By Meg Larson
Having one night of my week that wasn’t dedicated to my own rehearsals, I decided to make the trek down to Ogden to see Ogden Musical Theatre’s production of Annie Get Your Gun. I grew up reading history books about Annie Oakley, because her story and character fascinated me; it was so magical to see her story come to life on the phenomenal stage at Peery’s Egyptian Theatre.
Annie Get Your Gun was a Broadway hit in the 1940’s. The original book was written by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy; the music was written and composed by Irving Berlin. It is the story of Annie Oakley, who quickly became a world renowned sharpshooter and Frank Butler, who became her competitor, partner, and husband.
Throughout the production, Annie Oakley (Mickey Larson) maintains high energy and perfect comedic timing, never leaving the audience with a dull moment. Her stunning vocals alone make this show worth seeing. At the beginning of the production, Annie enters the stage for the first time, followed by her three younger siblings, Nellie, Jessie, and Little Jake (Evelyn Stephens, Sophie Riggs and Sam Marriott). These three maintain a loving and fun interaction with Larson as they cheer her on throughout the show and “do what comes naturally”.
Foster Wilson (Ross Reeder) steals the show with his goofy and clumsy character as he discovers Annie’s outstanding talent for shooting. He encourages her to compete against Frank Butler (BJ Whimpey), who is supposedly the best sharp shooter in the world. Whimpey instantly dazzles the audience with his rich tone and vibrato, as well as his strong prideful character that softens as he falls in love with Annie.
When Annie outshoots Frank, she catches both Buffalo Bill (Jim Dale) and Charlie Davenport (Ken Hadlock)’s attention and is immediately recruited to be a costar for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Both Dale and Hadlock’s persuasive body language are excellently delivered throughout the show. They both appear in the song “Show Business”, and this catchy tune will be stuck in your head long after the curtains close.
Dolly Tate (Melissa Jensen) is Frank Butler’s “lovely” assistant in Buffalo Bill’s show. She is mean-spirited, and desperate to be loved. Jensen successfully delineates the depth of this character and demands the audience’s attention with her over-the-top character expression. Dolly’s little sister, Winnie Tate (Niki Waite) is in love with Tommy Keeler (Dylan Padilla), who happens to be half Indian. The two young characters wish to be married, but their society sees interracial relationships as unacceptable. Waite and Padilla have very good chemistry, and their voices blend fairly well together.
Director Liz Smith obviously knows what she’s doing. Every single actor, even in the ensemble has a purpose, 
and as a whole they are enjoyable to watch. They blended well together, and the harmonies are gorgeous thanks to the Music Director, Derek Myler. The sound board operators, Micah Maxson and Phil Falkowski do a wonderful job; the sound is almost flawless and the balance is perfect between the soundtrack playing and the voices onstage. Their choreography, by Kelly Richardson, is extremely fun to watch, and I very rarely saw a character miss a step. Alongside the dancing, the costumes, by Joanne Hatch are top notch and accurate to the time period.
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The stage alone is a sight to see, but with the amazing scenic design by Robert Little, Annie Get Your Gun is brought to life realistically with curtain-like backdrops that are easily adaptable between scenes. The lighting, by Chris Sorenson and Sarah Wood is simple, but very effective.
Ogden Musical Theatre’s production of Annie Get Your Gun is a very heartwarming experience. It left the entire audience with the theme that despite the flaws of this world: the racism, chauvinism and bigotry, love has the power to change it all. This is one of the most powerful messages to consider in the world today; we can all relate to it.
Ogden Musical Theatre presents Annie Get Your Gun by Irving Berlin.
Peery’s Egyptian Theatre- 2415 Washington Blvd, Ogden, Utah 84401
July 26-28, 30 7:30-9:30 PM, August 2, 4, 6, 9-11 7:30-9:30 PM, Matinee July 28, August 4, Aug 11 2:00-4:00 PM
Tickets: $15-20. online or at the box office.
Contact: 801-689-8700
Ogden Musical Theatre Facebook Page
Annie Get Your Gun Facebook Event
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