Miriam Craig finds the latest musical at The Radlett Centre is a shoot 'em up battle of the sexes

At the end of Annie Get Your Gun, the latest musical being put on by the Elstree and Borehamwood Light Operatic Society (EBLOS), American sharpshooter Annie Oakley deliberately loses a shooting match against her husband-to-be, Frank Butler.

She does this to soothe his delicate ego and ensure their wedding, and the merger of their Wild West shows, can go ahead.

Set in the late 19th Century, and loosely based on the life of Annie Oakley, the two meet when Annie beats reigning sharpshooting champion Frank in their first shooting match, and she is invited to be his assistant.

Stuart Everett, chairman of EBLOS and director of the production, says: "In reality, Frank realised Annie was more talented than him, and he became her assistant. But in the show, Frank can't handle the fact there's somebody better than him. Annie is a strong woman making the decision to appear weak to gain a man."

This could send out a questionable message about a woman's position in society. But Mr Everett reminds us the plots of musicals are not usually intended to be scrutinised too deeply. With iconic songs by Irving Berlin, such as No Business Like Show Business and Anything You Can Do, it is easy to forgive the show its less-than-feminist stance.

Yet a male preoccupation with avoiding appearing weak has caused problems of a different nature for EBLOS.

Mr Everett, who lives in Sudbury, explains: "There has always been this stigma attached to being on stage, that it's not a manly thing to do - which I find ironic when all these people watch Arnold Schwarzenegger, who can't act for toffee, go around shooting people and they think that's manly.

Leeanne Blatch, 37, is a member of the chorus in Annie Get Your Gun, and agrees about the difficulty of recruiting men. She says: "Men who are happy to put themselves up for major parts, who can dance and who are happy to sing solo, are so thin on the ground.

"We have to choose our shows carefully. It's always been my dream to do Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, but for that you need 20-odd men who can sing and dance, which would be very difficult."

Mrs Blatch has been involved with EBLOS for eight years, and has been taking part in amateur dramatics since she was five.

"When I settled in Borehamwood, the first thing I did was find a good theatre group. We're all friends and we enjoy each other's company and respect each other."

Annie Get Your Gun is on at The Radlett Centre, in Aldenham Avenue, Radlett, from Thursday until Saturday, at 7.30pm, with a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. Tickets cost £12 (concessions £10) and are available from the box office on 01923 859291.