Leading lady Emma Williams is every bit as sassy, as her gun-toting character Annie Oakley. The actress will be riding into town next week, as she heads up a major new revival of the beloved musical Western classic, Annie Get Your Gun.

With classic songs including There’s No Business Like Show Business and Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better, Annie Get Your Gun tells the legendary story of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West sharpshooter, Annie Oakley, and her romance with Frank Butler. Emma is no stranger to musicals, having been nominated for a prestigious Olivier award for her performances in Chitty, Chitty, Bang Bang and Love Story, and is excited to be stepping into the saddle with another iconic role.

“Obviously there’s a lot of gun work. I had some gun handling practice and went clay-pigeon shooting recently to get my hands and eye in for that. I also do trapeze in the show, so it’s pretty full-on. Very energetic, let’s put it that way”, says actress Emma, 31.

In fact, Emma feels a strong empathy with her historical character. “My character is based on the real Annie Oakley who was a sharpshooter in the Wild West in the late 1800s. She is the most honest person I think I’ve ever played, she has no agenda. What you see is what you get with Annie.

“She then falls madly head over heels for this confident, cocky guy who is Frank Butler. You then see her vulnerabilities and she’s really competitive,” adds Emma.

The love interest in question is played by star of stage and charity football matches, Jonathan Wilkes. Probably best known as the childhood chum of Robbie Williams, Wilkes will appear as Frank Butler alongside comedian Norman Pace as Buffalo Bill.

Wilkes said: “I’ve been very lucky in having some great roles to get my teeth into in the past, but now having the chance to star in the UK premiere production of this award winning version of such a classic musical is very exciting.

“I’m very much looking forward to performing such brilliant songs and appearing alongside a truly great cast as we bring the Wild Wild West to theatres across the country.”

Despite being seen as an old-fashioned musical, Annie Get Your Gun, is as relevant today as to when it was written and the era in which it is set.

Emma adds: “It’s lovely to play a leading female in a musical that is so strong and independent. She’s not a victim and she’s still a heroine. And the fact that she really existed is just a privilege.

“Buffalo Bill was a great proponent of women’s rights and Native American rights. He is quoted saying even in 1880 that if a woman is as good as a man at a job she should be paid the same money. The scary thing is that in 2014 that isn’t always the case. So it’s thrilling to play someone so empowered.”

n Annie Get Your Gun runs at the Pavilion Theatre from August 19-23.