Annie Jr

This dominantly political show with the innocence of a plucky orphan at its centre is a family favourite set in New York City amidst The Great Depression has been a popular choice for many societies to present over the last two to three decades and, with no complaints from me, is showing no sign of its appeal dwindling any time soon. This is a title which will always have a special place in my heart so any invite to see a production of this show will always be received with joy! I am, of course, talking about ‘Annie’.

Stage Squad hand over to their youth members for this presentation, however, the usual tendencies of the group which I’ve come to know and love weren’t far away as the script was certainly peppered with the Stage Squad essence which, in some respects, is rather comforting for those who are familiar with this group’s inevitable sense of humour - whereas anyone attending the production without any familiarity of this group’s previous endeavours may find such appendages as a Warbuck’s Jacko impersonation (“Annie are you ok?”) rather ridiculous and out of place! Moments like these struck both chords for me - at first, I was taken aback with a gasp of horror at the notion to tamper with and seriously present such an idea but then, remembering whose production this was, my head fell quickly into my hands with a reluctant chuckle as only Stage Squad could season the broth with such a flavour! Should I have expected anything else? Usually, I would not be in favour of this idea in any capacity but knowing this group, who they are and what they’re about, such additions merely stamped the production as theirs and I certainly wouldn’t want to criticise anyone for exposing their identifiable traits regardless of if I think it’s right or not.   

As with any youth show we had a range of abilities on display with varied levels of performance experience. Examples of this group’s inclusivity was on display too which was certainly heart-warming to see. The charming nervous energy, the pure and genuine enjoyment of performing in front of a supportive audience radiated from the cast with an infectious sense of adrenalin which this show had in spades!

Each member of the cast was given opportunities to relish in shining moments whether playing a principal cast member or being in the supporting ensemble which is exactly how any society (particularly youth societies) should nurture its members. What’s so gratifying with youth productions is how obvious it is when someone has the knack for performing and this throng of youth bursts with raw talent with many of them demonstrating natural tendencies to entertain. It was evident that some of the cast members are yet to come out of their shell, more opportunities to encourage their potential to ignite is sure to be on hand at Stage Squad, so long as the individual wants to do it!

I have no doubt whatsoever that Sean, Jennie and Danni provide ultimate encouragement and support to the young performers and kudos for catering such theatrical opportunities for the younger generations.      

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