Annie Get Your Gun
at Thomas Edison High School

Reviewed on May 2, 2015

Katie Wattendorf
Hayfield Secondary School
Submitted for publication to Washington Post - Fairfax

She enters, guns ablaze, clad in fiery red fringe and firing shots into the wild western sky. Cowboys look on with dropped jaws, country ladies squeal, children hoot and holler, and the audience erupts into applause as leading lady Annie Oakley proves her statement: "Anything you can do, I can do better." At Thomas Edison High School's wildly wonderful rendition of Irving Berlin's classic, "Annie Get Your Gun," bold vocal talents, captivating musical numbers, and dazzling special effects made a performance that was one for the records.

Opening on Broadway in 1946 and written by Irving Berlin with Dorothy and Herbert Fields, "Annie Get Your Gun" is the epitome of American musical theatre, hosting the careers of legends such as Ethel Merman, Mary Martin, and Debbie Reynolds. It tells a fictionalized version of real-life sharpshooter Annie Oakley and her love affair with fellow sharpshooter Frank Butler. When the rogue and poor Annie is discovered and brought in to compete with Frank, she wins her way to sharpshooting stardom, touring the world and collecting medals for her unmatched skills. Despite her bountiful winnings, she finds she also wants to win one more thing: Frank's heart.

The highlight of Edison's production was its star power in its immensely talented leading lady, Emily Flack. As Annie Oakley, Flack's vocal prowess surpassed the abilities of the average high schooler, soaring from low belts to high, classical soprano lifts. Her captivating acting, complete with a snarky accent and slouchy physicality established her as an audience favorite. Her adoration for Frank Butler, skillfully portrayed by Peter Scheible, was apparent and adorable. Every scene and song that featured Flack was stellar, especially her songs "Anything You Can Do" and "Moonshine Lullaby."

Supporting Flack was a plethora of talented supporting roles. Kevin Chesson as Chief Sitting Bull provided ample comedic relief with his stoic yet hilarious line delivery. Futhermore, Luqman Fulmer as Buffalo Bill Cody, Nicholas Riehle as Tommy Keeler, and Reel Yousif as Winnie Tate proved their vocal abilities in their featured singing parts.

Adding to the already exciting production was the interesting use of special effects. Projector screens played well-timed movies to display visuals of Annie and Frank shooting birds out of the sky. Gun pops rang each time a gun was fired, and balloons popped in the audience as Annie shot them. Although there were some microphone issues or technical cues were off, the overall tech performance was well-done and ultimately supported the fantastic actors.

As the lights dim and the show starts, Frank Butler sings "there's no business like show business." Thomas Edison High School took it upon themselves to prove this in their rousing production of "Annie Get Your Gun," and, just like Annie, they succeeded.

Zoe Ades
Albert Einstein High School
Submitted for publication to Washington Post - Fairfax

The lights, the scenery, and the very, very high notes: there's no business like show business. In a night of classic show business flair, Thomas Edison High School's production of "Annie Get Your Gun," a pinnacle of American Theatre, embodied what everyone loves about the business. With music by Irving Berlin, the show has become iconic since its opening on Broadway in 1946. The show became a cornerstone of musical theatre with numerous revivals and stars such as Ethel Merman and Bernadette Peters.

Based on a true story, Annie Get Your Gun follows rough and tumble country girl Annie Oakley. After winning a shooting match against gun man and world renowned champion Frank Butler, whom she falls head over heels in love with, Annie joins Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, a show that Frank is headlining. With her star on the rise, Annie can hit any target but there's one man's heart she has her eye on.

