23 Aug Local young talent takes centre stage at Frinton Summer Theatre
Musical spectacular Annie Get Your Gun opened at Frinton Summer Theatre’s Big Top Tent on Tuesday to begin a 13-day run of fabulous family entertainment on Frinton’s Greensward.
The show, with its glittering score of toe-tapping songs, is a musical interpretation of the life of sharpshooter Annie Oakley, who starred in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West extravaganza.
Among the stellar West End cast are Albert Miller, aged 12, and his sister Betty, aged 14, who are playing Annie Oakley’s siblings, Little Jake and Jessie, in this timeless theatrical extravaganza. The young performers, who have lived in Frinton-on-Sea for the past three years, attend the local secondary school and are regulars at the Stagestruck Academy. They both want to be actors and Annie Get Your Gun is their professional debut. Stepping onto the stage last night, Albert made history as the youngest performer at Frinton Summer Theatre since it first opened its doors in 1934.
Albert said: “Being a part of Annie Get Your Gun has been amazing. My sister and I have never worked with professional actors before. Being the youngest person to ever perform at Frinton Summer Theatre feels very exciting and is a great privilege. Playing Little Jake is great – he’s a bit cheeky and a real character!”
Albert follows in illustrious company as Frinton Summer Theatre is well known as the longest-running repertory theatre in the UK and has been a launchpad for actors including Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Sher and Lynda Bellingham. Frinton has a long tradition of giving first jobs to graduates and last night also saw the professional debut of Matt Bacon – who came to us straight from three years in drama school.
Director of Annie Get Your Gun, Tracy Collier, had high praise for the young actors and their professionalism. “For these young actors to make their professional debut alongside seasoned performers must be pretty daunting, but they’ve taken it all in their stride and are a delight to work with.”
Annie Get Your Gun follows the rise of Annie Oakley (Alex Constantinidi), an independent and sharp-shooting young woman who unwittingly stumbles into the glamorous world of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Along the way, she impresses with her rifle skills and falls in love with the show’s headliner, Frank Butler (Stephen John Davis).
The show famously includes Irving Berlin’s classic songs There’s No Business Like Show Business and Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better) within a dazzling musical score. It is staged in the largest tent ever erected on the iconic Greensward, the beautiful stretch of grass separating Frinton from its beach, and includes 16 performances over 13 days from 20 August until September 1.
Tickets are available now and can be purchased online at Frinton Summer Theatre’s website -frintonsummertheatre.org, by visiting the box office at the Big Top Tent or by calling the box office on 07946 480071.
