Sunday 29 April 2012

Calamity Jane



Thursday night saw me going out to review a performance of Calamity Jane from the Newport Operatic Society.  I have to admit, I didn't really want to go as I was really tired as it was the first week back in school and work for everyone.   But anyway, I went and here's the review:

Calamity Jane is a stage play loosely based on tales from the life of Martha Jane Cannary and was developed from the classic 1953 Doris Day film of the same name. Newport Operatic Society¹s presentation features many new songs added for the stage production and also retains many of the favorites from the movie including The Deadwood Stage, A Woman¹s Touch and the Academy Award winning Secret Love. The whole cast was flawless in their singing of these songs and performance throughout the whole show.


From the moment she stepped on stage Jackie Robins as Katie Brown gave an impeccable performance, her rendition of Love You Dearly with Dafydd Lansley was marvelous. It was also clear to see that the audience were really enjoying Rachel Woodsford portrayal of Calamity Jane and Adrian Bevan as Wild Bill Hickock.


With a history that includes running an International Doris Day fan club, I was hoping for an outstanding performance from Martin Woodsford as Francis Fryer the rather shy performer. He didn¹t dissapoint, as he lit up the stage, playing the bumbling character to perfection, really playing up the part where he has to act in drag. I also really enjoyed watching the love story develop between Francis and Susan, played by Jodi Bennett.


The best song of the evening was the Ensemble singing The Black Hills of Dakota in which they managed to produce some beautiful harmonies.


The show runs at the Dolman Theatre until Saturday 28th April 2012.

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