By Stub Estey I went to the opening night of Annie Get Your Gun at Fauquier Community Theatre and was blown away several times, starting with the first rollicking number. They might need to install seatbelts there if this keeps up. Director Jeff Walker and his assistant director Kayla Beardsley have a hit on their hands here. With music by Irving Berlin, this is the toe-tapping, joy-producing stuff we need right now. Annie Oakley was a real live sharpshooter who was part of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. She fell in love with crack shot Frank Butler, and their romance is the story line in this wonderful show. ‘Anything You Can Do’: Frank Butler (Hunter Elliot), Buffalo Bill Cody (Gary Adams), Annie Oakley (Elizabeth Steimel), Tommy Keeler (Jonathan Duncan), and Winnie Tate (Jennifer Ayers) in ‘Annie Get Your Gun.’ Photo by Stephen Rummel Photography. Berlin’s songs are national treasures and the seven-piece Cowboy Band on stage, capably led by Annette Fakoury, polished the gold in those treasures wonderfully. The opener, “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” set the tone and had the audience cheering from the start. Elizabeth Steimel plays the title character and channels Ethel Merman delightfully (Merman played Annie when this musical opened on Broadway in 1946 — can you say boisterous, fabulous, and loud?). Hunter Elliot plays Frank, Annie’s love interest, and his mellifluous baritone voice was a treat to hear throughout the show. Annie got hooked on Frank early in the show, and so did we. Steimel’s tongue-twisting “Doin’ What Comes Natur’ly” is well done and sure to make you smile. In all, there were 19 songs in the show, and Music Director Doray Walker did fine work with the Company to bring out their exuberant best in each one. Gary Adams plays Buffalo Bill and looks the part (I found a picture of Buffalo Bill online, and it looked like a photo of Adams). Lloyd Rittiner was spot-on as Charlie Davenport, keeping the Wild West Show story moving and generally holding things together for Buffalo Bill. Wayne Mattson, as Chief Sitting Bull, playfully showed his Native American character making wisecracks right along with Pawnee Bill (Don Richardson), Buffalo Bill, and their sidekicks. Dawn Gaynor kept the audience laughing with her rib-tickling comedic skills in her role as Frank’s assistant, Dolly Tate, while trying to keep her younger sister Winnie (Jen Ayers) away from Winnie’s beau Tommy (Jonathan Duncan). Jen’s vibrant soprano voice is a local favorite around northern Virginia, and together with Jonathan, in his second appearance on the FCT stage, they sang and danced two terrific numbers. (TOP) ‘Doin’ What Comes Natur’lly’: Nellie (Mya Morlier), Jesse (Joy Williamson), Little Jake (Dutch Argersinger), Foster Wilson (Melissa Cockrell), and Annie Oakley (Elizabeth Steimel); (ABOVE) ‘There’s No Business Like Show Business’: Actors include Dolly Tate (Dawn Gaynor) on left with red cloak, Frank Butler (Hunter Elliot) on center stage, and Samantha Wong (Ensemble member) in blue vest on right corner in front of stage. Photos by Stephen Rummel Photography. The youngest cast member, Dutch Argersinger, was a heart (and scene) stealer. Together with Mya Morlier and Joy Williamson, those three kids made a great show even more enjoyable. Their chiming in on Annie’s “Moonshine Lullaby,” along with a cowboy trio and the band sliding in with a wa-wa muted cornet, was icing on the cake. And the dancing — oh my! Cowboys doing a boot-scootin’ western dance; the entire ensemble waltzing; all dancing while singing in harmony; even a precision gun drill. All that and more, excellently envisioned and executed under choreographer Marie-Louise Lyon. The ensemble was really fun to watch; Nathan DalPezzo was a standout in his scenes. Costume Designer Mia Dalusung dressed the wide variety of characters brightly and provided a colorful feast for the eyes in the New York City ballroom scene. Peter Marsh designed a set that was uncluttered and functional, with paintings of a Cleveland street dropped in and flown out when their purpose was served. The players were well-lit in cool shades that changed as needed to keep them colorful; the sound was balanced so you could hear the band and the singers/speakers throughout the show. Stage Manager Bek Perez had the crew in cowboy gear to make scene transitions look like part of the show, quick and smooth as silk. There might be a few generations of local theatergoers that haven’t seen this musical, but that should change when they hear about the standing ovations at FCT in Vint Hill. With all that singing, dancing, laughing, two love stories, a sea of color; Fauquier Community Theatre’s Annie Get Your Gun will have you wishing you could buckle up for the ride. Just undo it when the standing ovation comes at the end. Vint Hill Theatre on the Green has assigned seating — I recommend you purchase tickets in advance before they sell out. Annie Get Your Gun plays through September 29, 2024 (Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:00 pm), at Fauquier Community Theatre – 4225 Aiken Drive, Warrenton, VA. All tickets ($18–$24) are for reserved seating. Purchase tickets online or call the box office at 540-349–8760. Printed playbills are available at the performances and also online here. See Facebook for additional photos. COVID Safety: Fauquier Community Theatre is following the latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Virginia Department of Health. As such, we will not have any seating or distancing restrictions. Face coverings are optional. If you feel sick or are displaying any symptoms of COVID-19, or have been exposed to someone sick, please do not attend. The theater’s complete COVID Procedures are here. This project was supported, in part, by the Virginia Commission for the Arts, which receives support from the Virginia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Stub Estey is a retired business executive and local theater actor/musician in northern Virginia. His book Oxcart Gold Rush recounts the travels of a 19th-century ’49er who crossed the country in an oxcart just before the Wild West period setting of Annie Get Your Gun.