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Prince Theater's "Annie Get Your Gun'
Steve Cohen
Faithful to the (non-PC) original
STEVE COHEN
Irving Berlin’s 1946 Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun is a relic from Broadway’s Golden Age, when hummable songs were the main attraction of every show. The Prince Theater production contains a parade of hits: "They Say It’s Wonderful," "The Girl That I Marry," "I Got the Sun in the Mornin’," "Doin’ What Comes Naturally," "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" and "There's No Business Like Show Business." But this show is also memorable for its plot, in which a woman wins a man only by allowing him to think that he’s the dominant one.
As the sharpshooter Annie Oakley and her rival Frank Butler, Andrea McArdle and Jeff Coon are effective with the comic scenes but could put more tenderness into their ballads. They should listen to Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton on the original 1946 cast recording, where Merman sang more gently and sweetly than the brassy Merman stereotype that persists in most people’s memories. Even in 1966, when I saw her in the Lincoln Center revival, Merman surprised me with her velvet soft crooning of "Moonshine Lullaby" and "I Got Lost in His Arms."
More portamento needed
Coon concentrates so much on depicting his assertive and domineering character and sometimes neglects the romantic legato in his music. He should try more portamento, carrying over the ends of lines and linking them to the next line.
McArdle’s every note is on pitch and she acts well. The only thing missing is a joyous belt in her voice that could connect more solidly with her audience. Mary Martello is excellent as Coon’s previous partner; her singing and comic timing are superb. Other supporting roles are decently played. Richard M. Parison Jr.’s stylish direction makes clever use of the aisles, pit and upper level platforms.
The return of ‘I’m an Indian Too’
Unlike Broadway producers, the Prince Music Theater tries to present musical theater that’s faithful to the authors’ original concepts. With its current Annie Get Your Gun, that means restoring a scene of an Indian adoption ceremony in which a white woman refers to Native Americans as "Hatchet Face" and "Battle Axe." This entire scene, as well as Irving Berlin’s song, "I’m an Indian Too," have been cut from recent revivals of the piece.
I loved the scene, and that song is damn catchy. And as a theater historian, I’m glad to see the show virtually uncut. But for most attendees, some trimming would be welcome. The show always had a problem by not introducing Annie Oakley until 15 minutes in. So for greater impact, Frank Butler’s opening song could be sung just once, and its long dance excised, and then we could move more quickly to Annie’s entrance.
This production follows the 1966 revival script, which replaced the 1946 version's inconsequential "Who Do You Love, I Hope" with a great new Berlin duet, "An Old-Fashioned Wedding." That 1966 addition turned out to be the last memorable song of Irving Berlin’s career.
To read a response, click here.
STEVE COHEN
Irving Berlin’s 1946 Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun is a relic from Broadway’s Golden Age, when hummable songs were the main attraction of every show. The Prince Theater production contains a parade of hits: "They Say It’s Wonderful," "The Girl That I Marry," "I Got the Sun in the Mornin’," "Doin’ What Comes Naturally," "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better" and "There's No Business Like Show Business." But this show is also memorable for its plot, in which a woman wins a man only by allowing him to think that he’s the dominant one.
As the sharpshooter Annie Oakley and her rival Frank Butler, Andrea McArdle and Jeff Coon are effective with the comic scenes but could put more tenderness into their ballads. They should listen to Ethel Merman and Ray Middleton on the original 1946 cast recording, where Merman sang more gently and sweetly than the brassy Merman stereotype that persists in most people’s memories. Even in 1966, when I saw her in the Lincoln Center revival, Merman surprised me with her velvet soft crooning of "Moonshine Lullaby" and "I Got Lost in His Arms."
More portamento needed
Coon concentrates so much on depicting his assertive and domineering character and sometimes neglects the romantic legato in his music. He should try more portamento, carrying over the ends of lines and linking them to the next line.
McArdle’s every note is on pitch and she acts well. The only thing missing is a joyous belt in her voice that could connect more solidly with her audience. Mary Martello is excellent as Coon’s previous partner; her singing and comic timing are superb. Other supporting roles are decently played. Richard M. Parison Jr.’s stylish direction makes clever use of the aisles, pit and upper level platforms.
The return of ‘I’m an Indian Too’
Unlike Broadway producers, the Prince Music Theater tries to present musical theater that’s faithful to the authors’ original concepts. With its current Annie Get Your Gun, that means restoring a scene of an Indian adoption ceremony in which a white woman refers to Native Americans as "Hatchet Face" and "Battle Axe." This entire scene, as well as Irving Berlin’s song, "I’m an Indian Too," have been cut from recent revivals of the piece.
I loved the scene, and that song is damn catchy. And as a theater historian, I’m glad to see the show virtually uncut. But for most attendees, some trimming would be welcome. The show always had a problem by not introducing Annie Oakley until 15 minutes in. So for greater impact, Frank Butler’s opening song could be sung just once, and its long dance excised, and then we could move more quickly to Annie’s entrance.
This production follows the 1966 revival script, which replaced the 1946 version's inconsequential "Who Do You Love, I Hope" with a great new Berlin duet, "An Old-Fashioned Wedding." That 1966 addition turned out to be the last memorable song of Irving Berlin’s career.
To read a response, click here.
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