Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music by Irving Berlin and a book by Dorothy Fields and her brother Herbert Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley (1860–1926), a sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West, and her romance with sharpshooter Frank E. Butler (1847–1926).[1]
This article is about the 1946 Broadway musical. For the 1950 film, see Annie Get Your Gun (film). For the 1986 West End revival cast recording, see Annie Get Your Gun – 1986 London Cast.Annie Get Your Gun
Irving Berlin
- 1946 Broadway
- 1947 West End
- 1947 U.S. Tour
- 1947 Melbourne
- 1950 Film
- 1958 Broadway revival
- 1966 Broadway revival
- 1975 México
- 1986 UK tour and London revival
- 1992 West End revival
- 1999 Broadway revival
- 2000 U.S. Tour
- 2009 London revival
- 2014 UK Tour
- 2021 UK Outdoor Revival
- 2023 London Palladium Concert
The 1946 Broadway production was a hit, and the musical had long runs in both New York (1,147 performances) and London, spawning revivals, a 1950 film version and television versions. Songs that became hits include "There's No Business Like Show Business", "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly", "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun", "They Say It's Wonderful", and "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)".
History and background[edit]
Dorothy Fields had the idea for a musical about Annie Oakley to star her friend Ethel Merman. Producer Mike Todd turned the project down, so Fields approached a new producing team, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. After the success of their first musical collaboration, Oklahoma!, Rodgers and Hammerstein had decided to become producers of both their own theatrical ventures and those by other authors.[2] They agreed to produce the musical and asked Jerome Kern to compose the music; Fields would write the lyrics, and she and her brother Herbert would write the book.[2] Kern, who had been composing for movie musicals in Hollywood, returned to New York on November 2, 1945, to begin work on the score to Annie Get Your Gun, but three days later, he collapsed on the street due to a cerebral hemorrhage.[3] Kern was hospitalized, and he died on November 11, 1945.[4] The producers and Fields then asked Irving Berlin to write the musical's score; Fields agreed to step down as lyricist, knowing that Berlin preferred to write both music and lyrics to his songs.[5] Berlin initially declined to write the score, worrying that he would be unable to write songs to fit specific scenes in "a situation show".[5] Hammerstein persuaded him to study the script and try writing some songs based on it, and within days, Berlin returned with the songs "Doin' What Comes Naturally", "You Can't Get a Man With a Gun", and "There's No Business Like Show Business".[6] Berlin's songs suited the story and Ethel Merman's abilities, and he readily composed the rest of the score to Annie Get Your Gun.[5][7] The show's eventual hit song, "There's No Business Like Show Business", was almost left out of the show because Berlin mistakenly got the impression that Richard Rodgers did not like it.[8] In imitation of the structure of Oklahoma! a secondary romance between two of the members of the Wild West Show was added to the musical during its development.[9]
According to some sources, the role of Annie was originally offered to Mary Martin, who turned it down. This is not true. Dorothy Fields went to the hospital after Merman gave birth to her son to ask her if she would do the show. The show was conceived for Merman, but when time came to send out the post-Broadway national tour and Merman was unwilling to do it, Martin jumped at the chance, going on the road for approximately two years and belting out the songs, which had the effect of lowering her voice from its normal lyric-coloratura range to mezzo-soprano-alto.
For the 1999 revival, Peter Stone revised the libretto, eliminating what were considered insensitive references to American Indians, including the songs "Colonel Buffalo Bill" and "I'm An Indian Too".[10] Stone said, "The big challenge is taking a book that was wonderfully crafted for its time and make it wonderfully crafted for our time... It was terribly insensitive...to Indians.... But it had to be dealt with in a way that was heartfelt and not obvious... In this case, it was with the permission of the heirs. They're terribly pleased with it."[11] Stone also altered the structure of the musical, beginning it with "There's No Business Like Show Business" and presenting the musical as a "show within a show".[9]
Notes
Productions[edit]
Original productions[edit]
Annie Get Your Gun premiered on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on May 16, 1946, and ran for 1,147 performances. Directed by Joshua Logan, the show starred Ethel Merman as Annie, Ray Middleton as Frank Butler, Lea Penman as Dolly Tate, Art Bernett as Foster Wilson, Harry Bellaver as Chief Sitting Bull, Kenneth Bowers as Tommy Keeler, Marty May as Charlie Davenport, Warren Berlinger as the Little Boy and William O'Neal as Buffalo Bill.
