From the green skin of the Wicked Witch of the West, to the gun-totin’, sharp-shootin’ ways of a cowgirl, Vicki Noon stands out with the characters she portrays on stage.
With a powerhouse voice and lauded acting chops, it’s no wonder Noon made it from Village Theatre’s KIDSTAGE program to Broadway. Fresh from the national tour of “Wicked,” the 26-year-old Newcastle native will return to the Eastside to star as Annie Oakley in Village Theatre’s “Annie Get Your Gun,” premiering Nov. 9.
According to Noon, this show is exactly what theater should be.
“It’s a spectacle,” she said. “We’re pushing the dancing to the limit, pushing the vocals to the limit; the sets and costumes and trick shooting are amazing.”
After her stint playing the green-skinned, misunderstood witch, Elphaba, in “Wicked,” Noon said taking on a lighter, funnier character has been a riot.
In reading the script, there were even moments where she was surprised to hear herself laughing out loud.
This wild west musical, an Irving Berlin classic, tells a love story of the sharpest sharpshooter, Annie Oakley, and Frank Butler, the heart-throb of Buffalo Bill’s traveling show. Audiences will be able to hum along with tunes such as, “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” and “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better.”
Artistic Director, Steve Tomkins, remembers originally working with Noon in 2005, when she appeared in Village Theatre’s “Cats.” He said he knew right away that she had to be Village’s Annie.
“Throughout the years, the women who have played the role of Annie have really exemplified the voices of their eras,” he said. “Ethel Merman in the 1940s, Rebecca McEntire in the 2000s, and I think Vicki Noon is the voice of today.”
“Annie Get Your Gun” runs Nov. 9-Jan. 29 at Village Theatre, 303 Front St. N., Issaquah. For tickets and more information, go to http://villagetheatre.org/, 425-392-2202.
Gabrielle Nomura can be reached at 425-453-4270.
