomas, A Theatr Clwyd production. Theatr Clwyd March 19-April 4, 2026; 2 hrs 20 mins

out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5)

Dylan Thomas was a dreamer, drifter, poet and rogue and Under Milk Wood is undoubtedly his masterpiece. Often described as a “play for voices”, Thomas himself described it as “prose with blood pressure”.  

The storyline is undeniably simple: a day in the life of a village, Llareggub. But it’s the detail that matters.  The play opens by expressing the dreams of a host of villagers and describing their village, then portrays an ordinary day, drawing out the attitudes, character and actions of the villagers. There is a marked difference between the nature of those dreams and their daily life. The set is simple and imaginative, focusing on a houses jumbled together on a hillside – evocative of many villages in the Welsh Valleys.

This new production, directed by Theatr Clwyd’s artistic director, Kate Wasserberg, rejects static recital and animates the prose using quite a large company, incorporating several actors who are deaf, disabled or neurodivergent. The degree of preparation must have been difficult, tying together tightly- choreographed movement with the text and incorporating sign language; but cast members are nonetheless highly accomplished and thoroughly well schooled by movement director Laura Meaton – the action flows seamlessly. The cast works together as a team and during the first act there are no stand-out performers, just a group working together in unity.

During the second act a few players have the chance to shine, Georgia Griffiths sings beautifully as Polly Garter; Amy Conachan wheels around the stage in her chair with aplomb, and Sean Carlson starts and ends the day beuatifully with a wistful poem as the Reverend Jenkins.

Of course the most delightful aspect of this play is the prose. It draws you into the story and invests you in the characters. There is acute observation; Thomas knows these people and describes them affectionately, warts and all. There is an earthy, realistic humour as well as a large amount of pathos amid this excellent characterisation. The cast is great at bringing this prose to life, even though the combination of action, sign language, slick movement and on-screen text can be an assault on your eyesight at times.

This is not a traditional play, but it is a profound experience. From a mundane situation the play draws out the joys and tragedies that life brings, as well as describing an almost idyllic setting of woods, mountains, river and sea, making this an intense, but thoroughly enjoyable, night’s entertainment.

Theatre

Review: Glitch, The True Story of the Post Office Scandal, Theatr Clwyd, Mold, by Richard Evans

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A Rabble Theatre production, Theatr Weston (Theatr Clwyd)

out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5)

On tour nationwide until April

Glitch.  It took a television series to ignite public anger about a scandal that had been brewing for over 20 years.  Those with an eye to the news knew something about what was happening but most remained blindly indifferent to the scale of injustice that was being perpetrated.  This drama relates some personal stories from those whose lives were often ruined by the actions of the Post Office and the computer company, Fujitsu.  It focuses in particular on the story of Pam Stubbs from Barkham, a small village 15 minutes away from the Fujitsu headquarters in Basingstoke. 

Rabble theatre takes stories of national significance and develops drama from them.  They are passionate about supporting women such that when they heard the story of Pam in 2021, they felt compelled to tell her story. As they devised the show, it became apparent that this was a huge scandal, not a one off event.  Glitch was first produced in 2024, before the broadcast of the now famous ITV drama featuring Alan Bates who was knighted recently for investigating this scandal and managing the campaign for justice.  

What happened to over 900 sub-post office masters is quite simple.  A new computer system called Horizon made by Fujitsu to record transactions was installed in sub-post offices.  A selection of these Horizon machines developed a bug which altered the totals of a days takings leaving a short fall of perhaps £200 a day unaccounted for.  Over a period of time, a sub-post office could run up a debt of up to £50,000 by which time, the Post Office auditors would have been called in to inspect what was happening and concluded that the sub-post office master was swindling the system.  The Post Office would then prosecute the shop owner to recoup the money.   

Pam’s particular story is both distressing and admirable.  She kept meticulous written records of every Post Office transaction and could detail every loss that was unjustly incurred within the accounts.  Despite countless attempts to call in help from the Post Office and Fujitsu she was not believed, had her counter closed down and she had to sell her shop.  She became a social pariah in a close knit village, yet despite this when called on to testify in court, stood up and told her story despite intimidating and manipulative tactics from the defence lawyers.  She emerges as a strong minded, fair person who acted with integrity.  

