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| Richard Block as Frank Butler and Anita Davenport as Annie Oakley |
Queanbeyan
Players
The Q,
Queanbeyan until 16th November
Reviewed by
Bill Stephens
Queanbeyan
Players new production of “Annie Get Your Gun” offers theatregoers the
opportunity to see the revised version of this show, which received a cool reception when it was
presented on Broadway in 1999.
Originally
the story of Annie Oakley concerned a naive backwoods girl with a prodigious
talent for sharp-shooting, who deliberately loses a shooting contest to get her
man. In this revised, politically-correct version, that man, Frank Butler,
realising Annie is going to lose the
contest, decides to shoot so badly that the contest ends in a draw (go figure).
Only a few Indians are represented and they’re referred to as “the original
settlers”.
For those
who don’t give a jot for such details, most of Irving Berlin’s superb songs
remain, although “My Defences are Down” oddly, becomes an all-male “bump- and-
grind” routine, “I Got the Sun in the Morning” disintegrates into a hoe-down, and
a new song, “I’ll Share It all With You” is staged as big production number
disregarding the fact that the scenery is indicating that it’s happening in the
corridor of a Pullman car.
Neither
Anita Davenport, initially more Bindi Irwin than Annie Oakley, or Richard Block,
a fine looking Frank Butler, have the vocal strength to do the songs justice,
but both give winning performances. Jake
Keen is adorable as Little Jake, Fiona Hale is deliciously hateful as Dolly
Tate, and Pat Gallagher (Buffalo Bill) and Gerard Fitzsimmons (Chief Sitting
Bull) provide excellent support.
The scenery
is a bit sparse, but there are a big production numbers, lots of colourful
costumes, and a large orchestra, all of which contribute to an agreeable
evening watching a classic Broadway musical that really doesn't need revising.