- Performances: 1,147.
- Open / Close: May 16, 1946 – February 12, 1949
- Theater: Imperial Theatre.
- Tony Awards: The Tonys weren’t established until 1947 but the show still indirectly won one. Mary Martin was recognized in 1948 with a special award – Spreading Theatre to the Country While the Originals Perform in New York – in honor of her work on the first national tour of “Annie Get Your Gun.”
- Fun Fact: .The real life Annie Oakley performed around the world, touring extensively in Europe, and her routine was captured by Thomas Edison on film in 1894 (see below).
Podcast
When you want to know about a production, there’s no better source than someone who’s been there. I never thought that would be possible with the original Broadway run of “Annie Get Your Gun” – I mean, it closed in 1949! But Mary Ellen Ashley, who had a marquee role as the Girl in the Lampshade Hat in the show, is still alive and very much kicking. Though only 8 years old when the show opened, she was already a child star, having been in 2 other major productions and even appearing in a promotional film produced by the Navy, shot in Virginia Beach.
My conversation with Mary Ellen starts with her first public performance at the age of 4 and then quickly moves to her time in “Annie Get Your Gun.” It’s full of anecdotes and memories, all delivered with a playful attitude that Mary Ellen still maintains at the spry young age of 86.
You can see a trailer of the documentary on Mary Ellen Ashley, “Just a Broadway Baby,” on this website.