Charlie McCullagh stars as Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun at the stunning new open-air Lavender Theatre. Leading the cast are SuRie as Annie Oakley, Charlie McCullagh as Frank Butler, Chlöe Hart as Dolly Tate and Elliot Broadfoot making his professional debut as Buffalo Bill.
Featuring a glittering score of Irving Berlin’s best-loved songs, Annie Get Your Gun proves There’s No Business Like Show Business in all-singing, all-dancing, gun-toting glory!
Director/choreographer Simon Hardwick will bring the story to life with a raw and kinetic staging evoking the energy of Buffalo Bill’s original touring celebrations of the Wild West.
It will run at the 250-seat open air theatre Lavender Theatre from 17 July – 5 August.
You’re starring in Annie Get Your Gun at the brand-new Lavender Theatre, what can you tell us about the show?
Annie Get Your Gun tells the story of Annie Oakley’s rise to fame and her ‘tempestuous’ relationship with Frank Butler! In this new production of the show at the Lavender Theatre, audiences will not only get to experience the show in the outdoors but the show is also staged to allow audiences to fully immerse themselves in the world of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Simon Lee Hardwick, our director, uses creative practical effects to tell this Golden Age Broadway musical with the raw and visceral energy of a travelling Wild West show.
What is it about Irvine Berlin’s songs that you think keeps them so popular to this day?
Irving Berlin’s melodies are beautiful, catchy and transcend genre. Annie Get Your Gun, in particular, features a wide variety of stylistic, timeless and catchy tunes. From ‘They Say It’s Wonderful’, as a tender duet of new found love to bombastic lyrics such as “they don’t buy pajamas for pistol packing mamas” in ‘You Can’t Get A Man with a Gun’. With songs like ‘Defences are Down’ that walk the line between country and jazz and a beautiful sentimental lullaby with dark undertones in ‘Moonshine Lullaby’.
Irving Berlin’s music is both accessible and seemingly simple but rich with nuance and detail. A perfect combination from the occasional theatre fan to the passionate diehard!
You’re playing Frank Butler, tell us a little more about the character, and what you’re enjoying most about the role?
Frank is the star of Buffalo Bill’s show, a confident man who knows what he wants and goes out and gets it, but his confidence frequently borders on arrogance because things have come easy to him. He’s young, he wants what society has told him he should want and it being the late 1800s those are some old-fashioned ideas.
However, when he meets Annie Oakley, his life takes a turn. Annie, a woman, not afraid to challenge him and unwilling to roll over to spare his pride. What I love about playing Frank is his relationship with Annie, a relationship that thrives on their joy of competition even though their competitive natures cause most of their arguments! Frank as a character is constantly torn between what he thinks he wants in a partner and what he clearly needs from one and that push and pull is a joy to play, especially opposite SuRie’s energetic and loveable Annie.
What are you looking forward to most about working at the open-air Lavender Theatre?
I’ve always wanted to do an open air production, ever since seeing my first open air production at Regents Park. I adore live theatre because each show is unique, actors click into scenes differently, lines land differently and the energy of the audience affects the atmosphere onstage.
Open Air is the same but the elements become a part of it and with this production capturing the feel of a travelling Wild West show, the summer sun or evening stars can only deepen the immersion. Theatre began outdoors with Ancient Greece, what an amazing opportunity to relive that old tradition in the Lavender Theatre’s beautiful Lavender fields.
And what do you think will be the biggest challenge of bringing this show to the stage?
Annie Get Your Gun has stayed popular and relevant over the years not only due to Irving Berlin’s phenomenal score but because of its themes about love, acceptance and being yourself or doing what comes naturally (as Annie puts it!). However, it’s still a piece originally written in the 1940’s and not all of it has aged well. During rehearsals, we as a company, had a lot of discussions about how to ensure the story is told well without sections being completely censored or removed. Finding a balance of being faithful to the story whilst not relying on harmful stereotypes and/or offensive language in a story that is at its core about love and acceptance
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see Annie Get Your Gun?
Do it! Besides the fact that Annie Get Your Gun is a Golden Age musical theatre classic, it has one of the most memorable and famous scores in musical theatre history, that this new production plants the audience right into the boisterous and visceral world of Buffalo Bill’s famous Wild West show and that the show features something for everyone in the form of singing, dancing and even a trick or two!
This is your opportunity to see a classic reborn, the inaugural production in a brand new theatre! It’s going to be wonderful!
Annie Get Your Gun will run at the 250-seat open air theatre Lavender Theatre from 17 July – 5 August www.lavendertheatre.com
