Annie Get Your Gun is a 1946 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 fellow sharpshooter Frank E. Butler (1847–1926).

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

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. 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. Kern was hospitalized, and he died on November 11, 1945. 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. Berlin initially declined to write the score, worrying that he would be unable to write songs to fit specific scenes in "a situation show". Unlike other shows where her love songs included comical elements as it was felt that Merman's style was not suited to romantic expression, Berlin included ballads for Merman to sing, including "They Say It's Wonderful" and "I Got Lost in His Arms". Merman claimed that "Irving Berlin made a lady out of me." Berlin also included upbeat tunes for her, including "I Got the Sun in the Mornin'" and "Anything You Can Do". 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.

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". 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." 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".

(1946)

!Original West End

(1947)

!First U.S. Tour

(1947)

!First Broadway Revival

(1958)

!Second Broadway Revival

(1966)

!First West End Revival

(1986)

!Third Broadway Revival

(1999)

!Second U.S. Tour

(2000)

|-

!Annie Oakley

|Ethel Merman

|Dolores Gray

|Mary Martin

|Betty Jane Watson

|Ethel Merman

|Suzi Quatro

|Bernadette Peters

|Marilu Henner

|-

!Frank Butler

|Ray Middleton

|Bill Johnson

|Earl Covert

|David Atkinson

|Bruce Yarnell

|Eric Flynn

|Tom Wopat

|Rex Smith

|-

!Dolly Tate/Davenport

|Lea Penman

|Barbara Babington

|Jean Cleveland

|Margaret Hamilton

|Benay Venuta

|Maureen Scott

|Valerie Wright

|Susann Fletcher

|-

!Buffalo Bill

|William O'Neal

|Ellis Irving

|Jack Rutherford

|James Rennie

|Rufus Smith

|Edmund Hockridge

|Ron Holgate

|George McDaniel

|-

!Chief Sitting Bull

|Harry Bellaver

|John Garside

|Zachary A. Charles

|Harry Bellaver

|Harry Bellaver

|Berwick Kaler

|Gregory Zaragoza

|Larry Storch

|-

!Tommy Keeler

|Kenneth Bowers

|Irving Davies

|Tommy Wonder

|Richard France

|x

|x

|Andrew Palermo

|Eric Sciotto

|-

!Charlie Davenport

|Marty May

|Hal Bryan

|Donald Burr

|Jack Whiting

|Jerry Orbach

|Matt Zimmerman

|Peter Marx

|Joe Hart

|-

!Winnie Tate

|Betty Anne Nyman

|Wendy Toye

|Billie Worth

|Rain Winslow

|x

|x

|Nicole Ruth Snelson

|Claci Miller

|-

!Pawnee Bill

|George Lipton

|Edmund Dalby

|Bern Hoffman

|William LeMassena

|Jack Dabdoub

|Michael G. Jones

|Ronn Carroll

|Charles Goff

|}

Notes

Characters

  • Annie Oakley—a sharpshooter in the Wild West show
  • Frank Butler—the Wild West show's star
  • Dolly Tate—Frank's flamboyant assistant; Winnie's sister (Charlie's sister in the 1966 version and the 1986 version as Dolly Davenport)
  • Buffalo Bill—owner of the Wild West show
  • Chief Sitting Bull—Sioux chief and holy man; Annie's protector
  • Tommy Keeler§—knife-thrower in the Wild West show; Winnie's boyfriend; part Native American (not in the 1966 version nor the 1986 version)
  • Charlie Davenport—manager of the Wild West show
  • Winnie Tate§—Dolly's sister; Tommy's girlfriend and his assistant in the knife-throwing act (not in the 1966 version nor the 1986 version)
  • Pawnee Bill—owner of a competing western show
  • Foster Wilson—hotel owner
  • Little Boy-show opens on him
  • Annie's brothers and sisters: Jessie, Nellie, Little Jake, and Minnie (Minnie was written out of the 1999 revival)

Notes

  • §Tommy and Winnie and their songs were written out of the film & 1966 revision. The 1999 revival restored their characters and songs.

