Calamity

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Event Calamity
Venue The Wells Centre, Norfolk, England
First Date 7 October 1983
Last Date 8 October 1983
Dates Estimated No
Status Professional
World Premiere No
Part of a Tour Yes
Description 'Monstrous Regiment's latest show is frothy, enjoyable and irritating all at once. It tells the story of three pioneer women: Quiet Kate, a sweetie-pie with the voice of a canary and a penchant for psalms and samplers; Madame Mustache, named for the hair on her upper lip and for her rolling r's; and Calamity Jane, a hard-drinking cussed version that puts paid to Hollywood notions of bouncing curves in clinging buckskins. They're all thrown together on a wagon trail across the Badlands and their only common ground is a trio of dark pasts and employment in a Wild West Show. It's a nice idea to portray their developing friendship, but although Bryony Lavery has an excellent ear for one-liners, pastiche and bizarre detail, she's weak on character and plot. And unfortunately Nona Shepphard's static production compounds the problem by neither doing justice to the play's serious themes (solitude, friendship, death) nor its cabaret format of rope tricks, magic and songs [...]. Still there are enough tantalising tit-bits (tales of card-sharping, whoring and murder) to spice it up.' (Time Out)
Description Source Reviewer's Opinion
Primary Genre Theatre - Spoken Word
Secondary Genre Cabaret
Play with Music
Subjects American
Pioneer settlement
Women
Women's Issues
Organisations
Contributors
Name Function Notes
Jane Cox Composer
Andrea Montag Designer
Nona Shepphard Director
Veronica Wood Lighting Designer
Jane Cox Musician
Jane Cox Performer
Gillian Hanna Performer
Mary McCusker Performer
Bryony Lavery Playwright
Meri Jenkins Production Manager
Text Nationality England
Production Nationality England
Event Status Completed
Data Source
Source Description
Newspaper Press clippings, Monstrous Regiment Theatre Company Archive, Victoria and Albert Museum
Programme Advertisement Programme advertisement, Monstrous Regiment Theatre Company Archive, Victoria and Albert Museum
Press Release Press release, Monstrous Regiment Theatre Company Archive, Victoria and Albert Museum
Programme Programmes, Monstrous Regiment Theatre Company Archive, Victoria and Albert Museum
Event Identifier 131418