Annie jr.

A flaw sometimes noticeable in youth productions, where a show, originally written for adults, is chosen, is that difficulty in making the adult characters believable, occurs. No such problem here. Cupar Youth Musical Theatre have grasped the challenge, and, with appropriate attention to wardrobe and makeup, have presented a most believable "Annie Jr". Having seen Annie many times, this is my first viewing of the Junior version - a few cuts made from the original, but not too many - still offering a full evenings entertainment.

From the moment the curtain went up, the enthusiasm of this young, twenty-six strong cast was apparent. Lucy Campbell in the title role was strong both in dialogue and singing. Ailidh McCall performed well as Miss Hannigan, the governess of the orphanage, especially in her opening scene, in which Ruth Anderson's sensitive direction kept Hannigan's inebriation under control - never allowing it to take over the scene.  Kenneth Thomson Duncan as Mr Warbucks and his P.A. played by Shannon Almond worked well together, as did Logan Booth and Claire Collins as Rooster and Lily St Regis respectively. The cameo role of President Roosevelt was handled admirably by Jake Middleton, constantly giving us the impression he had exceeded the Company's maximum age of seventeen!

Congratulations to Peter Holligan and his six piece orchestra which was always kept under control, mindful of the young voices on stage. Also, with this in mind, sound enhancement was delicate, giving just a lift to the voices without ever being intrusive.

Finally, mention has to be made of one of the most energetic performers in the show. Midge who played the part of Sandy, Annie's dog, performed immaculately and brought many murmurs of "awww!" from the audience!

Congratulations to all the cast! Well done!

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