Musical Numbers & Synopsis

ACT ONE

Overture

The Deadwood Stage - Calamity & Ensemble

Careless With the Truth - Calamity, Bill & Men

Adelaide - Bill & Men

Ev'ryone Complains About the Weather - Fryer

Men! - Calamity

Can-Can - Dancers

Hive Full of Honey - Fryer

I Can Do Without You - Calamity & Bill

It's Harry I'm Planning to Marry - Adelaide & Stage-Door-Johnnies

Reprise of It’s Harry I’m Planning to Marry - Katie

Reprise of Adelaide - Men

Windy City - Calamity & Ensemble

Keep it Under Your Hat - Katie

Reprise of Keep it Under Your Hat - Katie & Ensemble

Reprise of Careless With the Truth - Ensemble

Act Two

Entr'acte

A Woman's Touch - Calamity & Katie

Higher Than a Hawk - Bill

The Black Hills of Dakota - Ensemble

Reprise of The Black Hills of Dakota - Calamity, Katie, Bill, Danny & Ensemble

Love You Dearly - Katie & Danny

Finaletto - Calamity & Bill

My Secret Love - Calamity

Reprise of Windy City - Ensemble

Finale

Synopsis

We are in the wild, lusty, warm and humorous Old West of Deadwood City, Dakota Territory, 1876. Our story tells of famed Calamity Jane who dresses, rides and shoots like a man, but given the proper chance can be a beautiful woman who hankers for the love of a man. The man may be dashing Lt. Danny Gilmartin or the justly famed Wild Bill Hickok.

Fuss-budget Henry Miller, owner of Deadwood’s hotel-bar-theatre, nervously awaits the arrival of the lovely eastern actress, Frances Fryer, to embellish his show. His niece, Susan, assures him that Calamity will bring the stagecoach to town on time. And so Calamity does to the sharp and singable beat of Deadwood Stage. But the “actress” turns out to be a young man, “Francis” and not “Frances” of the hoped-for opposite sex.

The show must go on, and “Millie” contrives to dress Fryer as a woman, but when the latter’s wig falls off during the show, the local characters rise in noisy anger. Only Calam’s trusty pistol restores order; also her promise that “Millie,” to make amends, will import to Deadwood the east’s most glamorous star, Adelaide Adams herself. The men are overjoyed, but Wild Bill, Lt. Danny Gilmartin and “Millie” know full well that Adelaide Adams wouldn’t be caught dead in Deadwood.

Calam, after a rip-roaring song-battle with Wild Bill expressed in I Can Do Without You, storms out headed for Chicago to bring the unsuspecting Adelaide to Deadwood.

Calam mistakes Adelaide’s maid, Katie Brown, for the great actress herself. Before long Calamity is stage-coaching Katie, in the guise of Adelaide, back to Deadwood where Katie is greeted with high excitement as the famed Adelaide Adams.

Unnerved by Fryer who knows her true identity, Katie breaks down at the opening show, and only Calam’s masterful control of the audience saves the day. Bucked up by Calam, Susan and Fryer, Katie gives a show-stopping performance. All of Deadwood’s hearts are won, not least being the hearts of Danny and Wild Bill.

After a ball given in honour of the new commander at Fort Scully, Calam, dressed in Katie’s finery, is the belle of the event. Her hour of triumph explodes when she finds Katie with Danny. In a fit of jealous anger she orders Katie to leave town, but Wild Bill corners her and reveals to the inner Calam that she is a real woman despite the fact she professes to act like a man. She learns that it was Bill all the time (not Danny) she loved. Her realization is expressed in the hauntingly lovely Secret Love which won an Academy Award.