Annie

I was lucky enough to attend the first night of the production of Annie and had a wonderful evening.  Directed by Andy Lunn with Sarah Crowley as MD this show presented a clever and very entertaining staging of the popular musical.  Even before the show started we were treated to what was to come as ‘Annie’ made the health and safety announcements and was soon shouted at by ‘Miss Hannigan’ –   immediately the audience knew this production was more than promising. 
All the girls cast as orphans gave us an excellent opening, with clear delivery and well performed dance numbers – congratulations to Choreographer Bev Maher, whose routines made excellent use of the stage and the differing abilities of the performers throughout the show.
The set design and build was exceptionally clever and made great use of this modern theatre space.  The Hooverites, Cabinet, Servants and New Yorkers moved and managed the props and set seamlessly moving us from location to location – this was very well thought through and executed beautifully.  Working with the sympathetic lighting and the clear sound the production was both a visual and auditory success.
The band, though out of sight, played the popular score very well - they seamlessly blended into the production and worked well with the voices of the cast.  The costumes were great and perfect for the period.
All of the performers were well cast - Andrew Sheppard and Clare Heins held the audience with their strong portrayals of Oliver Warbucks and Grace Farrell.  Dale Vaughan (Rooster) and Sarah Clarkson (Lily St Regis) were incredibly entertaining and perfect stooges for Eleanor Aldous whose drunken portrayal of Miss Hannigan was so good it left me wondering if there really was gin in the bottle?  
The final word really must be about the star of the show, 10 year old Libby Pawson, who gave an excellent performance in the title role.  This was Libby’s first show with the Society, but it was wonderful and I hope there will be many more.  Her clear and thoughtful delivery of her lines demonstrated a maturity beyond her years and she sang the songs beautifully.  Throughout the show she showed the audience that she had an understanding of the character and a clever grasp of the American accent.  She was word perfect and without any sign of pretention.  She held the audiences’ attention throughout and worked well with the only member of the cast who showed any lack of confidence (Max the dog!).  When we thought she had put all her talents into the role she then gave a wonderful tap dance in the final number - an excellent Annie.
Everyone involved gave their all and this was very much appreciated by the audience.  Congratulations to all the Production Team, the Band, the Cast and Crew on this wonderful production. 

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