Old-Fashioned Appeal

Washington Crossing Open Air Theatre takes aim at ‘Annie Get Your Gun.’

By: Stuart Duncan
   When Annie Get Your Gun opened on Broadway in mid-May of 1946 (that’s a full 61 years ago for those of you who, like me, have trouble both with the math and believing it was that long ago) the critics were both very favorable and a little dismayed that the show was so "old-fashioned." It certainly had a plot line that quickly developed a romance between a hillbilly sharpshooter named Annie Oakley and Frank Butler, the crack shot star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. There was no attempt to disguise that two of the most successful plot gimmicks were used: the love story that is blocked by obstacles, but ends happily, and the rags-to-riches triumph of an awkward hillbilly girl to a strutting, elegant show business performer.
   Plus the show minimized the book when needed in order to emphasize the Irving Berlin score, hit after hit, and the extraordinary talents of Ethel Merman at the height of her career.
   Annie Get Your Gun is being revived at The Open Air Theatre at Washington Crossing State Park in a solid production, with great voices, powerful direction and plenty of energy. The six decades easily slip away and the very first scene (with no less than five tunes) sets the entire story in motion. We not only meet Annie and Frank, but each sings a song that deliberately establishes each character. She sings "You Can’t Get A Man With A Gun." (featuring lyrics like "You can’t shoot a male/in the tail, like a quail" and "A man may be hot/but he’s not when he’s shot"). And he sings "The Girl That I Marry." We get all the information we need right at the start.
   And director Louis Palena has cast it well: Jessica Chesbro, as Annie, is great fun. She has a powerful voice, which may not need the microphone, great agility and is fun to watch. As Frank Butler, Kenneth Linsley starts as the stuffed shirt he is said to be, then warms up. And the man can sing. Patrick Ludt almost steals the show as Charlie Davenport, the show-biz con man. Alex Schnepps, as Chief Sitting Bull, misses some of the humor in the role. His delicious line when he complains that his tribe cannot get crops to grow on his land — "Too much oil" — always brought the house down on Broadway. Here there is hardly a murmur.
   A bit has been cropped from the show. In particular the Indian scene has been shaved drastically, including Annie’s song "I’m An Indian Too." And the second-tier love matches have been cut as well, including a cute number: "Who Do You Love, I Hope." On the other hand, the 1966 revival brought us "An Old-Fashioned Wedding" to give Merman another song and it’s in this version.
   Peter Martino’s set design shows that he understands the needs at the Park. Linda Bee-Stockton’s costumes are right on target. And, as suggested, Louis Palena’s direction is energetic and finds all the right moments. It is said that Berlin was once asked by a reporter how he felt about the critics who felt his show was "old-fashioned." "Yes," he said, "an old-fashioned smash." More than six decades later, it still is.
Annie Get Your Gun continues at Washington Crossing Open Air Theatre, 355 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, Titusville, through Aug. 19. Performances: Thurs.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. Ticket cost $14, $12 day of show (cash/check); (609) 737-4323; www.buckscountyplayhouse.com