Leading Lady Emily Flack was more than prepared to handle the rigor required in stepping into one of Broadway's most iconic roles. With consistent characterization, dialect, and expressive facials, the only part of the performance that beat Flack's acting was her remarkable singing. In songs like "Anything You Can Do," Flack displayed vocal range rarely found on a high school stage. It was no easy feat to match her, but Peter Scheible took on the challenge as Frank Butler and proved that he too had extraordinary vocal chops. Despite the static character, Scheible made Butler entertaining. Joining them was a cast of colorful characters, Thai Duong shined as Charlie Davenport, executing a performance that seemed natural and fluid. Reel Yousif (Winnie Tate) and Nicholas Riehle (Tommy Keeler) created an engaging romantic sub-plot and their vocals excelled in the romantic number of "Who Do You Love, I Hope." In one of the funniest performances of the night, Kevin Chesson's spot-on comedic timing as Chief Sitting Bull had the audience doubled over with laughter.

Joining the leads was a thoroughly rehearsed and well-polished ensemble. Although sound issues at times prevented the audience from hearing the ensemble, their precision with choreography was appreciated. Running throughout the whole performance were the fantastically funny Oakley sisters whose physicality and background moments were endearing. As youngest sister Little June Oakley, Kathryn Heislup shined in ensemble and solo bits.

The technical elements of the show were clean and executed with precision. Period time costumes that adorned the actors were generally appropriate for the era and projected the personalities of the various characters to the audience. The numerous gun shots of the show were timely and the projection screens on either side of the stage proved to be assets in the storytelling. The on-stage costumed orchestra played with proficiency and added to the ambiance of the show.

You might not be able to get a man with a gun, but Thomas Edison High School's cast and crew proved that you sure can get an audience to love you with one.

Jack Posey
McLean High School
Submitted for publication to FCPS Community News

"Pull!"- a shot rings out through the air- "Hit!" Thomas Edison High School's production of the timeless classic Annie Get Your Gun hit the target to bring romance, comedy, and the rowdy fun of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show to a modern audience.

Annie Get Your Gun opened on Broadway in 1946, starring Ethel Merman as Annie Oakley. The score was written by one of the most prolific and iconic composers of American music, Irving Berlin, and featured a book by the brother-and-sister duo Dorothy and Herbert Fields. The story functions as an embellished musical-comedy retelling of the true story of Annie Oakley. Set in the late 19th century, the story follows the journey of Annie Oakley from her days as a backwoods hunter to her international fame as a sharpshooter in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, and all of the antics and romance in between.

Emily Flack was a spunky superstar as the show's title character. Her strong presence, consistent characterization and dialect, and crystal clear vocals made for a delightful performance that carried the energy and comedy of the entire production. As Frank Butler, the original star of the Wild West Show and Annie's love interest, Peter Scheible acted as a nice foil to Annie's bombastic energy with his cool and even-tempered demeanor, and provided smooth baritone vocals throughout the show. The two were certainly a dynamic duo in the classic number "Anything You Can Do." The back and forth one-upmanship between the two was a sight to behold, eliciting impressive vocal feats and snappy comedy from both performers.

The two leads were supported by a charming and colorful group of characters. Luqman Fulmer acted as the charismatic emcee Buffalo Bill Cody, assisted by Thai Duong as the show's manager, Charlie Davenport. Both performers brought energy and apparent enthusiasm with them every time they appeared on stage. Kevin Chesson rounded out the trio as Chief Sitting Bull, evoking hearty laughter from the audience with his subtly wry and well-timed delivery of deadpan lines. Nicholas Riehle charmed the audience as Tommy Keeler with his strikingly Golden-Age style voice and romantic subplot with his sweetheart, Winnie Tate (a sweet and effervescent Reel Yousif). Finally, the trio of Oakley Sisters took after their big sister Annie and brought life and eager youthfulness to their performances.

The show's costumes featured pieces of cowboy-esque garb in an array of colors that evoked the showmanship of the Wild West performers, with the particular standout of Annie Oakley's red dress with fringed sleeves. The Wild West show was further brought to life by an exciting sharp shooting sequence in which Annie, standing aloft on a swingset, "shot" balloons held on batons by assistants standing in the aisles of the audience, which utilized a clever method of popping the balloons and for the most part very well-timed sound cues to create an exciting and immersive scene. The show's excitement was also kept afloat by Buffalo Bill's Cowboy Band, the pit orchestra, that featured costumed musicians adeptly executing the show's classic score.