This show needed a strong lead and Joanna Howarth as Pam provides this.  At times friendly and gentle, at others someone you would not mess with.  However this was a team effort with a small cast of four.  Laura Penneycard, Naveed Khan and Sabine Netherclift all played multiple roles and together they portrayed a compelling drama that illustrated the distress caused by the scandal well.  

The play notes that 300 people died before seeing this injustice exposed and their name cleared.  Thirteen of those committed suicide.  Many law abiding citizens were imprisoned or faced bankruptcy because the Post Office believed a computer system from a faceless multinational company rather than honest working people.  This really is a story of the common person fighting against the impersonal cruelty of big business and the desire to put profit before people.  Full marks to Rabble Theatre for being bold enough to tell this story.  It deserves widespread viewing.

Opera & classical

Review: Carmen, Venue Cymru, Llandudno by Richard Evans

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A Senbla production of an Ellen Kent Opera featuring the Opera International, Kyiv, Ukraine.

out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5)

On tour nationwide until May

Take a beautiful, enticing, manipulative woman, add a soldier in his finery and then a virile toreador and then stand back to watch the sparks fly.  That is the premise behind Georges Bizet opera, Carmen.  

The character of Carmen is ebullient and vivacious and she is not above using her charm to get what she wants. Her story involves a love triangle between herself and two suitors, a soldier and a bullfighter.  The soldier, Don Jose succumbs to her wiles and is forced to leave his regiment after falling out with his commanding officer.  In the meantime, Carmen has met with the toreador between which there is an instant, mutual attraction. Don Jose goes returns with a childhood sweetheart to see his ailing mother but then the power of Carmens seduction draws him back to her.  Consumed by jealousy when Carmen taunts his love compared to her bullfighter, he kills her.  

To play Carmen well, good acting skills and a great voice are needed and Mariia Davydova exhibits these in abundance.  The opera is famous for its sultry and seductive songs, such as Habanera and Seguidilla that ignite passion and you could not help warm to Davydovas presence on stage.   Opposite her, Iurie Gisca played Escamillo, the toreador with strength and confidence and Oleksii Srebnytskyi played Don Jose.  While Srebnytskyi did not have the stature of many soldiers his voice was striking, clear and impassioned.  Together with Davydova, they captured the mood of the opera really well. 

The supporting cast attack their role with enthusiasm, accentuating the devil may care attitudes inherent in the opera, however the fight scenes need some attention.  In the denouement, Carmen practically walks onto the knife in Don Jose’s hand and in the conflict between Don Jose and his superior officer they seemed to flap at each other ineffectively.  One nice comic touch was to see soldiers being beaten into submission by factory girls wielding bouquets of flowers.  The scenery and costumes bring the environment in southern Spain to the fore and add a dramatic backdrop to the action.

The story has elements that come across as odd in a modern age, describing cigarette smoke as “sweet smelling, rising up to heaven” and equating it with love.  I’m sure the anti-smoking lobby would disapprove of those lyrics.  The opera also illustrates how limited the choices were for women and people of a labouring class.  Carmen’s character has an untrammelled joy at times, describing love as a bird that can not be tamed, or a gypsy child that knows no laws.  This illustrates an intriguing theme within the opera, the desire for freedom which conflicts with duty and obedience to the law for the sake of avoiding chaos.

In many respects, this is a stirring show.  There is plenty of humour, some playful optimism yet with a tragic ending filled with pathos.  It is definitely a show to pull on the heartstrings.  Alongside La Traviata and Madame Butterfly, this is part of Ellen Kents ballet and opera international farewell tour and they have certainly picked out some action packed operas to present. These three shows should be high up on the ‘must see’ list of anyone with even a vague interest in opera.  

Opera & classical

Review: La Traviata, Venue Cymru, Llandudno by Richard Evans

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A Senbla production of an Ellen Kent Opera featuring the Opera International, Kyiv, Ukraine.

out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

On tour nationwide until April

La Traviata, a tale of forbidden love and loss with some hauntingly beautiful melodies.  Can a man from a well to do background fall in love with a fallen woman and find acceptance from his family no matter how rich she is?

Ellen Kent’s La Traviata followed a pattern established over recent years.  The set was simple, an intricate backdrop that stayed the same for each act, with little, yet effective scenery and an orchestra that played subtly.  In effect this drew attention strongly to the stage, the costuming, voices and the acting.  As a visual spectacle this show was pleasing to the eye, the costumes suitably opulent and the background evocative of a grand ballroom.   The voices were superb but movement on stage was often more pedestrian than animated.  

