Calamity Jane

Mansfield Operatic Society presented the musical classic, Calamity Jane, performed at The Palace Theatre in Mansfield. Set in the Wild West this is the story of tomboy Calamity Jane, whose skills and fearlessness are matched only by Wild Bill Hickok, with whom she has a friendly rivalry. This old favourite certainly attracted an excitable local audience, breaking into song during the overture, turning up on mass for the opening night. With such expectation, Mansfield Op had to deliver and I am pleased to say that they certainly did, presenting a very strong production.

Director, Pam Frith, is evidently experienced and knows her craft, producing a great show. Basic fundamentals such as interpretation, continuous action, flowing pace and spatial consistency were all expertly executed. Musically, the production was solid, with excellent sound balance from the pit and stage. MD, Paul O’Leary, ensured excellent tempo, control and harmony: evidently working hard with the ensemble (forgiving one minor blip). The choreography, provided by Abbie Morgan, was a good standard, with a superbly executed cancan from the nimble dance troupe.

Mansfield certainly benefited from tremendously talented principals, headed by Jane Wright as Calamity Jane; who provided an extremely professional all round performance. Supporting counterpart, Paul Caputa, performed with good characterisation and strong vocal ability as Wild Bill Hickok, as did Carolyn Frith (Katie Brown) and Garry Richardson (Francis Fryer) who were both well cast; each providing good character performance and superb vocals. The chorus were also very strong, providing excellent attention to detail, contributing successfully to the overall aesthetics.

The scenery package, sourced from Proscenium, was of an extremely high standard and worked well together, enabling near seamless scene changes. Costumes, acquired in-house, were accurate, consistent and provided plenty of visual variety. Technically, this production benefited from the professional assistance from the in house team and it was certainly noticeable; delivering with slick scene changes, flawless lighting transitions and well controlled sound.

On my first visit to this venue, I have to say that I was extremely impressed with the Palace Theatre facilities. Mansfield Op is extremely fortunate to have such a great performance platform. I hope that the Palace Theatre continues to encourage and support Community Theatre to flourish, as it really does made a difference.

Overall, this was a very polished production and one that Mansfield Op should be proud of. From all at NODA Nottingham, we thank you for your hospitality and look forward to seeing your next production of Oliver in 2015.   

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