Thomas Edison High School gave its audience a wildly good time with their production of Annie Get Your Gun.

Hank von Kolnitz
Hayfield Secondary School
Submitted for publication to Patch.com - Ft Hunt/Kingstowne

"It's not what you have, it's what you share" and Edison High School's production of "Annie Get Your Gun" teaches its audience this lesson through love, sharp shooting, and good old fashioned show business.

Based on the life of the famous Ohioan sharpshooter Annie Oakley, "Annie Get Your Gun" first appeared on Broadway in 1946 and ran for over one thousand performances eventually leading to the 1950 movie and 1996 politically correct Broadway revision. With music and lyrics by the legendary Irving Berlin, this light-hearted tale follows a charming and cheeky small town girl after she is chosen as an unlikely candidate to compete against the world-famous marksman and heartthrob, Frank Butler. Her mix of talent and femininity lead to her massive success in a wild west show, eventually leading to a dramatic standoff with her beau Frank Butler with the stakes of two businesses and a marriage on the line.

Leading the cast was a powerhouse performance of Annie Oakley by Emily Flack. Embellished by a thick country twang accent and a masculine physicality, Flack expertly displayed the highly opinionated Annie as a sincere and utterly enjoyable character. Her high-caliber soprano voice was also beautifully showcased through "Moonlight Lullaby" and her outstanding show of both operatic and beltress vocal stylings in the soaring "Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)" and innuendo filled childlike "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly." As the hyper-masculine, charming love interest, Frank Butler, played by Peter Scheible, commanded the stage with his charismatic acting and powerful baritone voice matching Flack's exquisite vocal technique. Their chemistry shone in the hilarious and impressive "Anything You Can Do."

Standout performances by both Kevin Chesson and Luqman Fulmer as politically incorrect Sitting Bull and show promoter Buffalo Bill filled the show with laughs and a driving plotline. Chesson's blank face straight comedy paired with an over-the-top stereotypical accent provided a performance that had the audience in stitches due to his satire on Indian stereotypes. Fulmer's physicality and vocalization was perfect for the western promoter archetype.

The set, while simplistic, provided a quaint frontier atmosphere through the use of red and white cloths and the ever-present band in the background which played a majority of Berlin's music to perfection. Buffalo Bill's beard was handmade and was a small detail that made a wonderful difference to the aesthetic of his character and the entire show.

Through a golden-age leading woman and energetic cast with several standout actors, "Annie Get Your Gun" at Edison High School proved that any show you can do, they can do better.

Meghan Henry
Herndon High School
Submitted for publication to Insidenova - Sun Gazette

Take a trip back to the Wild West and enjoy some sharp shooting fun with the cast of Annie Get Your Gun at Thomas Edison High School!

Annie Get Your Gun was first on Broadway in 1946. The music was composed by Irving Berlin, and written by Dorothy and Herbert Fields. Ethel Merman was first cast as Annie, and the show was an immediate hit. It was rewritten in 1999, removing some of the more insensitive songs such as "I'm an Indian Too."

The Edison Drama Department did a commendable job with Annie Get Your Gun. The actors all worked well together and the tech crew worked seamlessly to make the scene transitions quick; the lighting and special effects were thoughtful and creative.

Emily Flack's fiery, energetic stage presence enveloped the entire theater through her recreation of Annie Oakley. She kept the whole theater entranced with her far-ranging vocals and consistent southern accent. Her energy sky-rocketed through the first act and never came down. Flack and Peter Scheible, the actor cast as Frank Butler, really showed off their dynamic range and powerful vocals in the song, "Anything You Can Do." The two leads were matched in vocals, and kept consistent harmonies throughout each duet.

The ensemble put a lot of work into their parts in the musical as well. Little June Oakley (Kathryn Heislup) is a good example of the energy that most of the ensemble had throughout the show – even though she had no major lines, she developed her character through her interactions with the other characters. Actors like Thai Duong, playing Charlie Davenport, retained their diction through their southern drawls and other accents. Most of the ensemble maintained their energy through many fast-paced numbers like "There's No Business Like Show Business." However, some of the dancers were a few paces behind the rest of the ensemble. Some of the vocals were lost through a lack of mics, but overall, the ensemble worked together to keep the musical moving.