Musical numbers

Original 1946 production

;Act I

  • Overture — Orchestra
  • "Colonel Buffalo Bill" — Charlie Davenport, Dolly Tate, and ensemble
  • "I'm a Bad, Bad Man" — Frank Butler
  • "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" — Annie Oakley and her siblings
  • "The Girl That I Marry" — Frank and Annie
  • "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" — Annie
  • "There's No Business Like Show Business" — Frank, Buffalo Bill, Charlie, Annie, and ensemble
  • "They Say It's Wonderful" — Annie and Frank
  • "Moonshine Lullaby" § — Annie and siblings
  • "I'll Share It All With You" — Winnie Tate and Tommy Keeler
  • "Ballyhoo" — Riding Mistress and Show People
  • "There's No Business Like Show Business" (Reprise) — Annie
  • "My Defenses Are Down" — Frank and ensemble
  • "Wild Horse Ceremonial Dance" — Wild Horse, Indian Braves and Maidens
  • "I'm an Indian, Too" — Annie and ensemble
  • Adoption Dance — Annie, Wild Horse and Braves

;Act II

  • Entr'acte — Orchestra
  • "I Got Lost In His Arms" § — Annie
  • "Who Do You Love, I Hope?" — Winnie and Tommy
  • "I Got the Sun in the Morning" — Annie and ensemble
  • "They Say It's Wonderful" (Reprise) — Annie and Frank
  • "The Girl That I Marry" (Reprise) — Frank
  • "Anything You Can Do" — Annie and Frank
  • "There's No Business Like Show Business" (Reprise) — Ensemble

;Notes

  • §: omitted from the 1950 film version
  • "Let's Go West Again" was written by Berlin for the 1950 film but was not used. However, there are recordings by both Betty Hutton and Judy Garland.
  • "Take It in Your Stride" was a solo for Annie written for the original production. It was replaced by a reprise of "There's No Business Like Show Business" when Merman found the number too difficult. It was recorded by Liz Larsen for the album Lost in Boston.

1999 revival

;Act I

  • "There's No Business Like Show Business" - Frank, Dolly, Winnie and Company
  • "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" — Annie, Kids and Foster Wilson
  • "The Girl That I Marry" — Frank and Annie
  • "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" — Annie
  • "There's No Business Like Show Business" (Reprise) — Frank, Buffalo Bill, Charlie and Annie
  • "I'll Share It All With You" — Tommy, Winnie and Company
  • "Moonshine Lullaby" — Annie, Kids, Ensemble Trio
  • "There's No Business Like Show Business" (Reprise) — Annie
  • "They Say It's Wonderful" — Annie and Frank
  • "My Defenses Are Down" — Frank and Young Men
  • Finale: "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun (Reprise)" - Annie

;Act II

  • Entr'acte: The European Tour — Annie and Company
  • "I Got Lost In His Arms" — Annie
  • "Who Do You Love, I Hope" — Tommy, Winnie and Company
  • "I Got the Sun in the Morning" — Annie and Company
  • "An Old-Fashioned Wedding" — Annie and Frank
  • "The Girl That I Marry" (Reprise) — Frank
  • "Anything You Can Do" — Annie and Frank
  • "They Say It's Wonderful" (Reprise) — Annie, Frank and Company

"An Old-Fashioned Wedding" was written by Berlin for the 1966 revision, sung by Annie and Frank, and was also included in the 1999 revival

Productions

Original productions

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. It was Merman's and Berlin's longest-running show.

1973 Shady Grove Music Fair production

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.

1976 Mexican production

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.

1977 Los Angeles Civic Light Opera production

In 1977, Gower Champion directed a revival for the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera starring Debbie Reynolds as Annie. 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,

Peter Bruni as Foster Wilson, Don Potter as Pawnee Bill, and Manu Tupou as Sitting Bull. 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

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. It moved to the Theatre Royal, Plymouth, The cast recorded an album, Annie Get Your Gun - 1986 London Cast and Quatro's songs "I Got Lost in His Arms"/"You Can't Get a Man with a Gun" were released as a single. and Songs from the Greatest Musicals (2008).

