Annie Get your Gun at Theatre Royal Brighton

Legendary shooting skills meet Wild West love story, in this Theatre Royal Brighton production

The producers of the recent Barbican production of South Pacific and the Sadlers Wells production
of West Side Story present a major new production – a Tony Award winning version of Irving Berlin’s classic musical, Annie Get Your Gun, starring Emma Williams as Annie Oakley, Jason Donovan as Frank Butler and Norman Pace as Buffalo Bill. Annie Get Your Gun runs at Theatre Royal Brighton from Tuesday 26 – Saturday 30 August.

Regarded by many as having the best collection of songs in the history of musical theatre, the show includes a series of classic songs, including ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’, ‘Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better’, and ‘You Can’t Get A Man With A Gun and Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly’.

Annie Get Your Gun is based on the true story of female sharpshooter Annie Oakley, and her romance with fellow sharpshooter, Frank Butler, who both worked for Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Circus. Annie’s legendary shooting skills included being able to shoot over her shoulder using a mirror, and hitting things without looking.

Annie and Frank fall head over heels in love, but both have truly met their match, revealing their competitive natures as they vie for best shot – and each other’s hearts!

Annie, who sings ‘Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better’, was a 19th century proto-feminist. Emma Williams, who plays Annie, says of her: “She is feisty and strong and is not prepared to be told that she is just a little girl. She’s not cocky, just confident, and she doesn’t understand why she has to hide that.” The hugely talented Emma, who has twice been Olivier nominated, has been receiving rave reviews from audiences and critics alike for her performance in the role.

Frank Butler is played by Jason Donovan. Donovan is now a musical theatre veteran, having played a range of roles from Joseph to Priscilla. There are plenty of dance numbers in the show and Jason points out that his experience on Strictly Come Dancing has more than prepared him for the choreography. Talking about his role, Jason says:
“The show is called Annie Get Your Gun, not Frank Get Your Gun, and I have no problem with that.
I think with musical theatre I have a currency, and I hope my audience will buy a ticket.”