The tech kept pace with the musical and placed the theater into the appropriate time period. Scene changes were fast and effortless. The mics popped occasionally, but most were well suited for the actors. Most of the costumes for the ensemble were appropriate for the time period. The hand-made beards and facial hair for the guys in the show looked incredibly real from a distance. The lively orchestra kept pace with the singers during the big numbers, and had appropriate volume levels. Their placement on the stage was perfect for the musical and their costumes added to the overall effect.

They Say It's Wonderful – and they were right. Edison Drama's excellent rendition of Annie Get Your Gun was well-deserving of the real – and canned – applause.

Melissa Haberle
Annandale High School
Submitted for publication to Alexandria Times

Annie Oakley once said, "When a man hits a target, they call him a marksman. When I hit a target, they call it a trick. Never did like that much." The incredible skill she retained throughout her life as a markswoman ended up saving her a slot in the nationally-renowned Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, and eventually the basis for one of Irving Berlin's most eminent musicals, "Annie Get Your Gun." The show debuted on Broadway in 1946 and underwent a revival in 1999, centering on the Annie's surging success in the Wild West show and her on-and-off romance with fellow sharpshooter Frank Butler. With exceptionally strong vocals and gut-busting comedy, Thomas Edison High School's production of the 1999 revival of "Annie Get Your Gun" is a stark reminder that "there's no business like show business!"

Leading off the very first act was Peter Scheible as Frank Butler, the womanizing "swollen-headed stiff" and original star of the Wild West Show. With a rich, powerful baritone, it was simple for Scheible to commandeer the stage and immediately kick the show into full swing. His astonishing credibility was furthered even more thanks to a smug little smirk on his face that seldom ever went away, a clear testament to Butler's cockiness. Butler's foil can be seen almost perfectly in Annie Oakley, played by Emily Flack. Flack's near-perfect comedic delivery and flawless vocal technique, combined with effortless dialect consistency, allowed her to easily fill an exceptionally substantial role beyond her years, highlighting her shining potential as an actress.

Annie's fame would never have skyrocketed without Buffalo Bill Cody (Luqman Fulmer). A very extroverted comedian, virtually everything about him, including his zany beard and hair, had the audience doubling over in laughter. Perhaps the polar opposite of that was Chief Sitting Bull, played by Kevin Chesson. Chesson's deadpan humor, along with a smirk rivaling Frank Butler's, left the audience hooting and howling constantly.

The swirls and eddies of costumes throughout the musical were overall period, and just over half were student-made, thanks to the efforts of Jenny Roegner and Emily Yankovich. Throughout the show, Ryan Pinkney cleverly weaved in projections of posters and GIFS of gunshots and trains as part of his special effects expertise. Doubling as the stage manager and Pinkney's run-crew, Timothy Etter, Delmi Fonseca, and Matthew Grabowski, had little faults in stage transitions.

A noteworthy characteristic of the show was "Buffalo Bill's Cowboy Band", the pit orchestra consisting entirely of students. The Cowboy Band played the usual show score with incredible precision, a normally very difficult task.

Despite some very controversial makeup choices and some spotty microphones, Edison's "Annie Get Your Gun" is a perfect theatric showcase for cast and crew alike. With a show that easily caters to their strengths, the best thing for the cast and crew to do is simply "what comes natur'lly!"

Abby Wei
Thomas S. Wootton High School
Submitted for publication to Connection

Shouts of "pull!" and rounds of rifle shots permeate the air. With a personable, pioneering feminist, competitions galore, and shooting champions running up and down the aisles of Thomas Edison High School's auditorium, the school's rendition of Annie Get Your Gun hit the stage with all the right notes. Based on the life of sharpshooter Annie Oakley, the 1946 Broadway hit follows rough tomboy, Annie, and her quest to capture the elusive Frank Butler's stubborn heart. Featuring beloved classics, "There's No Business like Show Business," and "Anything You Can Do," Annie Get your Gun accentuates and satirizes both the massive 20th century gender divide and love's fickle ways.

