I’ve disclosed my geeky qualities before, so learning that I’m a theater nerd won’t come as much of a surprise. Drama was one of the few extracurriculars I participated in during high school and college, and I had a lot of fun with it – despite (or maybe because of?) being a pretty lousy actor. The highlight of my career was playing the paperboy in my college production of A Streetcar Named Desire. Apu did a much better job.

The drama geek in me woke up a bit today when I stumbled upon a news clip about the upcoming production of the musical Calmity Jane – by the Bath Light Opera Club in England. The production looks pretty complete. Bath itself is a pretty substantial city, with about 100,000 residents, plus a good share of tourists who come to check out the old Roman baths and natural springs that give the city its name. I spent a day there when I was studying abroad in the U.K., and even in February the streets were pretty packed. I imagine a good number of people will see the show, which opened yesterday.

I’m having a hard time imagining it, but I’m intrigued by trying. Do you suppose the actors worked very hard on their accents to get the Western twang down? The photo on their website seems to indicate huge saguaro cacti on the set – did they know that cactus (of that flavor, anyway) doesn’t grow in South Dakota? Did they consider that that Deadwood is in South Dakota? And what about the gal they’ve tapped to play Calamity Jane? She’s awfully cute. Have they seen real pictures of Martha Canary? She was not cute.

Of course, they’re probably following the Doris Day film as much as possible, which was anything but a demonstration of historical integrity. It was entertainment, pure and simple, and I imagine that’s what the folks in Bath are going for. Based on the reviews the theater company has received for past shows, they’re bound to do a good job of it, too. I bet it’ll be a hoot to watch.

I still can’t bring myself to watch the original Doris Day film, though. I’m just not sure I could make it without shuddering.