It is with a hint of sadness that I write this mornings post as Calamity Jane has now finished and I am experiencing the come down that nearly always follows the highs of such a great show like Calamity Jane.
I have to say that the whole production has been brilliant from start to finish. With Claire at the helm, rehearsals have been a blast, full of fun and frivolity, and the whole cast have such a good sense of humour that there has never been a dull moment!
Show week of course has been great. The feeling of community backstage has been immense, from the get-in when our male cast members arrived to help with the set, to the get-out when lots of people came down to help strike it again, clearing out the props, costume etc and lending a hand tidying the changing rooms, it has been an excellent example of team-work! We have had plenty of laughs along the way too - from the band-call when everyone was dancing around the music room, to the dress rehearsal - when we found that I needed the help of two people to do up my corset and Jason needed to wear stockings to make his boots fit, and I'm certain we won't forget Thursday nights performance 0  dealing with the aged heckler in the front row!
Good luck cards and gifts of encouragement given, the cast have grown closer and close friendships have been formed with our new members.
I will admit that I shed a few tears after the final finale, and indeed since as it is such a heartwarming experience working with so many like minded people, sharing a love of musical theatre, and a fond affection of each other!
Well done AMOS for a particularly fantastic production.

After watching the show on opening night, the Southern Daily Echo have written this review:

THIS was a musical treat, full of tap-along-melodies, in which every song was sheer pleasure to hear. The whole company number of the Black Hills was outstanding, performed in lamplight in the auditorium. Charlotte Barham’s (Calamity) deeply heartfelt Secret Love beautifully balanced Rob Talbot’s (Wild Bill) commanding Higher Than a Hawk. Congratulations to Neil Streeter for excellent musical direction.

Calamity impetuously promises to bring the gun-slinging, gold-digging, poker-playing Deadwood residents the darling of the cigarette cards, Adelaide Adams, to entertain them. As usual, she courts disaster when she brings back Adelaide’s maid instead. John Parker excelled as the despairing landlord of the Golden Garter; Paul Marsh (Francis Fryer) had the audience hooting with laughter at his impersonation of an actress; Ann Sinclair gave a delightful cameo as Adelaide whilst Louise Ellison (Katie) charmed us throughout.

Barbara Godwin

For more from the Southern Daily Echo CLICK HERE

Well that's it - our last ever rehearsal at the hall before we move into the theatre for Calamity Jane. We ran the show and went over a few sticky areas and all in all it went very well! Claire has done a fantastic job and the whole cast has worked tremendously well to put together this exciting and lively show. We are sure it will be a great success next week.
There are still tickets on sale - available from The Lights 01264 368368 or for group bookings and family tickets please call Linda Bagnall direct on 01264 351168