The story, based on a play, the Lady of the Camellias by Alexandre Dumas is a tragedy.  Violetta is dying but when she meets a gentleman, Alfredo, they fall passionately in love.  His father persuades Violetta to abandon Alfredo to preserve the family’s honour and protect the reputation of a younger sister.  However, once Violetta is nearing her end, she is reconciled with Alfredo and the father shows some remorse for causing their rift.

The storyline dictates that the spotlight is very firmly on the soloists and in particular the lead soprano, Violetta, played by Viktoriia Melnyk.  Her voice was rich, powerful and striking especially when hitting the top notes.  Her duets with Alfredo, played by Hovhannes Andreasyan in Act 1 and with Alfredo’s father, sang by Iurie Gisca in Act 2 are heart warmingly memorable.  The large company support the leads well although more could be made of some scenes for example when the Baron challenges Alfredo to a duel.  I expected to see much more anger from the Baron.

By modern standards, there are some weaknesses to the plot.  The father, despite being told that Violetta is dying asks her to make a huge sacrifice stating that Alfredo will fall out of love with her when her looks disappear in the future.  Hardly the most understanding attitude to someone in the last throes of tuberculosis.  However, like any story it is a child of its time and attitudes have changed.  Of course women today have more personal freedom and their success in life is not defined by achieving a good match.  Society is also not as condemnatory towards people with a so called illicit lifestyle.  No matter how good a person Violetta was, she could never achieve respectability because she was a courtesan.

This production of La Triaviata is part of the farewell tour for Ellen Kents opera company.  It is accompanied by Carmen, also showing at Venue Cymru, and Madame Butterfly.  Over the past 30 years, Ellen Kent Opera and Ballet International has established a reputation for producing high quality opera and opening up the genre to a wider audience.  La Traviata is a classic opera that lives long in the memory and is therefore a fitting part of this farewell tour and leads to a sense of expectation for the next instalment, Carmen.    

Theatre

Review: Pride and Prejudice Theatr Clwyd, Mold, by Richard Evans

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By Kate Hamill, adapted from Jane Austin’s novel Theatr Moondance, Theatr Clwyd, October 15 – 25th 2025 and touring

out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5)

An Octagon Theatre Bolton, Theatre by the Lake, Stephen Joseph Theatre and Hull Truck Theatre production, in association with Theatr Clwyd

To mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austens birth, a new Pride and Prejudice play sounds a great idea. We were promised a witty retelling of this classic novel and there was plenty of humour, even farce, but would this do justice to the original or the numerous subsequent films and serialisations?

The story of course is well known.  Four sisters living in a rural location with no dowry need a match yet the older two are on the verge of spinsterhood while the younger two show little sign of maturity.  When Darcy arrives he is disparaging about this provincial, rustic society so when he proposes to one sister, Lizzie despite his better judgement he is surprised to be refused.  He then sets about successfully winning her hand managing to change the determined attitude of his beau. 

There was much to enjoy about the evening, Rosa Hesmondhalgh as Elizabeth Bennett was forthright, outspoken yet loyal to her family despite the many frustrations they caused her and James Sheldon’s Darcy visibly softened from an arrogant attitude to one demonstrating consideration and compassion beyond expectations.  The scenes where Darcy proposes and where he and Lizzie finally find each other were captivating.  The audience also warmed to the plentiful farcical humour with the figures of Mrs Bennett (Joanna Holden) and Mr Collins (Ben Fensome) in particular appearing almost pantomimesque.

There were some strange decisions concerning casting.  Eve Pereira carved out a lovely put upon role as Mary Bennett but was also asked to play Mr Bingham, despite her smaller physical stature compared to the other male characters.  Jessica Ellis was funny and vivacious as Lydia Bennett yet was less convincing and quite shouty as Lady Catherine de Burgh.

The major difficulty of staging Austen’s masterpiece, Pride and Prejudice, is that it is so well loved and so much part of peoples literary history that some people are bound to be disappointed.  This production fell between two stools.  The costuming indicated that it was set in Regency times but no attempt was made to adapt period mannerisms, language and attitudes.  There is a small genre of novels that are modern Pride and Prejudice retellings such that a contemporary setting for the play is a realistic prospect.  