The musical toured the U.S. from October 3, 1947, starting in Dallas, Texas, with Mary Martin as Annie. This tour also played Chicago and Los Angeles. Martin stayed with the tour until mid-1948.
The show had its West End premiere on June 7, 1947, at the London Coliseum where it ran for 1,304 performances. Dolores Gray played Annie with Bill Johnson as Frank.
The first Australian production opened at His Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne on July 19, 1947. It starred Evie Hayes as Annie with Webb Tilton as Frank.
A French version, Annie du Far-West, starring Marcel Merkes and Lily Fayol, began production at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on February 19, 1950, and ran for over a year.
1958 Broadway revival[edit]
The first Broadway revival was staged in 1958 at the New York City Center, directed by Donald Burr and produced by Jean Dalrymple, director of the NYCC Light Opera Company. This production opened on February 19, 1958, and ran until March 2, for 16 performances. Betty Jane Watson played the role of Annie with David Atkinson as Frank, Margaret Hamilton as Dolly, James Rennie as Chief Buffalo Bill, and Jack Whiting as Charles Davenport. Included in the cast was Harry Bellaver, reprising his original role of Chief Sitting Bull. The program didn't list the performer who was to play Annie, and instead a "to-be-announced" statement was substituted for the name. At the last minute, Watson signed for the role. Even the program for the second week of the two-week engagement didn't list her name, except as understudy; this was the first time in memory that a leading performer wasn't listed.[15]
1966 Broadway revival[edit]
The show had its second Broadway revival in 1966 at the Music Theater of Lincoln Center. This production opened on May 31, 1966, and ran until July 9, followed by a short 10-week U.S. Tour. It returned to Broadway at the Broadway Theatre on September 21 for 78 performances. Ethel Merman reprised her original role as Annie with Bruce Yarnell as Frank, Benay Venuta as Dolly, and Jerry Orbach as Charles Davenport. The libretto and score were revised: The secondary romance between Tommy Keeler and Winnie Tate was completely eliminated, including their songs "I'll Share it All With You" and "Who Do You Love, I Hope?", and the song "An Old-Fashioned Wedding" was specially written for the revival and added to the second act.[15]: 305 This version of the show is available for licensing for amateur performances. This production was telecast in an abbreviated ninety-minute version by NBC on March 19, 1967, and is the only musical revived at Lincoln Center during the 1960s to be telecast.
1973 Shady Grove Music Fair production[edit]
Jay Harnick directed a revival at the Shady Grove Music Fair starring Barbara Eden, John Bennett Perry and Sandra Peabody that ran from 1973 to 1974.[20]
1976 Mexican production[edit]
In 1976 a Spanish-language version was produced in Mexico City with the name of Annie es un tiro. It was directed by José Luis Ibáñez and starred by Mexican film star Silvia Pinal. The production was represented at the Teatro Hidalgo and was co starred by the actor and singer Manuel López Ochoa. The success of the production produced the first Spanish-language version of the musical's soundtrack.[21]
1977 Los Angeles Civic Light Opera production[edit]
In 1977, Gower Champion directed a revival for the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera starring Debbie Reynolds as Annie.[22] The Assistant Director was James Mitchell. Harve Presnell, Reynolds's former co-star in the 1964 film The Unsinkable Molly Brown, played Frank Butler. The cast featured Art Lund as Buffalo Bill, Bibi Osterwald as Dolly Tate, Gavin MacLeod as Charlie Davenport,[23] Peter Bruni as Foster Wilson, Don Potter as Pawnee Bill, and Manu Tupou as Sitting Bull.[24][25] The cast also included Trey Wilson and Debbie Shapiro. The production later toured various North American cities, but never ran on Broadway, its planned destination.
