Penn Trafford High School Musical Review

TRAFFORD, Pa.,None — Penn Trafford's production of "Annie Get Your Gun" is based on the 1999 revival of the musical, which means there's a lot less sexism and less racism aimed towards Native Americans. Thankfully, the universally cringe producing song "I'm an Indian, too" and Frank Butler's ode to the women he's seduced and abandoned "I'm a Bad, Bad, Man" have been dropped. In their place, a positive Native American character, played here by the affable Zachary Mannella, has been added to counterbalance the "Sitting Bull" character, and the standard "There's No Business Like Show Business" becomes a recurring motif that evokes a wide range of emotion depending on the tempo. All in all, it's a face-lift much needed and well executed.

Often, when a student is asked how they prepared to play a particular role, there are standard answers. They watched the movie, listened to the music or occasionally they see another version of the play. But, few have raised eyebrows like Lauren Speranza when she told me what her preparation involved.

"My dad took me to the shooting range, and I shot some rifles," said Speranza.

I believe this is known as "the Heston Method of Acting."

The show revolves around Annie and its success or failure rests almost entirely on the diminutive shoulders of the titular character. In the first act, Annie is the principle voice in "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly," "The Girl That I Marry," "You Can't Get a Man with a Gun," "Moonshine Lullaby," "They Say It's Wonderful," and a reprise of "There's No Business Like Show Business." The first three are all performed without leaving the stage meaning no throat clearing, no water and certainly no resting. It's a herculean effort carried off exceptionally well by Olivia Anna, a junior.

The songs range from the bold and brassy, to the emotional, to the lullaby. Irving Berlin, the composer, certainly had no mercy for his leading lady, and why should he? The part was originally conceived for the legendary Ethel Merman. It's a big role to carry, but Ms. Anna packs a lot of vocal wallop into her five foot frame. "There's a lot of responsibility in this role. You have to learn how to pace yourself so that you don't hurt your voice." As mentioned earlier, Ms. Anna has an exceptionally strong set of pipes, but she also has a natural comedic flair as an actor and is a passable dancer.

Most story lines, whether in print, stage, or the screen follow a pattern: Boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl. But in this musical, the roles are reversed and the love interest is the one and only Frank Butler. Played here by junior Christopher Furrer, Butler fills the role typically played by the female lead. He's overconfident, arrogant, petulant, and insecure. Much of the first act consists of Annie attempting to woo the big lug, but when she performs a trick that upstages Butler (and in front of Sitting Bull, no less. SITTING BULL! C'MON!), he throws a fit any jilted prom date would envy.

Mr. Furrer has a powerful voice that matches well with Ms. Anna and, more importantly, expresses emotion very well. When he says that getting the role of Frank Butler was "Probably the happiest moment of my life," you believe him. Similarly, when he talks about the importance of setting a good example for the other cast members, he seems completely authentic. Penn Trafford is very fortunate to have another year to benefit from that leadership.

Playing the villain in the piece is Senior Sandra Kraynik. She quickly learned that playing the villain isn't as easy as it sounds. "To be that person that you see in every movie and every t.v. show that no one likes, and to try to act like that is a lot of work but it's so much fun." But to effectively portray an attitude is more than just saying lines. As she learned from her own research (a healthy dose of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" among other things), attitude is in the little things. "People spoke to each other with a lot more politeness, even when they were being mean. So I strut a lot. I point fingers."

The role of Buffalo Bill Cody is played by Junior Grant Janicik. He cuts an imposing figure on the stage despite his tender 16 years, and manages an impressive accent and an authentic southern stroll. Janicik prepared for the role of the suave southern gentleman by watching "Gone With The Wind" and talking to his grandparents about the period. "The characters are Irish but they still have the characteristics that I wanted to [instill] in Buffalo Bill. The showman and the gentleman." Now, I don't mean to imply that a typical 16 year old thinks that his grandparents are old enough to remember the wild west, and perhaps Grant's grandparents are late 19th century scholars, but for any parents reading this review: You probably ought to take the kids to visit Grandpa a little more often.

Also deserving of praise are Adam Niehl, Lauren Speranza, and Zachary Mannella as the non-stereotypical Native American. Also, Steven Barker, Stephen Young, and Michael Funyak produce some excellent harmonies with Olivia Anna in Moonshine Lullaby, the most beautiful song in the show.

For Director Thomas Bekavac, "Annie Get Your Gun" provokes a very personal response. "The last time i did this was in 2001. I directed it at Greensburg Civic. We opened about a month and a week after 9/11. People were still in that shock phase. After curtain calls, and after bows, the entire cast sang "God Bless America" which was written by Irving Berlin. There was just such an outpouring of emotion. The audience sang along with the cast."

Year after year, Penn Trafford's musical is one of the highlights of the season. A talented cast, strong production values from the lighting and stage crew, and an orchestra that is very good without being overwhelming are the norm rather than the exception. While being particularly proud of the production, Bekavac resists comparisons between years. "Each year presents different challenges and it's up to us to make it the best performance that it can be. Naturally the alumni will come back and compare, but that's up to them. I'm proud of this show. It's come a long way."

Our biggest issue with this show is its length. High school musicals invariably suffer when they break the two hour rule. Here, the first act alone clocks in at over an hour and a half. Some of the scenes, particularly the competitive shooting scene in the first act, need better pacing, and several of the songs could be trimmed by a verse or two. This show is no "Into the Woods" whose second act can turn quite painful indeed, but fifteen minutes from the front act would probably make this more child friendly.

WPXI