Annie. Junior

Based on the American cartoon strip, Little Orphan Annie, which ran in a variety of newspapers from 1924 until 2010. It was first brought to the stage in 1977 and has become a popular show for Companies with youth sections and with English audiences.  In its day the cartoon commented on many political issues, and the one chosen for the show is the ‘New deal’ policy of President Franklin D Roosevelt, to try to improve the lot of the American people after the Great Depression, naturally in this story his inspiration is Annie.

During the overture there were projected graphics of New York, which showed how people were being affected by the state of the economy. With the ‘Hooverville’ shantytowns, where people lived, and highlighting the poverty was leading to parents being unable to support their families, so that many children ended up in orphanages. They also showed that there was hope in the new President. It really put the show into historical context and explained why Annie, although living in the orphanage, had hopes of being reunited with her parents. Projection was used at intervals throughout the show to take the audience to different locations, such as the outside of the Warbuck Mansion.  It mostly worked but there were a few occasions when it added very little to the show, especially with the problems with the screen.

Once again careful thought had gone into how to fit the set and large cast onto this very small stage. Miss Hannigan’s Office was permanently set in front of the tabs stage left, with several scenes being played front of tabs to allow scene changes behind. The contrasts between the Orphanage, Hooverville and the Warbuck Mansion, with the split-level and staircase, and the White House Office were successfully achieved, although some scene changes were understandably a little slow, with lack of space to manoeuvre in. Lighting was well cued and helped create the correct atmosphere for each location. The idea for the New York street scene, with images of New York projected onto the dark tabs, was clever, but created some odd effects when the cast came on and the projections spilled onto them. Sound effects were well handled, with the noise of the traffic not too loud. There had been careful attention to detail with the props. The show had been costumed to suit the period, with very elegant clothes for Grace Farrell, and a complete contrast for Miss Hannigan. I liked the concept of costumes for the orphans, that they were not dressed in an identical ‘uniform’ as they would probably have existed on donated clothes, but they were still a little pristine.

Choreographer Jill Harris had obviously had fun with the choreography; Hard Knock Life was performed with great energy and enthusiasm. Bert Healy performed his tap routine very confidently, although in previous productions I have seen this has been done with the tap shoes operated by the sound man’s hands on a piece of board.

The music, as always, was sympathetically played by the three-piece band, under the direction of Chloe Allsopp-Jones, never overpowering the voices. The music for this show is in parts challenging and both principals and chorus sang well on the whole, and diction was good; although there were a few slow starts to songs when the cast did not come in on the first bar, and a few shaky top notes. The young Annie I saw, as the role was shared, was confident in her songs and delivered them well. Again Hard Knock Life was a gem, with confident singing, both performers and audience enjoyed this number. 

The show had been well cast and there was solid characterization, with several of the cast doubling roles. Annie and the orphans were a delight, they had all developed individual characters, were spirited and very supportive of each other. They projected well and confidently sang and danced their way through the show.  Miss Hannigan’s gin swigging habits made her a most improbable housemother but I do not think she would have done it so blatantly in front of Warbucks. Her brother Rooster was a smooth talking but ruthless ex-convict, who would stop at nothing to obtain money, the character change to ‘Ralph Mudge’ was very well handled. Lily St Regis, his ‘lady friend’, was sassy at first but became a little overwhelmed by her bonnet as ‘Shirley Mudge’. The three characters worked well together and gave a nice rendition of ‘Easy Street’. Oliver Warbucks showed he was at first completely nonplussed by this young girl, but developed a warmth and genuine affection for her. Grace Farrell displayed all the attributes of a perfect secretary to this very wealthy man, but showed that besides being efficient, was also fun loving in her treatment of Annie. Drake was the efficient butler who made sure the household was kept in order, alongside Mrs Pugh who valiantly tried to make sure Warbucks ate properly. President Roosevelt, managed his wheelchair well, and presided with authority over the White House Cabinet, who sang ‘Tomorrow’ with gusto. The scene in Radio City was most amusing with the ventriloquist and the glamorous Boylan sisters. All other members of the cast provided interesting cameo performances. Last but not least, ‘the dog’, who was unusually played by a young member of the cast in a beautiful furry costume, her canine antics made her a hit with the audience, and so much more reliable than a real dog!

Director Linda Evans had helped her cast to understand the historical setting, and to bring out the humour in this production. Everyone had worked very hard to provide an excellent evenings entertainment. Well done.

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