Irving Berlin’s classic Annie Get Your Gun has been a staple of American
Musical Theater for the past 61 years, and it’s always a pleasure to revisit its
many charms. The current production at Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities
is first rate revival of this sure-fire hit.

To be sure-fire, Annie Get Your Gun must have its Annie, and I’ve heard great
things about Misty Cotton’s performance in this production.  Unfortunately, a
bout of laryngitis has robbed the show of its leading lady.  Fortunately, a
magnificent replacement has been found.

With just hours to rehearse for her first performance, regional theater favorite
Victoria Strong proved herself to be a real trouper, and the production, which
faced cancelling performances, remains alive and well, with Strong living up to
her last name and giving a Broadway caliber performance.

I caught her third show, by which time she’d surely gotten over whatever
opening night jitters she might have had and wow, I can’t imagine anyone
better than Strong in the role.  With a Reba McIntiresque country twang and
aw shucks charm, plus a voice that can belt out You Can’t Get a Man With a
Gun with the best of them, Strong richly deserved the standing ovation her
performance inspired.

Luckily, she’s got Broadway vet Kevin Bailey at her side as Frank Butler.  Bailey,
who understudied multiple roles including Butler in the 1999-2001 Broadway
revival, is handsome and dashing and when he sings The Girl That I Marry,
many in the audience surely wish they were that girl.

CLOSBC’s production uses Peter Stone’s revised book for the Bway revival, and
truth be told, despite (or perhaps because of) attempts at political
correctness, I’m an Indian Too is gone, sadly. It was a great number, and I’m
not at all sure that Stone’s book is any more sensitive to Native Americans
than the original. Also it’s flashback structure removes a certain immediacy
that the original had.

But no matter. There are still many pleasures to be had.  Berlin’s There’s No
Business Like Show Business comes from AGYG of course, as does the classic
love duet They Say It’s Wonderful, the rousing I Got the Sun in the Morning,
and of course Anything You Can Do. From the 1966 revival comes Berlin’s last
song, An Old Fashioned Wedding, and in this counterpoint duet, Berlin proved
himself still a master at age 78.  Hearing Strong and Bailey sing these legendary

songs is almost worth the price of admission.

But there are some very fine supporting turns, most especially Broadway’s
Heather Lee as Butler’s jealous partner Dolly, and the cute ingénue couple of
Lisaun Whittingham and Travis Davidson as Winnie and Tommy (though
Davidson has been saddled with a not so flattering long black wig, Tommy
now being Navive American.)  David Kirk Grant is good as Sitting Bull as are
Doug Bilitch as Charlie, Jeff Austin as Sitting Bull, and cast-against-type Jeffrey
Landman as Pawnee Bill.  The children are all cute as buttons.

The always excellent Jon Engstrom does double duty as director and
choreographer, and with musical director Dennis Castellano at the baton, the
18 piece orchestra sounds great.

There is indeed no business like show business, and as every trouper will tell you,
the show MUST go on. Thanks to Victoria Strong’s nick-of-time arrival, this show
has indeed gone on…quite splendidly indeed.
MAY 18,  2007, CIVIC LIGHT OPERA OF SOUTH BAY CITIES, REDONDO BEACH

--Steven Stanley