1992 London revival

A short-lived London production ran at the Prince of Wales Theatre in the West End, starring Kim Criswell as Annie. Criswell's studio cast recording of the show - made with Thomas Hampson and conductor John McGlinn - provided the impetus for the production. Pippa Ailion was the Casting Director for this production.

1999 Broadway revival

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. 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.

Notable replacements

While Peters was on vacation, All My Children star Susan Lucci made her Broadway debut as Annie from December 27, 1999, until January 16, 2000. Peters and Wopat left the show on September 2, 2000. Former Charlie's Angels star Cheryl Ladd made her Broadway debut as Annie on September 6, 2000, with Patrick Cassidy as Frank Butler. Country music singer Reba McEntire made her Broadway debut as Annie from January 26, 2001, to June 22, 2001, opposite Brent Barrett as Frank. On June 23, 2001, former Wings star Crystal Bernard, who had been playing Annie in the national tour of Annie Get Your Gun, assumed the role of Annie in the Broadway production, with Tom Wopat returning as Frank Butler.

2000 U.S. tour

The 1999 Broadway production, in a "slightly revised version", toured in a U.S. national tour starting in Dallas, Texas, on July 25, 2000, with Marilu Henner and Rex Smith. Tom Wopat joined the tour in late October 2000, replacing Smith.

2006 Prince Music Theater production

In 2006, the Prince Music Theater of Philadelphia, revived the 1966 Lincoln Center Theater version for one month. This production starred Andrea McArdle (the original Annie of the 1977 Broadway musical Annie), Jeffrey Coon as Frank Butler, John Scherer as Charlie Davenport, Chris Councill as Buffalo Bill, Mary Martello as Dolly Tate, and Arthur Ryan as Sitting Bull. The production was well received by critics. The production was directed by Richard M. Parison, Jr. and choreographed by Mercedes Ellington.

2009 London revival

Jane Horrocks, Julian Ovenden and director Richard Jones mounted a major London revival at the Young Vic, Waterloo. The show opened at the off West End venue on October 16, 2009, initially booking until January 2, 2010, but with an extra week added due to popular demand. The production featured new arrangements by Jason Carr for a band consisting four pianos. London's Guardian newspaper awarded the show 5 stars, claiming that "Richard Jones's brilliant production offers the wittiest musical staging London has seen in years."

2010 Ravinia Festival concert

A concert staging of the original version of Annie Get Your Gun took place at the Ravinia Festival, Chicago from August 13–15, 2010 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Annie Oakley's birth. Directed by Lonny Price, the concert starred Patti LuPone as Annie, Patrick Cassidy as Frank and George Hearn as Buffalo Bill. The concert received unanimously strong reviews, notably for LuPone and Price's direction.

Other major productions

Lucie Arnaz starred in a production in the summer of 1978 with Harve Presnell at the Jones Beach Theater in Nassau County, New York. This was the first major production of the musical done in the New York area after the 1966 revival.

The Paper Mill Playhouse produced a well-reviewed production in June 1987 starring Judy Kaye as Annie and Richard White as Frank.

In 2004, Marina Prior and Scott Irwin starred in an Australian production of the 1999 Broadway rewrite of the show.

In 2014 Carter Calvert and David Weitzer starred in a production that opened the Algonquin Arts Theatre's 2014-2015 Broadway Season. It was also the first show to be performed after the Algonquin underwent the task of installing new seating which had not been done since 1938.

In October 2015, a two night concert version was presented at the New York City Center Gala starring Megan Hilty (Annie Oakley) and Andy Karl (Frank Butler). The concerts are directed by John Rando, and the cast features Judy Kaye (Dolly Tate), Ron Raines (Buffalo Bill), Brad Oscar (Charlie) and Chuck Cooper (Pawnee Bill).