1986 UK tour and London revival[edit]
In 1986, a David Gilmore Chichester Festival Theatre production, with American rock star Suzi Quatro as Annie and Eric Flynn as Frank, opened at the Chichester Festival Theatre.[26][27] It moved to the Theatre Royal, Plymouth,[27] and then to the Aldwych Theatre in London's West End where it played from July 29 to October 4.[28] The cast recorded an album, Annie Get Your Gun - 1986 London Cast[29] and Quatro's songs "I Got Lost in His Arms"/"You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" were released as a single.[27] Since then "I Got Lost in His Arms" has also been included in the compilation albums The Divas Collection (2003)[30] and Songs from the Greatest Musicals (2008).[31]
1992 London revival[edit]
A short-lived London production ran at the Prince of Wales Theatre in the West End, starring Kim Criswell as Annie.[32] Criswell's studio cast recording of the show - made with Thomas Hampson and conductor John McGlinn[33] - provided the impetus for the production. Pippa Ailion was the Casting Director for this production.
1999 Broadway revival[edit]
In 1999, a new production had its pre-Broadway engagement at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., from December 29, 1998, to January 24, 1999. Previews began on Broadway on February 2, 1999, at the Marquis Theatre, with an official opening on March 4, 1999, and closed on September 1, 2001, after 35 previews and 1,045 performances.
This revival starred Bernadette Peters as Annie and Tom Wopat as Frank, and Ron Holgate as Buffalo Bill, with direction by Graciela Daniele, choreography by Jeff Calhoun, and music arrangements by John McDaniel. Peters won the 1999 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical and the production won the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.
This production had a revised book by Peter Stone and new orchestrations, and was structured as a "show-within-a-show", set as a Big Top travelling circus. "Frank Butler" is alone on stage and Buffalo Bill introduces the main characters, singing "There's No Business Like Show Business", which is reprised when "Annie" agrees to join the traveling Wild West show. The production dropped several songs (including "Colonel Buffalo Bill", "I'm A Bad, Bad Man", and "I'm an Indian Too"), but included "An Old-Fashioned Wedding". There were several major dance numbers added, including a ballroom scene.[34] A sub-plot which had been dropped from the 1966 revival, the romance between Winnie and Tommy, her part-Native-American boyfriend, was also included. In the 1946 production, Winnie was Dolly's daughter, but the 1966 &1999 productions she is Dolly's younger sister. In this version, the final shooting match between Annie and Frank ends in a tie.[35]
Film and television versions[edit]
In 1950, Metro Goldwyn Mayer made a well-received movie version of the musical. Although MGM purchased the rights to the film version with an announced intention of starring legendary singer-actress Judy Garland as Annie, early work on the film was plagued with difficulties, some attributed to Garland's health. Garland was fired and replaced by the brassier, blonde Betty Hutton.
