Acting Company gets gun for 'Annie' production

Shooting guns is traditionally associated with males. But one of the most famous sharpshooters in American history was Annie Oakley, a woman.

The events of her life were adapted into the musical "Annie Get Your Gun." The Acting Company in Yuba City will perform an adaptation of the musical starting this weekend.

"It's like a tall tale," said Pierrette Jensen, the play's director, of the "Annie Get Your Gun" story. "I'm not sure how much of it is true, but some of the details (did happen)."

"Annie Get Your Gun" opens with the traveling Buffalo Bill's Wild West show rolling into Cincinatti. The star of the show, Frank Butler (played by Anthony Dost), challenges everyone in town to a shooting match. Annie Oakley (played by Candee Parker) shoots a bird off Dolly Tale's (Stephanie Balmer) hat, and is entered into the contest.

Annie wins the contest and is asked to join the show with one of the show's most famous musical numbers, "There's No Business Like Show Business."

After joining the show, Annie performs a special shooting trick on a motorcycle to take business away from the competing Pawnee Bill's Far East Show. The trick makes Annie into the star of Buffalo Bill's show, and Chief Sitting Bull (Ted Shadle) adopts her into the Sioux tribe.

Frank, his ego bruised, leaves Buffalo Bill's show for Pawnee Bill's show.

"The part (of 'Annie') that's not true is Frank's ego," Jensen said. "Frank was more supportive of her than the show suggests."

The musical numbers in "Annie Get Your Gun" are among the most famous in musical theater: "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly," "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun," "They Say It's Wonderful" and "Anything You Can Do."

"It's Irving Berlin music, so every song is good," Jensen said. "There's not a bad song in the entire show."

Rounding out the cast is Tyler Crownover as Foster Wilson, Mark Johnson as Charlie Davenport, Stephanie Balmer as Dolly Tate, Gary Conover as Col. Buffalo Bill and Steve Shepard and John Elliott as Pawnee Bill.

"The cast is very talented," Jensen said. "They're just good singers and dancers. The whole show is very colorful ... and has a lot of variety. Everything about it is just great."

"Annie Get Your Gun"

Times: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays; runs to May 18

Where: The Acting Company, 815 B St., Yuba City

Tickets: $15. Call 751-1100 or actingcompany.org