No dead wood in superb Calamity
IT'S 17 years since the Deadwood Stage last whipped and cracked its way onto the stage of the Victoria Halls in Selkirk ... and a staggering 57 years since Doris Day first wowed cinema-goers with her vivacious portrayal of Calamity Jane.
But now, fresh as paint, the stagecoach has rolled back into the Royal and Ancient Burgh and a largely young cast is breathing new life into the classic musical western.
And judging by the rapturous reception the players were accorded on Tuesday's opening night, Selkirk Amateur Operatic Society has scored a sharpshooting hit with its exhilarating production of a show which was devised by Warner Brothers in response to the success of Annie Get Your Gun.
Society president Alistair Pattullo acknowledged that regular attendees would "notice the absence of some weel kent faces".
"Like any dynamic company, we are subject to change and we were lucky enough to welcome some new talent," he added.
That fortuitous blend of newcomers and seasoned performers upheld the finest traditions of musical theatre and extracted every ounce of the show's most endearing ingredient: fun.
As the eponymous heroine, Hanna Durham, aged just 16 and a product of the Borders Youth Theatre, was a revelation from the moment that stagecoach arrived in Deadwood, South Dakota. A precocious talent, Hanna brings terrific energy to the role made so famous by Day.
She sings and acts with exuberance (The Deadwood Stage and Windy City), with power and tomboy pique (her duet with Wild Bill Hickock during the hate phase of a hate-love relationship) and with sensitive conviction on Secret Love which won an Oscar for composers Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster.
Calamity is based on the real life hell-cat of the same name: swaggering, belligerent, hard-drinking, handy with gun, knife and bull-whip, and purveyor of exaggerated stories of her exploits to the regulars in the Golden Garter saloon, owned by her friend Henry Miller (Peter Robertson).
A near riot ensues in girl-starved Deadwood City when it emerges that new bar-room performer Frances Fryer is, in fact, a male (a treat of a cameo from Robin Murray) and Calamity vows to go to Chicago and bring back acclaimed singer Adelaide Adams (Michelle Hoppe).
Mistaken identity leads Calamity to return, instead, with Adelaide's maid Katie who, after a nervous start treading the boards in the saloon, becomes the accomplished singer and dancer Katie Brown (Olivia Hoppe).
The chemistry between Hanna and Olivia, another 16-year-old "stalwart" of the Borders Youth Theatre, first as rivals, especially when they are vying for the affections of the dashing Lt Danny Gilmartin (Julian Colton) and Hickock (Raymond D'Agrosa) respectively, belies their youth.
And it sparkles through to their renewed friendship when the right females end up with the right men.
With great songs and a drum-tight chorus (a glorious Black Hills of Dakota), complemented by classy sets from Border Studios and hoe-down dance routines, Calamity Jane represents a hugely successful Selkirk debut for director/choreographer Jane Houston-Green who gets the most from a willing company.
It was an impressive baptism, too, for musical director Nancy Muir, a singing stalwart of many of Melrose's famous Gilbert & Sullivan productions.
"What a great show," exclaimed Alistair Pattullo yesterday. "People
have been coming up to me on the
street saying they enjoyed it so much they want to come back and see it
again."
Calamity Jane continues tonight and tomorrow with curtain up at 7.30pm. A Saturday matinee takes place at 2pm.
Cast and Crew
ON STAGE
Calamity Jane – Hanna Durham
Wild Bill Hickock – Raymond D'Agrosa
Lt Danny Gilmartin – Julian Colton
Katie Brown – Olivia Hoppe
Henry Miller – Peter Robertson
Susan – Karen D'Agrosa
Francis Fryer – Robin Murray
Adelaide Adams – Michelle Hoppe
Rattlesnake – Brian Redman
Doc Pierce – Ian Wilson
Joe – Joy Snape
Hank – Graham Milroy
Pete – Andrew Cockburn
Colonel – Jim Terras
American Indian – Morag McLintock
Stage Door Johnnies – Graham Milroy, Alistair Pattullo, Brian Redman and Ian Wilson
Dancers – Tracey Freedman, Jenny Fuller; Chloe Heatlie, Yvonne Mitchell, Sandra Oliver, Tina Orr, Jill Richardson, Pam Warren and Lorna Watson
Chorus – Margaret Borthwick, Maureen Cockburn, Pauline Douglas, Barbara Hood, Graeme Lilley and Dan Mayoh
PRODUCTION
Director/choreographer – Jane Houston-Green
Musical director – Nancy Muir
Rehearsal pianist – Dave Macky
Sound – Stuart Wilson
Lighting - Dougie Squance
Costumes – Utopia
Scenery – Border Studios
Stage extensions – Scott's Selkirk
Wardrobe – Hilary Bell, Elaine Dunipace and Eleanor McCudden
Front of house – Lynne Robertson,
Agnes Mitchell, Alison Brown, Margaret Moyes, Margery Inglis, Eleanor Scott, Cath Henderson, Dilys Wheelans, Isobel Hogarth, Edith Scott, Lorraine Hastie, Shelagh Donnelly, Mandy Coulson, Wendy Boustead, Peter Scott and Eric Middlemas.
Make-up – Jennifer Thomson, Fiona MacLeod and Kate Channon
Hairdressers – Moira Mitchell and Katharine Fuller
Stage manager – Nigel Maltman
Stage crew – Derek Brown, Jake Douglas, Stuart Moyes, Gerald Beggs, Rob Duff, Grant Brown and Peter Henderson
Programme – Alistair Pattullo
Posters and programme cover – Brian Appleby
Prompt – Sandra Harkness
Calls – Eleanor Coulson
Ticket sales – Scott's Selkirk
Photography – Alistair Pattullo
ORCHESTRA
Trumpets – Graham Kennedy and
Sylvia Smail
Trombone – Les Rose
Saxophones – Steve Lilley, Paul Cormie and Amy Ward
Violins – Cath Cormie, Tony Kime and Louise Cormie
Cello – Robert Hoppe
Double bass – Kit Mui
Drums – Graeme Borthwic
Piano – Dave Macky
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Weather for Selkirk
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 7 C to 18 C
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