ARTS . Theater Review

Top Gun

Through Dec. 31,Prince Music Theater.


	print	email	reply	rss feed

Published: Dec 13, 2006

On my 11th birthday, I received the Lincoln Center revival cast album of Annie Get Your Gun — a gift that helped turn me into a lifelong theater fan. The 1946 musical about the romance/rivalry of sharpshooters Annie Oakley and Frank Butler became an instant favorite, and so it remains today. I'm happy and grateful to see it anytime, and if the current production at the Prince is both longer and more small-scale than ideal, the two charming leads — Andrea McArdle and Jeff Coon — do remind us that "There's No Business Like Show Business."

Which, by the way, is only one of composer/lyricist Irving Berlin's great songs. It's almost unimaginable that a single show today could produce a hit parade like this. "You Can't Get a Man With a Gun," "The Girl That I Marry," "I Got Lost in His Arms," "I Got the Sun in the Morning" — heartfelt ballads, comic gems, rousing ensembles — Berlin can do it all.

The music and lyrics remain timeless, but the book (by Herbert and Dorothy Fields) is a relic and a reminder that not everything glittered in that golden age. In theory, I applaud the Prince's decision to do so much of the script, but it makes for an exceedingly hyperextended first act. (Stick around, though — the second part is tauter and funnier, and has this production's splashiest moments.) I do favor another Prince choice — to reinstate the often-cut "I'm an Indian Too." (Yes, it's noticeably dated — but it's part and parcel of the times.)

Enough about editorship. The point here is Frank and Annie, and the news is good. Jeff Coon is engaging and funny, and sings with consistently burnished tone. (If we were still in the bobby-soxer era, we'd see several swooning audience members during "My Defenses Are Down.") Andrea McArdle is, indeed, the girl who years ago stirringly promised us a better "Tomorrow" in that other Annie musical. She's all grown up now, but retains the sound that made her famous. Previous Annie Oakleys — Merman, of course, but also Mary Martin, Reba McEntire and even a miscast Bernadette Peters — have left mighty big boots to fill. McArdle isn't as distinctive, but delightful in her own right. As her second Annie, she can rightfully claim a notch on her rifle.

So there you have it. Not quite a bull's-eye, but an enjoyable evening. For those who remember earlier productions, it will be a chance to revisit old pleasures. For those new to the wonders of Irving Berlin, it's a fine introduction.

(d_fox@citypaper.net)

Annie Get Your Gun

Through Dec. 31,Prince Music Theater,1412 Chestnut St.,215-569-9700,www.princemusictheater.org