In Little Sure Shot, writer and composer Lucy Rivers delivers a classic tale of determined individualism winning against adversity. Showman Buffalo Bill introduces scenes from the life of Annie Oakley, who became a headline act in his male-dominated wild west show. Five actor musicians, wielding violin, guitar, banjo, double bass, interweave song and dialogue, dance and action, as they show Annie’s progress from frightened little girl, helping her papa hunt jackrabbits in the forest, to fearless, gun-toting sharp-shooter. When her farming father dies, Annie takes his rifle to kill the food the family needs to survive. Her mother is appalled – this is not women’s work. Annie must persevere through hardship and opposition until she finally hits “the bullseye of success”.
Verity Kirk is cracking in the title role, steadily developing in assurance. Her co-players conjure multiple characters and their settings – cabins, forests, trains. Under Amy Leach’s direction, the action skips at a sprightly pace. I enjoyed much about the production but couldn’t get used to the guns.
