Annie

Annie,” the 1977 musical based on the 1920s “Little Orphan Annie” comic strip, came to the Brindley in a warm and colourful production by the Centenary Theatre Company.

In the title role Melissa Dutton did a fine job and portrayed the character with plenty of fun and energy. She had a great relationship with the Grace and the other orphans but not so much with Warbucks, played by Michael Mullen, which was really disappointing. We should see their relationship grow and blossom and the change in Warbucks’  paternal nature needed to be much more apparent.

Clare Littlemore as personal secretary Grace Farell was elegant and refined whilst Miss Hannigan played by talented Julie Parry was the complete opposite. Julie was vile and manipulative, and hilarious however there was so much more scope for added comedy especially with such an experienced and talented actress.  Without a doubt, James Gibbons as Rooster gave the performance of the night with a polished and very professional performance. Julia Hart as Lily St.Regis was sassy and fabulous and milked the role for all it was worth - brilliant.

The young orphans all gave consistent performances and worked hard – I think it would have been much more effective to have more orphans from a sound point of view if nothing else.

Kenneth McConaghy as Bert Healy along with Maria Dumencic, Rachel Benfield and Jessica Gorman as the Boylan sisters were all well cast – ‘Fully Dressed’ was a particular highlight.

The company numbers sounded great under the experienced baton of Malcolm Fallows with a band that sounded just great.  The cameo roles were all played with confidence but it was a shame that they couldn’t be heard – if someone is good enough to be given ‘a line’ - they’re good enough for a mic.

The choreography by Helen Gorry was good and well executed by everyone. 

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