ANNIE

Based on the cartoon strip ‘Little Orphan Annie’. Annie has been left as a baby on the orphanage steps and now 11 years old, she wonders what her parents are like and where they are. What a wonderful evening’s entertainment was in store for this capacity audience.

On the night I came along, Annie was played by a very confident 11 year old called Kate Bowskill, her singing, accent, stage presence and delightful facial expressions were a joy, a very talented young lady, well done. I was told by many theatre goers just how good Marianne Bardgett was as Annie on the nights that she performed. I believe that her portrayal of this iconic part was quite beautifully played and her singing was superb. So, two fantastic young ladies who should be very proud of themselves for making this show the success it was.

Bryan Wood as the formidable Daddy Warbucks was just right, he visibly melted under the spell that Annie cast and their scenes together were both comical and also very touching, he was thoughtful, sympathetic and just perfect in this part. Vanessa Whittle was the essence of the efficient, sophisticated secretary Grace, and topped an excellent performance with a good singing voice, she also had empathy for Annie. ‘Rooster’ Karl Roe and ‘Lily’ Mandie Doherty brought a new dimension to the show with their larger than life performances, as the villains of the piece, and with Miss Hannigan they brought the stage alight with their rendition of ‘Easy Street’. So very well cast as the ‘baddies’.

The booze sodden harridan, Miss Hannigan is a gem of a role and every nuance of the character was brought to life by Sarah Hicks, her portrayal of this part was the best I have seen, quite brilliant, well done.

I enjoyed the Radio Show scene, it came across well. High Octane performances are the only way to describe the orphans. Their ‘It’s a Hard-Knock-Life’ opening was delivered with aplomb, the orphans were lively, outgoing and above all appealing with Molly making her mark. All the other principles gave excellent renditions of their parts with good singing also by the chorus, especially ‘N.Y.C’.

The society had worked hard to produce a high standard show and deserved the capacity houses they enjoyed. With a good set by Border Studios and costumes by Charades. What can I say about the orchestra, sound and lighting except superb, and what great choreography for the adults and children, and not forgetting Sandy the dog who behaved impeccably.

Thank you for an excellent evening’s entertainment.

On a very personal note, I was very saddened by the loss of president Keith Roach, he was a true gentlemen and I personally have many special memories of him, J.J.

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