In 1975, Harding premiered \u201cAnnie Get Your Gun\u201d as its Bison-tennial Homecoming performance. Forty-two years later, a revival of the play is taking the stage in the Benson Auditorium.<\/p>\n
The production follows sharpshooter Annie Oakley\u2019s rise to fame in Buffalo Bill\u2019s Wild West show, and her romance with fellow sharpshooter Frank Butler. Stereotyping, racism and equality emerge and color the characters\u2019 dialogue and storylines. According to members of the production, those themes serve as the play\u2019s immortal appeal. To director Britton Lynn, the male and female dynamic is a timeless topic, effortlessly satirized and explored by the play\u2019s romantic leads.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are universal stories. They like each other, she\u2019s better than him, he doesn\u2019t know how to deal with it,\u201d Lynn said.<\/p>\n
Freshman Allie Scott, the actress behind the titular character, said that Oakley\u2019s complexity compliments the topics of love and relationships.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe falls for this guy, and realizes that she would like someone to take care of her,\u201d Scott said. \u201cShe has a lot of layers. She\u2019s very caring for the people around her. There are a lot of different parts of her that I get to bring out. She\u2019s a very complex character. She gets really vulnerable; and you also get to see her fall in love for the first time with somebody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Falling in love is ubiquitous to the human experience, and reveals why \u201cAnnie Get Your Gun\u201d has maintained its popularity since the 1940s. Since then, human rights issues such as racism and gender equality have remained tenuous, and Harding\u2019s Homecoming production grapples with them in song. Producer Cindee Stockstill praised how the play handles such diverse and enduring elements.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt deals with how we treat one and other, no matter what our ethnic background is,\u201d Stockstill said. \u201cIt shows that you need humility when given great talent. However, this one isn\u2019t overly preachy. For those of us who are Christians \u2014 it infuses everything we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Due to the evolving language regarding civil rights, the musical\u2019s script underwent alterations throughout the years, often on Harding\u2019s stage. Director Britton Lynn noted the necessity for change.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 1946 production was problematic. It\u2019s views on race relations were very out of date,\u201d Lynn said. \u201cIt was updated in the 90s, and scenes were added to still deal with the issue. They became more of a commentary of how stereotyping impacts individual people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another welcome change came in the form of an increased production budget that enabled the production team to create an atmosphere of spectacle.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe design concept was of a Wild West show, a circus, and the Dixie Stampede,\u201d Stockstill said. \u201cIt also has humor, good singing, charming characters, surprise guest artists. It\u2019s part of the Homecoming experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Harding\u2019s 2017 Homecoming production is complex, with a tenured past. Though it touches on social issues, Lynn maintained that it is not simply social commentary.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe social commentary in the production is just another layer. It\u2019s not a play about social issues,\u201d Lynn said. \u201c It\u2019s about learning to play nicely with other people. It\u2019s about what it means to share and to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n
What makes the play a success, regardless of differences in production or dialogue, is its message: to love others.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur director was giving us notes after a big rehearsal, saying, The core of the show is \u2018what greater love is this, to lay down one\u2019s life for their friends?\u2019\u201d Scott said. \u201c\u2018Love is a service to somebody.\u2019 Annie and Frank really go through that in the show.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnnie Get Your Gun\u201d appeals to many people for many different reasons; some for its commentary on relevant social issues, others for its comedy, and still others for its timeless romance. Differences in beliefs and acceptable practices diversify its past. However, its message unites viewers across the ages.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Annie Get Your Gun\u2019 is a classic American musical. Everyone can relate to having a first love,\u201d Scott said. \u201cBut, not the worldly kind of love that media and culture project. It\u2019s that Godly, sacrificial love. It\u2019s unconditional. It\u2019s love that conquers all.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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