The leading actor and actress of the play – Brian Riedlinger (R) and Kim Davis

A host of amateur and professional performers have worked hard to introduce a Broadway show to Vietnam for the very first time.

For the upcoming project that the American director/actor is putting together in Vietnam, he can’t afford any dawdling to ruin the product.

Riedlinger is the man behind “Annie Get Your Gun,” the first Broadway musical in Vietnam which will open in Ho Chi Minh City later this month. The motivation behind the ambitious project is to offer local audiences a new entertainment experience as well as ease the expatriate’s own nostalgia with the dramatic form.

“Many foreigners who are working in Vietnam met me and said ‘We miss the musicals,’” said Riedlinger, who has been living and working in Vietnam for four and a half years.

After three years of careful planning, the director has managed to gather a multinational cast comprising nearly 100 amateur and professional performers from HCMC to bring the famous play to the local stage.

Enchanting markswoman

“Annie Get Your Gun” is a fictionalized rendition of the life and loves of Annie Oakley, a great figure in the American Wild West.

Oakley (1860–1926) was an amazingly talented sharpshooter, who purportedly was able to split a playing card edge-on and put five or six more holes in it before it touched the ground.

She became a superstar performer after joining the Wild West show organized by Buffalo Bill, a showman and adventurist who featured his acts before Queen Victoria and even the Pope.

The musical, which originally debuted in New York’s Broadway Theater in 1946, tells the fictional story of Oakley’s life with Buffalo Bill’s troupe as well as her eventful love with her husband and competitor Frank Butler.

The show was a smash hit, leading to a musical album, a 1950 Academy-Award winning film and two remakes in 1966 and 1999.

Many songs from the play became popular hits, including “There’s No Business like Show Business,” “You Can’t Get a Man with a Gun” and “My Defenses are Down.”

Riedlinger told Thanh Nien Daily he chose the musical over other popular plays like “The Phantom of the Opera” to target Vietnamese audiences.

“I hope the play will attract many local audiences,” he said. “The music is accessible to everyone and they can enjoy the comedy.”

The director, who also plays the role of Frank Butler, has even considered making a Vietnamese voice-over for the play.

“It is possible but very difficult,” he said. “We have translated the script into Vietnamese but nothing is definite yet.”

Multicultural cast

For Kim Davis, a teacher at HCMC’s British International School who plays the protagonist Oakley, the role presents a real challenge as she is of English origin and must adapt an old Western accent for her lines and the singing.

“The director is American and he has helped me a lot but I’m still a work in progress.” she said.

To mitigate the racist overtures toward Native American Indians in the original version of the play, Riedlinger decided to use the 1999 remake which centralized all the prejudicial behaviors into one character – Butler’s assistant Dolly Tate.

Belinda Shorland, who plays Tate, said it is rather difficult to play a “nasty and racist” girl, especially when all of the Native American characters are played by Vietnamese actors.

“But I hope my acting is good enough to make audiences hate me,” she said.

The production cast is made up of people from around the world, most of whom are members of the HCMC International Choir and the Saigon Players amateur theater club. Some are professional performers, while others are students, teachers and businesspeople.

Riedlinger, who is also HCMC Choir’s front man, does not find working with such a diverse cast and crew to be a problem.

“It is more about managing a confluence of personalities,” he said.

Le Anh Huy, a 20-year-old Vietnamese student has been thrilled to be a part of such a diverse ensemble.

In his first-ever musical role, he plays a Native American knife thrower, whose forbidden love for Tate’s sister serves as the musical’s sub-plot.

“I hope the play will attract lots of Vietnamese people as it is really interesting,” Huy said.

For a good cause

With a budget of US$45,000, the producers determined to recreate a real Broadway atmosphere. One hundred personnel work behind the scenes to build sets, make up performers, and prepare sound and lighting. Moreover, around 120 costumes were tailor-made for the musical, Riedlinger said.

Music will be performed by the HCMC Ballet, Choir and Symphony Orchestra under the guidance of renowned conductor Tran Vuong Thach, while choreography is supervised by People’s Artist Vu Viet Cuong and Vietnamese expat John Huy Tran.

The producers have also completely renovated the old Hung Dao Theater, which was notorious for it poor conditions.

All the effort will be for a good cause, as proceeds from the shows will be donated to Poussieres de Vie (Dust of Life) – a French-run charity aimed to give education and training to underprivileged children in HCMC.

Reported by Trong Kha