Reba McEntire is celebrating 23 years since her Broadway debut. Taking to social media, the country singer celebrated the milestone.
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On Instagram, she wrote, “23 years ago today was my opening night on #Broadway in #AnnieGetYourGun. I never got tired of singing beautiful songs like these, and I’ll always be grateful I had the chance to play Annie Oakley.”
McEntire starred in a rendition of Annie Get Your Gun, a play that’s been around since 1946. The play is based on a book by Dorothy and Herbert Fields. The play is a fictionalized version of Annie Oakley’s life. McEntire played Annie in 2001 for a period of a couple of months.
Reba McEntire Reflects on Broadway Show
In an interview with CNN in 2005, McEntire talked about joining the production. At first, McEntire was reluctant to join the cast despite being offered. She said, “I say, no, I can’t do that because I’m on tour. I’ve got too many people out here depending on me. Besides, I’m a gypsy at heart and I like to travel around.”
However, she ended up attending an afternoon show of the production. After watching the show, McEntire had an epiphany. She realized that she had to do the show. McEntire would watch the show from behind the curtain when she wasn’t on stage.
She said, “I was ready early. I was — see, the first 17 minutes, I’m not in the show and I would be backstage and I’d be watching. I’d be looking. And they’d say, Reba, backstage. I would go back out there. Are they ready for me yet? Not yet. And Larry Storch (ph) was in there.”
Being on Broadway was an experience like no other — one that McEntire still remembers fondly. She also got the chance to play her wild west hero.
She said, “I was just so excited to get out there. Not the least bit nervous. That — Annie Oakley was my hero growing up. I loved Annie Oakley, and I wanted little outfits like Annie Oakley wore on her TV show, and before I went to school, I’d watch the TV show, when our television would work, and then I’d run down to the cattle guard and walk back up with Pake and Alice, my older brother and sister, and tell them what happened on the Annie Oakley show that day.”
[Photo by Spencer Platt/Newsmakers]
