August, 2005 - Nr. 8
Annie is back in town!
Sybille Forster-Rentmeister
Actually I cannot remember when Annie was last in town, but it is sure great to see her back, and this time with a lot of star power. Louise Pitre, last seen here in the smash hit Mamma Mia! as Donna Sheridan, is just as effervescent as we expect her to be in the role of Annie Oakley, the girl who cannot miss with a gun, but cannot get her man, or at least not at first.
Opposite from her in this, Irving Berlin’s probably most endearing musical, plays Billy Ray Cyrus as Frank Butler, marksman extraordinaire. This multifaceted young man of country song and film and television comes across as a really clean guy, which he appears to be in real life too, and a tad detached, which he is not in real life. In fact he is famous and has been honoured much for his involvement in many good causes.
![Louise Pitre in "Annie get your gun" [Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann]](508c-Annie2104.jpg)
Together
these two stars shine brightly. Louise Pitre kicks it up a notch whenever
necessary. Her stage presence is strong, she plays exactly and always also
to the last row in the theatre, and always just a bit bigger than real life,
just the way we like it. It is her energy that carries the rest of the cast
along to foot tapping pleasures. Her mixture of innocence and verve paired
with his boyish charm make a marvellous combination.
The supporting cast is nothing short of great. All of them are familiar in one way or another to Canadian audiences. Jonathan Wilson as Charlie, Andy Winsby as Buffalo Bill, Avery Salzman as Pawnee and George Masswohl as Wilson manage to transport us back to those pioneering days of the still slightly wild west.
Sandra Caldwell as Dolly manages fine comedic timing as the overbearing, full of herself dance hall girl come Girl Friday to the illustrious Mr. Buttler and his show managers.
Luckily the part of Sitting Bull can not be called politically incorrect in any way, being performed by Canada’s very own Cree darling from northern Manitoba, the multi talented Billy Merasty. The ever so slight ridicule of the famous Indian Chief is finely balanced with decorum only native to a Native.
![L-R: Billy Ray Cyrus & Louise Pitre [Photo: Cylla von Tiedemann]](508c-Annie2385.jpg)
But
best of all, it must be said, this is not just a show for reminiscing
old-timers. This is a show for everyone. The audience was as mixed as the
shoppers in a popular supermarket: from grandma with her daughter and
granddaughters under 10 years old, to lonely teenagers and theatre buffs of
all ages, everyone was smitten by the popular and familiar tunes one had
forgotten as belonging to this musical.
A full orchestra on stage, under the musical direction of Rick Fox, made for a luscious sound experience, but its presence was almost not apparent, because all eyes were always on the performers, who were astoundingly agile on the little remaining performance space, especially since a bunch of ensemble players rounded out the crowd scenes even with dance!
The costumes looked as though most of it came straight from a hot fashion catalogue of the past, but were likely from a current local rack in town, as this summer loved especially this western style look. What could not be found was made up with flair and put together well.
This production at Massy Hall will run until the end of August. Ticket prices start at $32.50 and can be had at Roy Thomson Hall box office, Ticketmaster outlets (www.ticketmaster.ca) or at Massy Hall (www.masseyhall.com) or by phone at 416-872-4255 or 416-872-1111.
This is great entertainment and fun for all! The 1880ies never sounded so good!
