Annie Gets Her Gun, and the Guy, at Theatre Three
By Lisa Napell Dicksteen
Originally published in Times Beacon Record Newspapers

A crisp fall night, a talented cast, a full house, exuberant choreography, wonderful music, a love story with a happy ending, and the music of Irving Berlin. Who could ask for anything more?
Theatre Three has revived one of Broadway’s most popular musicals, opening Annie Get Your Gun on September 17 to raucous applause. This classic American musical first saw the lights of Broadway on May 16, 1946, produced by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and starring the irrepressible Ethel Merman as the equally irrepressible Annie Oakley. It was a hit then, running for over 1,000 performances, and it’s a hit now, although Theatre Three’s run is scheduled to be considerably shorter, so you’d better reserve your tickets right away.
A show that opens with the classic “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” has a tough act to follow, but Berlin had a lot of classics up his sleeve, and several were introduced to the American songbook in this show. The gifted Jon Rivera is perfectly cast as Frank Butler, the famous shooting “champeen” traveling with Buffalo Bill’s famous Wild West Show. He plays supercilious, superior, smug, and smart as well as he does charming, chastened, incredulous, and smitten, and he has a marvelous singing voice.
When he details the kind of wife he thinks he wants in “The Girl That I Marry,” and explains that he’s ready to give up his bachelor life because he’s figured out that with Annie, “being miserable is gonna be fun” in “My Defenses are Down,” he uses the opportunities not only to dazzle us with his delightful voice, but explicate his character, define his motivation, and, occasionally, move the plot forward. And sandwiching the captivating Corryn Manwiller as Annie singing the utterly adorable and completely corny “Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly” between “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and “The Girl That I Marry,” allows us to hear the show’s two stars and the entire company in three great numbers in the first few moments of the show.
It was a delightful surprise shortly thereafter to recognize Theatre Three’s talented costumer Brent Erlanson, when he walked on stage as Buffalo Bill Cody. And it is a testament to his multitude of talents that his fans immediately forgot he was anyone but the wily old showman in the flashy cowboy suits.
Every love story needs a spoiler, and this one gets a two-for-one treat in the person of the spinster older sister of sweet Winnie Tate (Christina Peters). Dolly Tate (Amy Connor), proud on-stage assistant to Butler, manages to upset the trajectory of true love (at least temporarily) for both her little sister and her boss. This being a 1940s musical, however, I am not revealing too much when I say that everything sorts itself out in the end. Connor is delightful in this role, her Theatre Three debut, giving Dolly enough of an edge to be a believable villain, but never losing her underlying humanity. One knows she wants to keep the lovers apart, which is mean (but makes the plot work), yet one can’t really work up too much hatred or anger for her, she’s so desperate to be loved that she can’t help being jealous of those who are.
Peters’ portrayal of the lovely but over-ruled Winnie is wonderful, and she has the enviable job of falling in love with the extraordinarily talented Morgan Howell Rumble as Tommy Keeler, another member of Bill’s entourage. Their two duets, “I’ll Share It All with You,” and “Who Do You Love, I Hope?” are sweetly worded and sweetly sung.
Manwiller, as the undisputed star of the show, gets to sing a lot of great Berlin tunes, including “You Can’t Get A Man With A Gun,” and “Moonshine Lullaby” (with her three siblings and an all-cowboy backup group). An old theater saying warns actors against taking the stage with children or dogs, for fear of being upstaged by their adorableness, and the three who play Annie’s younger sisters and brother are about as cute as kids get, but she isn’t overshadowed for a moment. Manwiller allows the young actors (Jenna Schoen, Katelyn Onufrey, and David Schwartz) their time in the spotlight, yet never loses control of the stage.
She gets to sing three duets with Butler. “They Say It’s Wonderful,” the realization-that-we-might be-falling-in-love number, “I Got Lost In His Arms,” the we-really-are-falling-in-love number, and “An Old Fashioned Wedding,” in which they decide to get married but have to argue about something, so they fight (lyrically) about what kind of wedding to have. At the end of this song, Butler gets to deliver one of those lines that have leaped off the stage and into American dialogue. He says, “OK, honey, let’s compromise.” Then, when Annie asks for details of what such a thing might look like, he smiles and says, “We’ll do it my way.”
As if that weren’t enough fun for an actor, Manwiller also gets to sing “I Got The Sun In The Morning,” and, one of my favorites, the duet “Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)” in which she and Butler spar lyrically. If every couple fought like this, with rhymed barbs, clever couplets, sprightly choreography, and exquisite harmony, marital spats would be much more fun.
Odell Cureton brings a knowing air to Chief Sitting Bull, adding an occasional wry note of contemporary humor by delivering deadpan lines that must have been added by Director Jeffrey Sanzel and which I will not kill by revealing in advance. You’ll know them when they come along, and you’ll be glad.
Playing both Foster Wilson, the clever hotelier who arranges the first competition between Annie and Frank, and Pawnee Bill, the proprietor of the competing Wild West show, Douglas Quattrock gives one of his trademark spirited character performances. Theatre Three audiences have come to expect that whatever role he’s given will be inhabited completely and presented with humor and style.
As is usual at Theatre Three, the company (Deb Damadeo, Tim David, Sari Feldman, Kelsi Anna Gordon, Stephanie Hudson, Meaghan Lakios, Stan Kubica, Christine Lisette Martinez, Ronald Rebaldo, David Schwartz, Lon Shomer, and Janet Anne Wolter) is overflowing with talent, the choreography, by Jean Sorbera, is clever, and Musical Director Ellen Michelmore (keyboards/conductor) leads her orchestra in a lively performance. Murray Houllif (percussion), Jeff Lange and Steve Costenbader (woodwinds), Kaitlyn Weeks and Jennifer Haley (flute/piccolo), Rex Enderlin (trombone), Mike Chiusano (trumpet/bass), Mark Verdino (bass), and Dan Yeager (trumpet) are all wonderful.
This is a fabulous show, suitable for children, teenagers, parents, dates, young lovers, long-marrieds, and everyone in between. It is marvelously directed and charismatically performed. Annie Get Your Gun will be at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson through October 28. For tickets, which are $18 to $28, call the box office (928-9100), or go to www.theatrethree.com.