THEATRE REVIEW: ANNIE GET YOUR GUN

Presented by Stage Door Productions

Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin
Book by Dorothy Fields and Herbert Fields
Directed by David Schubert
Tickets available for June 30

Theater Criticism 101

Answer the following questions:

What was attempted?
Was it achieved?
Was it worth doing in the first place?

Answers:

Tell a fun, bouncy, and slightly improbable story about two American popular performers who fall in love in a very modern way. True to the myth, Annie Oakley and Frank Butler’s sharpshooting feud eventually didn’t get in the way of their affection for each other and their very pragmatic approach to business. Also to consistently please an audience with wonderful singing, skillful clowning, snappy timing, and a good layer of romantic schmaltz suitable for an audience used to both Doris Day and the Hallmark Channel.

Yes, it was achieved. Very well, in fact. There was a roomful of enthusiastic and highly entertained audience members who would attest to that fact. The production maintained its energy from beginning to end and we responded. Most of the audience was standing up and cheering at the curtain call-even though it’s a good bet that almost all of the audience weren’t born yet when the show first premiered. There were a lot of people joining in and they were mostly on key. The company was on key, on time, and on the ball. Choreography was a combination of popular and Broadway styles that were performed with skill and precision. The kids were extra cute. The actors created real and recognizable characters for each moment in the play they were performing.
Let’s talk about that later.

In 1946, Irving Berlin had been writing Broadway musicals for 32 years. When approached by Rogers and Hammerstein to write the score that would become Annie Get Your Gun he refused, because his kind of music was out of style. He changed his mind, and his skill at composing proved itself to be timeless.

So, the Story

Annie Oakley (played by Cassie Truchsess), from Darke County, Ohio comes to the big town and the Wilson House hotel to sell some birds she’s shot, each with a single bullet to the head (no buckshot in your dinner there!). She’s also showing her younger siblings (Minnie, Jake, and Nellie) the civilized world. Staying at the hotel is Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show setting up for a performance. Flossie Wilson (Emma Pallotti) is none too happy with the show, having just dealt with the problems from Pawnee Bill’s Wild West Show.

Annie’s simple world gets blown away by Frank Butler (Zach Cassou), a cocky “bad, bad man” who also does sharp shooting. Frank also finds Annie fascinating. Both are surprised when they end up in a skeet-shooting match that Annie wins.

The opening scene of a musical is a combination of musical razzle-dazzle, exposition, and scene-setting. The show pulls this off very well, tossing off four major American standard songs without even changing scenes. It ends up with Annie joining Buffalo Bill’s show and learning “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” This is a kind of keynote for the play. This is such a skillfully written and performed opening scene that you wonder if the rest of the show will live up to it. And the good news is that it does.

Love stories that are complicated by a clash of egos are a standard plot device, all you need to solve the problems is a mutual decision not to let the division grow. Business stories are complicated by bad decisions and an inability to work with each other, and this is a business story as well. Turns out that all of the business problems are solved the same way as the love stories.

How’s the performance?

Directing, musical performance, and choreography are the essential strategic elements of a successful musical, and all three are done with skill and timing.

Director David Schubert is tasked with keeping a show interesting over a long-ish running time. Yes, there were a couple of moments I felt could have engaged us more. Some scene changes could have taken a little less time and the “montage” sequence wasn’t as developed as it could have been. Schubert should be congratulated for building this cast and the performances. I wish him well in his new position as Artistic Director as well. His backstage crew was as tuned as his performers to the needs of the show.

Musical Director Angela Donadio coached performers very, very well. The songs are deceptive, they seem simple but each one is important to telling the story and letting us into the mind of the characters, a kind of musical soliloquy. It’s a tribute to her coaching that the vocalists are in command of the songs.

Caeli Schamel and Katie Cusack round out the performance team. I was continually impressed with their inventiveness and with their attention to detail in instructing the performers. Unison moves were totally in unison, and the dances were tuned to each performer’s skill level. Timing was right and everyone knew where to be, when to be there, and how to perform once they got there. Their time and effort showed and shone.

Scene design and crew are led by the very capable Cathy Bergdahl. Costumes arrived to Stage Door from Lake of the Woods Community Theatre and work well for this production.

Skillful acting, infectious clowning

There are 21 vocal numbers in the show. Of these 13 are sung by or shared by Annie. Cassie Truchsess is a match for all of them. She aims accurately for notes and phrasing, and hits the target every time. What others playing the role do with power belting Truchsess achieves with vibrato. It works for the songs and it works for her. She also clowns very well, and then allows her emotions to show through her clowning.

Cassou’s Frank is a match for Truchsess. Others have played the role with a lot more bluster but Cassou substitutes that with an underlying sarcastic smirk which is probably more irritating for Annie. His voice is true, his timing is on point, and his diction is excellent. He makes singing as effortless as talking. This Frank might occasionally be stymied, but you believe it when he learns his lessons about teamwork.

Elena Pratt plays Dolly, a scheming rival who just ain’t got what Annie’s got and Zack Whitehead as the Wild West Show’s MC and business manager Charlie Davenport are show biz types who provide a nice contrast to the other main characters. They’re realists that keep the others’ dreams grounded, and their squabbling comes as a wonderful comic relief.

Buffalo Bill (Steve McCluskey) and Chief Sitting Bull (Pedro Echevarria) are two kindred spirits who team up to take the Wild West Show to new heights. They are two authority figures who join together to make showbiz schemes and dreams come true. Both historical figures are larger than life showmen and pragmatists whose money issues are the only things holding them back. Echevarria’s performance is particularly effective due to Sitting Bull’s “adoption” of Annie, which makes him a personal confidant and advisor. We’re introduced to Kirk Caneer’s Pawnee Bill fairly late in the show, but once he arrives he provides a nice contrast to the other two producers’ gravitas.

In a remarkably able cast, a few actors stand out simply because their roles are written smaller than others. The playwrights have created some really strong women’s roles. Among these are Emma Pallotti’s Flossie Wilson (and several minor and chorus parts as well), Minnie Oakley (and several other parts) played by Dominique Hudson, and Caeli Schamel as Mrs. Potter-Porter (and several other roles). They also provide strong dance support in the chorus, as do Bill Green, Echo Bartholomew, and Stage Door’s Romeo, Zach Cloven.

Three younger actors bring their skills to performance as well. Robert Bursk as Little Jake; Kaya Johnson as Nellie; and Daniel Bursk in a number of small roles are energetic young talents to keep an eye on.

As for answer #3 from the beginning of this review: Yes, it’s very much worth doing. And very much worth seeing, weekends until June 30. You should go.

Dennis Wemm is a retired professor of theatre and communication, having taught and led both departments at Glenville State College for 34 years. In his off time he was president and sometimes Executive Director of the West Virginia Theatre Conference, secretary and president of the Southeastern Theatre Conference, and generally enjoyed a life in theatre.

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