About the work
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical by Irving Berlin (music and lyrics) with a book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields, premiered on Broadway in 1946. Created as a vehicle for Ethel Merman, it is, with its abundance of hits, among the classics of the Golden Age of the musical.
Plot
The musical tells a fictionalised story of the legendary sharpshooter Annie Oakley. The rough natural talent Annie meets the celebrated marksman star Frank Butler and falls in love with him—but her superior marksmanship threatens his male ego. In the world of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, the two are torn between love and competition. Annie must learn that she may win the man only if she deliberately lets him win the decisive shooting contest—a wry ending that is also read critically today.
Cultural significance
Annie Get Your Gun is a veritable treasure trove of Irving Berlin classics, including There's No Business Like Show Business, which became the unofficial anthem of show business, as well as Anything You Can Do. The lead role is one of the most rewarding for musical divas. Despite the period gender roles, which later versions gently adjusted, the work remains a rousing classic and a cornerstone of the American musical.