James has worked in both the production and the performing side of theatre. His directorial work includes the Victorian amateur premiere of Witches of Eastwick with ARC, planning, devising, directing and performing in For a Change directing Godspell for the Blackburn Community Church of Christ and Come Celebrate – Carols by Candlelight for the City of Whitehorse. Performing credits include ensemble in NOVA’s Chess, CLK’s Sweeney Todd, WMT’s Bye Bye Birdie ‘and the featured roles of ‘Amos’ in Chicago, ‘Frederic’ in Pirates of Penzance, ‘Action’ in West Side Story, ‘Lesgles’ in WMT’s Les Miserables, ‘Leo Frank’ in the Australian premiere of Parade at Monash University and ‘Danny’ in Fab Nobs’ Baby  and most recently ‘Giorgio’ in Mornington’s Passion. He is currently directing MumCo’s Urinetown

I’m not a regular patron of Babirra, so did not have any expectations upon arrival at the Whitehorse Centre. However, I sat in a full theatre amidst an ocean of spectacles and graying hair of those who’d probably grown up with the show and a large mob of eager young children, about to enjoy possibly their first live theatre experience. Annie Get Your Gun delivered a solid and entertaining show to all of them.

Annie Get Your Gun is a show that belongs to its era. Irving Berlin’s music is light-hearted and simple and the characters are interesting (if underdeveloped). The show has welcomed numerous revivals, notably the 1999 rewrite starring Bernadette Peters. Babirra presented this same version, which omits original, less politically correct, songs such as ‘I’m An Indian, Too’. The show takes places under a big top, where the story is retold of Annie Oakley, in her rise from tomboyish game shooter to star markswoman of Buffalo Bill’s traveling Wild West Show.

Ron Harvey’s set was simple and clear: a circus tent raised from the ground as if being erected by a team of men, providing the backdrop for the tale. Set pieces were vibrant and decorated with artistry. The ballroom and garden scenes were highlight examples here. Ron’s consistently intelligent use of perspective made for some highly interesting and creatively designed sets. Set changes could have been faster, however, and I at times felt we were kept in silent darkness for too long. We know sets are moving, just let us watch them!

Annie GYG is your classic story: girl meets boy, girl competes in shooting contest with boy, girl and boy tour country-wide together, girl gets boy, but boy is too jealous of girl’s shooting ability and leaves, girl ALMOST loses boy, if it weren’t for one final song and dance number that brings them back together again…

That boy is sharpshooter Frank Butler, played by Eric Wawra. Eric gave a passively charismatic performance, ego without forced machismo, providing strength and dimension to his role. I would have liked his charisma to have continued into his singing, which needed more light and shade. There were times when he almost seemed bored, which I’m sure was not the dramatic intention.

As Frank’s long term unrequited love interest, Lesley Wardrop’s Dolly Tate created some great comedic moments. She was a delight to watch, and made more laughs with her character than there were in the script. Highly enjoyable all night.

Kate Warner as Winnie and Tyler Hess as Tommy gave the show much needed youthfulness and energy. Both actors worked well together, particularly in Act 2. ‘Who Do You Love I Hope’ was a standout number in the show and the two actors are light on their feet and sang beautifully. Kate’s natural strength and beauty added more depth to the role than expected, and Tyler (tanned and topless) balanced that with juvenile charm and a trace of defiance. Solid performances from both.

Bill Connellan as Buffalo Bill Cody and Barry Baker as Charlie Davenport were so comfortable in their roles. They had solid characters, spot-on accents and worked really well together. Geoff Collier’s Foster and Paul Hansen’s Pawnee Bill made good use of the stage and both should be proud of their deliveries. John Filonzi was a highlight as ‘Chief Sitting Bull’. This is a difficult role to cast, but John filled the role of the Indian chief with subtle humour, great presence and a wonderfully sensitive delivery.

In the title role, Megan Coe allowed Annie Oakley to be just what the show needs; comedy, energy, depth and truth. Whilst it appeared strange at first to have a soprano in what seems to be a belter role, Megan’s pure voice was easy to listen to and she handled it well.  Her physicality and comic ability is wonderful and she brought a natural sense of pace to the show.

The show-stealers were four young actors: Tate Wallis, Tayla Currie, Brigitte Garofalo and Miranda Garofalo, as Annie’s younger siblings (the first of the two children casts).  If the old theatre rule is to never work with children or animals, these kids proved otherwise. Not only did they enjoy every moment in the action, they presented themselves with great character, loads of cheekiness and boisterous amounts of energy.  They all sang beautifully (and in tune!!) and looked wonderful together. A true highlight of the show.

The ensemble cast was used very effectively, moving the sets and creating some nice pictures. Crowd scenes were not laboured as they can often be, and although they could have been a little more enthusiastic in parts, they moved from scene to scene with great ease. I found the Act 2 opening montage a little stilted, but there were some strong moments too. One of the most beautiful moments was the trio of gentlemen in Act 1.  Splendid, rich voices that blended dazzlingly.

Craig Maloney created a tightly woven show where all laughs were delivered well and received with equal appreciation. I wonder if some of the longer scenes in this lengthy show could have been tightened up. Craig stuck well to the script and didn’t try to reinvent a tried and true show. There were some very effective ideas such as the use of projection to frame each scene.

Basil Hakwins’ orchestra was tight and well balanced. There were some numbers I felt could have done with a bit more ‘pep’ to liven up the show. At times the actors’ energy suffered at the hands of slow tempos and it would have been worth speeding some of these numbers up.

Sound was perfectly balanced and, except for a couple of slow sound cues, I could hear every word.  Well done to Greg Ginger and team for conquering that theatre on this occasion!

Choreographer Renee Maloney was able to get everything she asked for out of the cast, but my one complaint was that they could have been given more challenging routines.  There were definitely a number of ‘dahncers’ in the show – it was a shame they couldn’t have been pushed more. 

Lighting was handled beautifully and sensitively by Jason Bouvaird.  A few times set was lit where it didn’t need to be, but soft colours opened up the stage and allowed the character’s emotions to spill across the theatre.

Greatest applause for the costumer, Maddy Connellan, who had the whole cast in the most beautiful and appropriate pieces. With scope of costumes as great as it was, it proved no challenge for this woman. Generally well-fitted and colourful, Maddy made the cast look spectacular.  The ball scene looked superb.

Under Michael Brasser’s capable stage management the show was extremely smooth, especially for the second performance. Every gunshot cue was spot on, lighting cues were tight and you should be happy with the results.

The show is full of classic one-liners that have ‘older’ people chuckling heartily (drowning out the cynical groans for Gen Y’s like me). Comedies deserve a good applause and the cast certainly received an enthusiastic one. I predict a very successful season for Babirra. Well done to the whole team.