In 1957, a production starring Mary Martin as Annie and John Raitt as Frank Butler was broadcast on NBC. In 1967, the Lincoln Center production described above, starring Ethel Merman and Bruce Yarnell, was broadcast on NBC. The Mary Martin version has been re-broadcast sporadically over the years, but the 1967 videotapes starring Ethel Merman have apparently been irretrievably lost. Only a video and audio clip of "I Got the Sun in the Mornin' (and the Moon at Night)" is known to exist,[48] as does an audio-only recording of the entire 90-minute show.[49]
There are several recordings of the Annie Get Your Gun score, including:
Conductor John Owen Edwards along with JAY Records recorded the first-ever complete recording, with all musical numbers, scene change music and incidental music, of the show's score in the 1990s with Judy Kaye and Barry Bostwick. Christopher Lee had the role of Sitting Bull.[50]
Reception[edit]
The original Broadway production opened to favorable reviews. Critics unanimously praised Ethel Merman's performance as Annie Oakley, though some thought the score and book were not particularly distinguished. John Chapman of the Daily News declared that the production had "good lyrics and tunes by Irving Berlin...[and] the razzle-dazzle atmosphere of a big-time show" but pronounced Merman the best part of the show, stating "She is a better comedienne than she ever was before", stating that "Annie is a good, standard, lavish, big musical and I'm sure it will be a huge success--but it isn't the greatest show in the world".[51] Louis Kronenberger of PM stated that the show was 'in many ways routine", but greatly praised Merman's performance, opining, "For me, Annie is mainly Miss Merman's show, though the rest of it is competent enough of its kind...Irving Berlin's score is musically not exciting--of the real songs, only one or two are tuneful".[51]
Ward Morehouse of The New York Sun declared, "The big news about Annie Get Your Gun is that it reveals Ethel Merman in her best form since Anything Goes...She shouts the Berlin music with good effect. She often comes to the aid of a sagging book".[51] He stated, "Irving Berlin's score is not a notable one, but his tunes are singable and pleasant and his lyrics are particularly good. The book? It's on the flimsy side, definitely. And rather witless too".[51] Lewis Nichols of The New York Times said, "It has a pleasant score by Irving Berlin...and it has Ethel Merman to roll her eyes and to shout down the rafters. The colors are pretty, the dancing is amiable and unaffected, and Broadway by this time is well used to a book which doesn't get anywhere in particular".[51]
However, the show itself was greatly lauded by some critics: Vernon Rice of the New York Post proclaimed, "Irving Berlin has outdone himself this time. No use trying to pick a hit tune, for all the tunes are hits...Ethel Merman is at her lusty, free and easy best...She is now able to develop a consistent characterization and stay with it to the show's end. And when she opens her mouth to sing, she sings!"[51] William Hawkins of the New York World-Telegram said that Merman was "bright as a whip, sure as her shooting, and generously the foremost lady clown of her time" and asserted that the show itself was comparable to those of Rodgers and Hammerstein, proclaiming, "For verve and buoyancy, unslackening, there has seldom if ever been a show like it...the girls in Annie have the beauty and character of looks one associates with a Rodgers and Hammerstein show. And the production has in every way the distinction that has become their hallmark".[51]
Historians have viewed the show as inaccurate, citing among other reasons its portrayal of Annie as a loud, boisterous character, when in reality she had a quiet personality and did needlepoint in her spare time.
Redface[edit]
Native Americans have criticized the show's portrayal of Redface and promotion of cultural stereotypes. The song "I'm an Indian Too" is seen as particularly offensive; Annie sings that song after the character Sitting Bull adopts her into the Sioux tribe.
Native Americans did protest outside the New York theatre, as well as movie theaters, holding picket signs stating: "Don't See "Annie Get Your Gun". As a result of this reaction, many contemporary productions have omitted the song from their revivals, and the protests stopped.[52]
However, the Native American comedy group The 1491s used the song in one of their satirical videos posted on YouTube.[53] Directed and edited by Sterlin Harjo and starring Ryan Red Corn as "Hipster in a Headdress Mascot," the video plays with both the reality and the stereotypes of people who identify as Indian. The video is set in Santa Fe, New Mexico, during the annual Indian Market held there; the market itself features original art by highly praised Native artists, but some vendors also sell extremely stereotyped kitsch with supposedly Native themes or patterns. Part of the satire, as well, is that Ryan Red Corn does not look stereotypically Indian; he is filmed dancing to the tune of "I'm an Indian Too" in different places in the market, wearing shorts and a traditional Plains Indian headdress, with the word "Hipster" written in marker on his chest. People have quite different reactions to him and his dancing, with some who clearly get the joke that he is playing a stereotype while others clearly do not.