Annie

Annie is a musical set during the 1930’s during the American Great Depression, which tells the fate of an orphaned child facing mistreatment by Miss Hannigan who is in charge of the orphanage, being sold for cash and made to live with a man she has never met. Nonetheless, the story also has themes of correction of wrongs, justice, and providing a stray dog with a permanent home. The musical combines humour, unruly children and memorable songs. It remains a well-regarded classic.

Scenic’s scenery was well suited for the large stage but Morgan Jones' lighting design brought it all to life. Furniture was moved efficiently by back-stage crew and it was nice to see them in costume. Talking of which all costumes looked authentic with the 1930s' era. Sound came over as quite loud at times but that might have been just me! The fourteen-piece orchestra led by Musical Director Daniel Moulton blended well with the cast and the singing by both ensemble and soloists was impeccable. Choreography by Elizabeth Witt was, as usual, visually impressive. 

Bonnie Elliott shone as Annie, her voice was clear and assured, especially during a heartfelt performance of Tomorrow – all while holding Sandy the dog (played by the very well behaved Rory). Special mention must be made of Team Hoover, who I saw (I’m sure Team Herbert were just as good) playing The Orphans: July – Bethany Snyder, Duffy – Chloe Hinxman, Pepper - Grace Harman, Kate  - Jess Fenn, Molly – Piper Millis and Tessie – Poppy Rainbow. They were all so disciplined and full of energy, they nailed the show’s best-loved numbers like It’s a Hard Knock Life and You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile with real emotion and humour in parts. Their chemistry on stage brought a lovely warmth and authenticity to the story. A particular highlight was Julie Atkinson as Miss Hannigan, completely captivating from the moment she stepped on stage! She gave a superb performance, both hilarious and horrid. Her partners in crime trying to gain the reward money by pretending to be Annie’s parent were Rich Eaton-Daniel as Rooster Hannigan and Cheryl Storer as Lily St.Regis, they worked well together. Other strong performances came from Michael Jamieson-Smith as the warm and affable Oliver Warbucks and Charlotte Timbers as the charming and compassionate Grace Farrell. Many of the supporting cast had multiple roles to play whether it be a talk show host, politicians, particularly Tim Taylor as President Roosevelt who came across as a warm and caring man (I wonder if he was like that in real life?) and house staff. I did like Charlie Harden as butler Drake, generally very austere but he let his mask slip at times – hilarious!

There must have been a lot of proud parents, grandparents etc. this week watching their girls perform in this polished performance.  Director Alison Cripps’ production truly captured the charm of classic musical theatre.

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