Austen is well loved for her dry wit and irony but is not known for her slapstick and farce.  As a consequence, there are many who would have preferred a version that retaining the quiet reserved dignity associated with upper class Regency society.  However, for others, they will enjoy this show, funny as it was, after all the storyline of Pride and Prejudice remains compelling.

Music

Review: That’ll be the Day, Venue Cymru, Llandudno by Richard Evans

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Venue Cymru, Llandudno, Sept 12 and touring

out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5)

T C Productions Ltd

This performance is part of the 40th anniversary tour of ‘That’ll be the day’ and labelled as the farewell tour of Trevor Payne.  Would this be indulgent nostalgia or a more vital performance that loyal fans are used to?  Most certainly it was the latter with a few reminiscences thrown in for good measure.  

The show starts with a medley of rock ’n’ roll numbers such as ‘Oh Boy’ and ‘Rock around the clock’ and before the interval there is a large focus on sixties music with a range of artists represented including the Beatles, the Beach Boys and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons.  Each of the main performers take their turn in singing that song best suited to their voice.  For me, the vocals of Nikki Renee Hechavarria were outstanding but there were no weaknesses in the line up.  The songs tended to be of a type, upbeat, optimistic, sing-a-long and all came from the charts.  Would it be too much to ask for something more raunchy like ‘The Who’, or for a protest song from Bob Dylan?

The backing musicians were excellent.  They were on stage for the vast majority of the show, playing a range of different styles and providing backing vocals for countless shows.  Along with the sound and lighting crew these would be the unsung heroes of the show.  There was a nice moment when Ollie Grey was handed the original Fender Stratocaster played by Trevor when the show first started, long before Ollie was able to pick one up.  

The show is more than a musical review.  Songs are interspersed with small comic videos and comedy routines.  There is great repartee between Trevor, who writes, produces and directs the show and Gary Anderson.  The jokes are often suggestive, much in line with ‘Carry On’ film humour which is highly appropriate given the origins of the show are in holiday camp theatres in places like Minehead and Bognor Regis. There are also sections were performers impersonate popstars.  To do this, a performer has to move fairly seamlessly between characters, and then take on a new persona for a couple of songs.  This makes the show quick paced and engaging throughout. 

To last 40 years, there has to be a winning formula especially when the show has people who return year after year or more than that, travel around to see the show in different venues whether in Britain or elsewhere.  It is great to see how the show has developed playing larger venues and attracting more followers and that they have been generous enough to support charities like the Make a Wish foundation, Childline and Help for Heroes.  During lockdown, the show was streamed into people’s homes with over 200 performances taking place. 

For many an evening like this is a trip down memory lane to see a choice selection of hits from the 1950’s to the 1980’s but there is enough here to engage both young and old.  It is thoughtfully prepared and well rehearsed with the cast and crew working together as a team.  As befits such a well honed show, it is a great nights entertainment. 

Musical, Theatre

Review: Annie Get your Gun, Theatr Clwyd, Mold by Richard Evans

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Theatr Moondance, Theatr Clwyd, Mold, Sept 3rd – 6th 2025

out of 5 stars (3 / 5)

Tiptop Productions

Was this a musical or a concert?

The opening, show stopping number, ‘There’s no business like show business was lively, passionate and well coordinated and indicated that it was the former, a musical.  One would then expect the stage to clear and the acting to start, but instead the ensemble sat down in serried rows and the action took place in front of them, indicating it was more of a concert.  In this way the production was neither one nor the other.  

The story of Annie is loosely based in history.  Annie is a poor girl who traps and shoots animals to feed her siblings.  She is set up to challenge Frank Butler, a sharpshooter in Buffalo Bills Wild West show and wins.  She then joins the troupe and falls in love with Frank but he will not accept Annie’s new found fame and leaves for a rival troupe, run by Pawnee Bill.  Buffalo Bill’s show tours Europe to great acclaim but little financial gain so has to come home and merge with Pawnee, thus bringing the two stars together again.  When Annie loses a shooting match to Frank on purpose, they are reconciled and get married.  

The company are enthusiastic in their endeavours despite being self conscious at times.   Jade Pritchard is well cast as Annie and has a great voice.  She has a good rapport with Gareth Hughes as Frank especially when they are acting as rivals.  Their duet with ‘Anything your can do I can do better’ was memorable.  Annie’s young siblings, Grace Hill as Jessie, Abigail Garner as Nellie and Arlo Lucas as Little Jake were a bundle of energy.  The action though was static at times, limited by the staging where the action took place behind four microphones at the front of the stage.  The production also lacked attention to detail especially in costuming, with some 20th Century shoes on show and the odd suit that seemed straight out of the 1970’s.

