A kinder, gentler ‘Annie’ gets her gun
Revised script at 2nd Star smooths some rough edges, but keeps the musical gems
The 2nd Star production of Irving Berlin’s 1946 musical “Annie Get Your Gun,” now on stage at Bowie Playhouse through Oct. 21, uses a revised script that smooths over some of the politically incorrect rough edges of the original penned by Herbert and Dorothy Fields.
A revision in 1999 by Peter Stone eliminated dated — and considered by many socially insensitive — songs such as Annie’s “I’m an Indian Too” with demeaning references to Native Americans, and some similar dialogue.
But there’s another plus for Stone’s version: It opens musically with Berlin’s greatest hit song of the show, “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” providing a lively start not recalled in earlier productions.
Berlin’s fictionalized characters are based on real-life folks, including the sharpshooter pair of Annie Oakley (1860-1926) and Frank Butler (1847-1926), along with Chief Sitting Bull, who considered Annie his adopted daughter. Another prominent real-life character is Col. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, a showman who persuaded Annie to join his Wild West Show, and later his European touring company.
As portrayed in the show, Butler instantly captures Annie’s attention and love, although she can’t refrain from beating him in every shooting contest — until she realizes that losing just one might lead to a permanent love. The historical result: Frank and Annie actually remained happily married for 50 years.
On opening weekend of 2nd Star’s production, as the live overture previewed what many consider Berlin’s best Broadway score, including “Sun in the Morning,” “Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly,” and “Anything You Can Do” among several other instantly recognizable tunes.
Serving as 2nd Star music director, Sandy Melson Griese coaxes a compatible Berlin sound from her 10 musicians, striking a fine balance between vocalists and instrumentalists.
Director Atticus Cooper Boidy, who serves as artistic and technical director at Severna Park Middle School, says in his program notes that he’s overjoyed and honored to direct his first show with 2nd Star, and also pleased to be at the helm of “Annie Get Your Gun,” a show he describes as a “classic tale of iconic characters.”
Boidy displays sharp casting skills in selecting an extraordinarily cast playing a total of 30 characters, with some actors playing multiple roles. Inevitably, such a large cast -- and a show packed with nearly 20 musical numbers — can present pacing problems, which were not entirely resolved on opening weekend.
Starring in the title role is Alexa Haines in only her second 2nd Star appearance. Haines seems destined to play this historical strong woman of primitive beginnings. When first seen, Annie Oakley is a self-assured ragamuffin dressed in dirty rags who can shoot every bird flying above her. Haines makes this backwoods sharpshooter fully credible, conveying her disarming honesty and assurance as a shooter, and later her amazement that her marksmanship abilities make her a star.
Haines’ Annie captivates everyone with her sassy manner, and expands our enjoyment when Haines displays her formidable vocal skills in the comic “Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly.” The versatile Haines invests every song with the accompanying sentiment, reverently soft in “Moonshine Lullaby” sung to her younger siblings and caressingly anticipative in “They Say It’s Wonderful” joined in duet with Butler. Haines’ Annie also revs up her romantic instincts in her love-at-first-sight encounter with handsome Frank.
Marking his third 2nd Star appearance, skilled singer and actor Christopher Overly fills all requirements of the Frank Butler role, including the necessary eye appeal to trigger Annie’s instant love. Overly has the vocal chops needed to open the show with a compelling “There’s No Business Like Show Business” solo, later joined by the full company. Overly’s Frank adds vocal distinction to every subsequent solo, duet or chorus and is especially captivating in his reflective “The Girl that I Marry” and his jaunty “My Defenses Are Down.”
Annie and Frank also make a great pair with “They say It’s Wonderful” plus the show-stopping “Anything You Can Do” bragging rights battle.
The two leads are supported by a terrific cast, notably including Julian Ball as Buffalo Bill and Allison Erskine as Frank’s jealous, bigoted and dim-witted assistant. Marie Nearing delivers a remarkably astute, fatherly wise Chief Sitting Bull. And appearing in her second 2nd Star production, Severna Park High School sophomore Hannah Hall is charmingly credible as Annie’s younger sister Winnie Tate, who longs to wed her half-Indian beau Tommy Keeler.
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