In April 2023, a one night concert version was presented at The London Palladium starring Rachel Tucker (Annie Oakley) and Oliver Savile (Frank Butler). The concert was produced by Lambert Jackson Productions, directed by Emma Butler, with musical direction by Adam Hoskins.

Film and television versions

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, as does an audio-only recording of the entire 90-minute show.

Recordings

There are several recordings of the Annie Get Your Gun score, including:

  • 1946 Original Broadway Cast: an original cast recording was released by Decca Records in 1946, featuring the cast of the original 1946 Broadway production. The principal stars were Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton. The album was added to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.
  • 1957 TV Cast: a recording based on the TV version shown in 1957, with Mary Martin and John Raitt.
  • 1963 Studio Cast featuring Doris Day and Robert Goulet: not based on a theatre production.
  • 1966 Broadway Revival Cast
  • 1976 Spanish-language version with Mexican cast.
  • 1986 1986 London Cast

Reception

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 New York 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". 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".

The Native American comedy group The 1491s used "I'm an Indian Too" in one of their satirical videos posted on YouTube. The video plays with both the reality and the stereotypes of people who identify as Indian.

Awards and nominations

  • Mary Martin received a Special Tony Award in 1948 for "Spreading Theatre to the Country While the Originals Perform in New York" (1947-48 US Tour)
  • (1947-48 US Tour)

1966 Broadway revival

{| class="wikitable" width="95%"

|-

! width="5%"| Year

! width="20%"| Award Ceremony

! width="45%"| Category

! width="20%"| Nominee

! width="10%"| Result

|-

| rowspan="2" align="center"| 1966

| rowspan="2"| Tony Award

| Best Direction of a Musical

| Jack Sydow

|

|-

| Best Choreography

| Danny Daniels

|

|}

1999 Broadway revival

{| class="wikitable" width="95%"

|-

! width="5%"| Year

! width="20%"| Award Ceremony

! width="45%"| Category

! width="20%"| Nominee

! width="10%"| Result

|-

| rowspan="7" align="center"| 1999

| rowspan="3"| Tony Award

| colspan="2"| Best Revival of a Musical

|

|-

| Best Actor in a Musical

| Tom Wopat

|

|-

| Best Actress in a Musical

| Bernadette Peters

|

|-

| rowspan="3"| Drama Desk Award

| colspan="2"| Outstanding Revival of a Musical

|

|-

| Outstanding Actor in a Musical

| Tom Wopat

|

|-

| Outstanding Actress in a Musical

| Bernadette Peters

|

|-

| Grammy Award

| colspan="2"| Best Musical Show Album

|

|-

| rowspan="2" align="center"| 2001

| Drama Desk Award

| Special Award

| rowspan="2"| Reba McEntire

|

|-

| colspan="2"| Theatre World Award

|

|}

2009 London revival

{| class="wikitable" width="95%"

|-

! width="5%"| Year

! width="20%"| Award Ceremony

! width="45%"| Category

! width="20%"| Nominee

! width="10%"| Result

|-

| align="center"| 2009

| Laurence Olivier Award

| colspan="2"| Best Musical Revival

|

|}

Notes

References

  • Kantor, Michael, and Maslon, Laurence (2004). "Broadway: The American Musical". New York: Bullfinch Press.
  • Nolan, Frederick (2002). "The Sound of Their Music: The Story of Rodgers and Hammerstein". Cambridge, Mass.: Applause Theatre and Cinema Books. .
  • Suskin, Stephen (1990). Opening Night on Broadway: A Critical Quotebook of the Golden Era of the Musical Theatre. New York: Schrimmer Books. .
  • Annie Get Your Gun plot summary & character descriptions". "StageAgent".
  • "Annie Get Your Gun". The Judy Garland Online Discography.
  • "Annie Get Your Gun". . Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.
  • "Bulls Eye! Annie Get Your Gun Hits Broadway". . Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization. July 1, 1999.
  • 'Annie Get Your Gun' Guide to Musical Theatre.
  • (Mary Martin)
  • (Ethel Merman)
  • Curtain Up reviews from 2/8/01 and 3/9/99