Toyah Willcox burst on to the Congress Theatre's stage as the madcap tomboy, all guns firing, her whip cracking and as feisty as you could wish.

Willcox, a noted actress and pop singer, was as clean cut as Doris Day, the star of the film, with long, blonde hair and a penchant for wearing men's clothes.

But when she changed into a dress, wow, she became the prettiest little gal in town.

The Sammy Fain/Paul Webster musical spawned a number of hits and all were well presented by Willcox and a fine ensemble cast that had the audience's feet tapping from curtain up.

It's a trite tale of a Deadwood bar owner who is awaiting the arrival of Frances (with an "E") Fryer, a noted New York dancer and singer, but who mistakenly gets Francis (with an "I") Fryer, a song-and-dance man.

Suffice to say Calamity is dispatched to Chicago to bring another singer, Adelaide Adams, back to the Western town, thus saving the landlord's reputation.

But Calamity, as her name might suggest, brings back Katie Brown, Ms Adam's maid, who begins to interfere with Calamity's love rivals, Wild Bill Hickok (Alasdair Harvey) and Lt Danny Gilmartin (Gary Kilby).

This production was a fast-paced, fun-packed show with some fancy shooting and excellent whip-cracking as the two lead ladies were left to sort things out.

The numbers piled up and were belted out in a no-nonsense manner. This was a show where the songs took you over completely.

The Deadwood Stage, Careless With The Truth, I Can Do Without You and Windy City were just a few of the songs everyone seemed to know.

Willcox singing Secret Love was a real treat and The Black Hills Of Dakota brought the show to a climax.

Kelly Ryan as Katie Brown proved she is a performer to watch out for. She has a fine musical entertainment voice and blessed us with a dance routine and dress that showed off her legs to the full.

The sets were uncomplicated and easily summoned up the Wild West from all those images we have seen in the hundreds of Western films we watched as kids.

But Willcox was the real star as she ran, jumped, danced and hung from the beams of the saloon, giving every man his comeuppance along the way.

It was a feisty, fizzy show ideally suited to the Congress Theatre and obviously an event dearly loved by the sell-out crowd.

The only tragedy was that it was booked only for a week. Somehow, I think it could have lasted far longer.