Emily Flack brilliantly portrayed Annie, strengthening and molding her character's personality and wit and allowing the audience to see visible and emotional transformations in her character, while keeping a consistent (though purposely fading) tangy southern accent until the curtain dropped. Flack's vocal prowess was brilliantly featured in her duet, "Anything You Can Do," with Peter Scheible (Frank). Flack and Scheible's chemistry was palpable, tense and strong, and they were able to show off the upper register of their voices, forming the most memorable and enjoyable number of the evening.

Frank's bosses, Buffalo Bill Cody (Luqman Fulmer) and Charlie Davenport (Thai Duong) were also an enjoyable duo to watch, and their voices, though only given minimal time to shine, rang beautifully with soft touches of vibrato. Duong's flawless, seemingly effortless accent and believably suave portrayal of Charlie was also commendable. Annie's three sisters, Jessie (Emma Cronnell), Nellie (Tianna Ayala) and Lil June (Kathryn Heislup) offered refreshing comic relief throughout the show and all made dedicated character choices.

Although the set itself was minimal, the stage crew executed quick stage changes with a few bumps in the road. Interestingly, the orchestra was placed on stage behind the set (or part of it, rather) and were dressed in 20th century-esque costumes. While this made it hard to hear the music at times, it was a refreshing change to their usually invisible roles in the pit.

The cast, crew, and pit of Thomas Edison's Annie Get Your Gun took on a hefty musical challenge but performed a memorable show, and the night ended with sweet silence as Annie got her guy, and got to keep her ‘ole gun to boot.

Simon Aroche
Albert Einstein High School
Submitted for publication to Fairfax County Times

Imagine yourself an American sharpshooter. You believe you are the best of the best and will challenge anyone who comes your way. What if, though, the person that comes your way is a handsome womanizer who you immediately have fallen for? Thomas Edison High School did a great job of portraying this exact plot in their production of Annie Get Your Gun where exciting songs and great character development helped to tell this wonderful story.

Annie Get Your Gun, with lyrics and music by Irving Berlin, and a book by Dorothy Fields and her brother Herbert Fields, took the Broadway stage in 1946 where it was an instant hit. There were 1,147 performances in New York and London and a 1950 film version and television versions were also released. This hilarious musical, a fictionalized version of Annie Oakley's life, follows the story of Annie Oakley who wants to prove that, as a woman, she can do anything a man can do. When she enters a shooting match against Frank Butler, she is ready to show female power. By the time the match starts, Annie realizes she has already met her opponent, and she must now deal with her new feelings that have developed.

The leading actor, Peter Scheible, who played Frank Butler, delivered an amazing performance. His outstanding acting ability allowed the audience to truly feel the chemistry between his character and Annie Oakley. Scheible's soulful singing also helped his character shine through which had a lasting impact on the audience. The leading actress, Emily Flack, who played Annie Oakley, is the person that completely stole the show. From her exceptional comedic timing to her stupendous acting, to her soft, yet powerful voice, Flack did an astounding job of playing her character. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of her acting was her accent. Flack's ability to continuously speak in a southern accent and to also sing with a southern accent made Flack's performance consistently astonishing. A notable performance by Flack was in "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" where her accent never once faltered.

Another remarkable performance was done by Kevin Chesson, who played Chief Sitting Bull. Chesson's comedic timing was fantastic and he was a joy to watch every time he was on stage. Cheeson did an outstanding job of keeping the audience laughing and entertained.

The ensemble seemed to lack energy in the first act, but they made up for it in the second act.

The special effects were incredible. The projections on the side of the stage were impressive and made the show more entertaining. The lighting cues were also striking, but the sound seemed have some issues. Throughout the show there were times when the mics made a loud noise, but the actors did a great job of pursuing the show.

Overall, Thomas Edison High School's production of Annie Get Your Gun was successful due to the amazing actors and crew who worked together to create a marvelous show.