Annie

It was a pleasure and a privilege to come and review your show in your company’s 90th anniversary year.  Annie was a very good choice – definitely a crowd pleaser as your full houses made quite plain.  The production itself was delightful – well cast and well performed by everyone.  Thomas Meehan, who wrote the book taking the story from Harold Gray’s comic strip was a very clever writer to make this piece with political overtones a very heart warming story.  The one real sadness in connection with the show was that Spirit, the dog who was originally cast as Sandy tragically died in a house fire during rehearsals. Hector was found as a replacement and he did well.

Never work with children or animals they say but it must have made life easier for the production team to have two sets of orphans who worked so well and in character.  They looked as though they were enjoying themselves even though their life was hard.  Dear little Molly was played by Grace Kelly or Fearne Heal.  I don’t know which one I saw but I’m sure the other Molly was just as good.  The same goes for  Annie, played by either Darcey Puttock-West or Evie Heal.  This is such a great part for a young girl, requiring all the best in singing and acting and this was very apparent indeed.

What can be said about Miss Hannigan!?  Another wonderful part and played with panache by Mandy Crnkovic as entirely the wrong person to be in charge of those “little girls!”  Well done Mandy.

Joanna Salter gave us an elegant and charming Grace Farrell and Lee Johnson as Daddy Warbucks used his singing voice and acting ability to great effect.  Lovely performances as well from the two baddies, Rooster Hannigan and Lily St. Regis played by Dan Kerry and Natalie Steel, with John Walsh as President Hoover who made everything come right in the end.

There were so many smaller parts and all involved, including the ensemble added such a lot to the performance.  Singing and acting from all was excellent.

As with all productions of this type there are so many people in the background with out which the show really could not go on so congratulations to them all and especially to Director Tony Betts, Musical Director Russell Taylor, Choreographer Stuart Hall and Children’s Director Paula Woolven.

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