The musicals main characters in real life, Annie Oakley and Frank Butler were indeed natural sharpshooters.  Annie came from an impoverished background until she won her shooting contest with Frank.  They married and formed a performing partnership with great success.  Annie, in a long career went on to support women’s rights and to teach self defence lessons.  The Hollywood version is a more saccharine coated, sanitised version where Annie has to lose a second shooting match with Frank in order to win his heart, indicating perhaps that the male ego could not stand the prospect of being less successful than a female.  

The musical raises a question, what does a man look for in a woman?  According to the song, ‘The girl that I marry’ she will be ‘as soft and pink as a nursery’, wearing satin, laces and cologne and having polished her nails.  And that is what Annie had to change to be in order to get her man.  This seems a world away from the real life Annie, and out of kilter with many women today.  However, this should not stop us enjoying what is a feel good show with great Irving Berlin songs and which was enthusiastically and competently performed by the company.   

Musical

Review: Calamity Jane, Venue Cymru, Llandudno, by Richard Evans

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Venue Cymru, Llandudno, 26-30th August 2025 and touring

out of 5 stars (5 / 5)

Jamie Wilson productions, Kevin McCollum, Gavin Kalin productions, evolution productions, Tilted, Willette & Manny Klausner in association with Grace street creative group and David & Hannah Mirvish. A Watermill Production.

Calamity Jane. They’ve turned the legend of a gun totin’, liquor swillin’ girl masquerading as a man into a love story.  The actual events of Calam’s life are based in fact, but have been exaggerated, not least by the woman herself.  However, we should not let our quest for reliable history get in the way of a rattling good story which is what this musical is.

Calamity Jane breezes into a Deadwood saloon having guarded the stagecoach safely into town.  On the coach is Francis Fryer, an entertainer.  Sadly, he does not possess the attributes desired by a hard living audience that has been starved of female company.  He is a man.  When the saloon owner nearly causes a riot trying to fool the waiting crowd that Francis is actually a woman, Calam goes to Chicago to tempt a music hall star, Adelaid Adams to come to Deadwood. As befits her name, she makes a disastrous mistake and brings back her maid, Katie Brown.  However, Katie turns out to be a roaring success and settles with Calam in her run down shack and brings out the more feminine sides to her hosts character.  The two women then become love rivals for an army lieutenant, Danny, before Calam realises that her love for her long time companion and critic, Wild Bill Hickok is mutual and Katie is free to marry her soldier.

Carrie Hope Fletcher is great as Calamity, commanding the stage with her presence.  She is ably supported by Seren Sandham-Davies as Katie, Samuel Holmes as Francis and an understudy for Bill, Thomas Wolstenholme. The company provided plenty of warmth, energy, optimism and banter as the story unfolds into a quick placed drama.  Scene changes were effected by moving props and this required some imagination, not least in the formation of a stage coach by the cast.  The music gave a hoe down feel to the show and there were plenty of catchy numbers to go along with the iconic ‘whip crack away’ Deadwood stage song making this a feel good show.

There is some depth to this story.  Bill Hickok repeatedly wants Calam to be more like a girl, but she is more comfortable wearing buckskin leathers, carrying a six gun and earning the right to be accepted in this hostile culture on her own merit.  However, most of her compatriots drool over the suggestive temptress that is Adelaid Adams.  Herein is a spectrum of femininity and surely there is a place for all along that line.  A woman should be free to be who she wants to be.  Men need not be threatened by a physically strong, aggressive woman and should not expect a woman’s best qualities to lie in her appearance.  Not a bad lesson to come from a good nights entertainment.  

In one sense the story is a throwback to watching Rawhide or the Virginian on TV for those of us with long memories.  We now know that the entertainment industry has sanitised and romanticised stories of the wild west.  The reality was more raw and brutal than we have been led to expect, not least to the surrounding Native American Indian cultures that were often dispossessed quite violently.  However, this is just a story based on the life of a remarkable individual and if a story is a good one, it is worth telling and by the audience reaction, this musical is certainly that.  A raucous, enthusiastic reception was given to a deserving cast after a sparking show.