Blowing in from the Windy City, Calamity Jane brings many a western drawl (and a few stray accents) to a packed Festival Theatre. This is one of those shows which, a bit like its post-Golden Age Hollywood roots, shimmers with a fond memory or two, but outside of a few hummed ditties and feelgood moments, there’s little impact to be felt from the production’s cracked whips and admittedly impressive visage.

The Watermill Theatre’s revived vision has much to do with its success, honing squarely in on the nostalgia, and with a crowbarred sense of humour. It’s lifted by Carrie Hope Fletcher’s enthusiasm and draw-power as the titular frontierswoman. Coiled like a rattlesnake, ready to lash out, Fletcher certainly meets many of the audience’s expectations. But as so often happens with the star-vehicle mindset, her presence takes away from others. Not an issue for co-stars Seren Sandham-Davies (Katie Brown) and Samuel Holmes (Francis Fryer) though, who develop a more absorbing side story of fame and blossoming romance.

And by the time the third (or seventh) reprisal of ‘The Black Hills Of Dakota’ rolls around, the entire theatre seems to have succumbed to the ache of it all: their wagons hitched, a steady stream of humming voices puttering out of the theatre as Calamity Jane saddles up for further stops on its tour. 

Calamity Jane tours the UK until September 2025; reviewed at Festival Theatre, Edinburgh; image: Mark Senior.