* ABOUT THE PLAY *

History can be a truly inspiring thing! For starters, if Phoebe Ann Mosey had never existed, you and I wouldn’t be at The State Theatre about to watch Annie Get Your Gun. Irving Berlin and Herbert and Dorothy Fields would never have had the creative vision for its conception. Ethel Merman, Betty Hutton, Bernadette Peters, and countless others would never have portrayed the iconic role. Miss Mosey, better known as Annie Oakley, was a real life American sharpshooter and her amazing talent led her to a starring role in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. This western fairytale (with a gun instead of gown) has inspired movies, television series, cartoons, novels, and this Golden Age musical.

Our show today will include all the show-stopping songs you remember, including “No Business Like Show Business,” “Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly,” and “Anything You Can Do”. It will be presented in a way that frames this timeless tale as a “show
within a show.” This is why you will see hawkers in the aisles and audience members right up on the stage watching. It gives that “Big Top” feel and reminds us “how the West was won.”

I leave you with a little inspiration from Ms. Oakley herself (and something that has inspired me), “Aim at a high mark and you will hit it. No, not the first time, not the second time and maybe not the third. But keep on aiming and keep on shooting for only practice will make you perfect. Finally you’ll hit the bull’s-eye of success.”

Enjoy the show!

JONATHAN HETLER  DIRECTOR