Annie Kids

Annie Kids … a musical performed by Artz Centre at Birch Green Artz Centre, Birch Green Road, Skelmersdale on Saturday 10th August 2024

This was a ‘step into the unknown’ for me on three counts …
i)   My first visit to Birch Green Artz Centre in Skelmersdale, first impression great location.
ii)  Secondly, my first encounter with a musical where the cast see the script for the first time on Monday morning before performing it twice on the following Saturday … six days, from opening your script, given ninety minutes to read and prepare for an audition, audition/cast, rehearse, perform ... WOW!   Joe Howard in his programme notes, suggests that “It’s a Hard Knock Week” … I can only imagine!
iii) Finally, my first encounter with a ‘Kids Production’, where the performance time was just thirty minutes ... thirty minutes packed with energy, effort and enthusiasm from this young cast, all aged between eight and eleven years of age!

We all probably know the story behind the musical/film Annie, which over the years has become a worldwide sensation, winning seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin... from a book written by Thomas Meehan, which in turn was based on the 1924 comic strip ... Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. The story, set in 1930’s New York during the Great Depression; introduces us to a brave young six-year-old Annie, forced to live a life of misery in a New York Orphanage run by the evil Miss Hannigan. Annie’s luck changes when she is chosen to spend a ‘fairytale’ Christmas with the billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. Meanwhile, Miss Hannigan is scheming to spoil Annie’s Christmas and to prevent her finding her long lost parents.

Production Team ... Joe Howard (Director) had six days to pull this musical together ... how do you do that! Having read Joe’s programme notes, he himself suggests, that at first glance, “it looked an impossible task, this was something that usually takes us twelve months to achieve”! But Joe suggests “by producing a show in six days we had the chance to show the young cast that there are many ways to produce a show. The lesson we wanted to teach was ... if you apply yourself and dedicate yourself to a project, then anything, absolutely anything, can be achieved. The extent of your success is determined by your desire to make it happen”! ... and make it happen they did, and by the smiles on the faces of every cast member throughout the show, especially during the finale, suggested that the dedication and the effort that they’d obviously applied, had created something worthwhile and as a result, lessons will have been learned and they should all be very proud of what they all helped achieve!

The Cast ... I do think for something like this to work, ‘team ethics’ had to be to the fore, and from what I saw, this very young group had obviously worked their socks off!  There was little or no doubt that the success of this show was down to a ‘total team effort’... which had no ‘actual star’... just an ensemble of young people, working together as a team, whilst creating something they should all be totally proud of!   I will give just a couple of ‘shout outs’ at the end, but I really don’t want to take away from the ‘team influence’!  So, where to start, lets start with our lead ‘Annie’ played by Amber Rogers; Lucy Makin played billionaire ‘Oliver Warbucks’; Lilly Fowell played the ‘evil’ Miss Hannigan; Amy Burns played Oliver Warbucks PA ‘Grace Farrel’; the ‘Orphans’ included Maddie Barker-Gaskell playing ‘Duffy’;  Hazel Saunderson playing ‘Pepper’; Isabelle Thorn playing ‘Kate’; Eva Waterworth playing ‘Molly’; Maddie Scott playing ‘Tessie’; and Olivia Ellis playing ‘July’;  Nevaeh Williams played ‘Rooster’, Olivia Parlour played ‘Lili St Regis’; Harvey Wilkes played ‘Bundles’; Myla Rotherham played ‘Bert Healy’; Ollie Sanders played ‘Drake’; Leighton Goodier Davies played ‘President Roosevelt’; Lillie Rose Bailey played ‘Lt. Ward’; Jack Hancock played ‘Sandy’; Katie Ellis played ‘Apple Seller’; Ada Baybutt and Sienna Dewhurst played ‘Star to Be’; Theo Waterworth played ‘Louise Howe’; Darcey Harter-Donoghue played ‘Olympic Gymnast’; Charlie Ellis played a ‘Pickpocket’; Fay Whitaker played an ‘Opera Singer’; Lucia Faulkner played the ‘Usherette’; Sophia Murphy played ‘Famous Actress’ and finally Pippa-Blue Gallagher Cameron played a ‘Grump New Yorker.

‘Shout Outs’, I’d like to give three ‘shout outs’ firstly … I really did enjoy Amber Rogers performance as our lead ‘Annie. Looked totally comfortable throughout with this leading role, good stage presence and she did an amazing job with Annie’s two iconic songs … ‘Maybe’ and ‘Tomorrow’ … be very proud Amber!   Next, ‘Miss Hannigan’, played with great aplomb by Lilly Fowell. This was the second time I’d seen Lilly perform, the first being a couple of months ago when she played Gramma Tala in Moana Jr. On both occasions, Lilly provided us with two wonderful characters. Loved her rendition of ‘Little Girls’, great vocals, well done Lilly. Third and final choice and I’m cheating just a little…    goes to the ‘orphan ensemble’ … Maddie Barker-Gaskell playing ‘Duffy’; Hazel Saunderson playing ‘Pepper’; Isabelle Thorn playing ‘Kate’; Eva Waterworth playing ‘Molly’; Maddie Scott playing ‘Tessie’; and Olivia Ellis playing ‘July’ … they just worked ever so well together and with ‘Annie’.  Loved their rendition of ‘It’s a hard-knock life’ … great feeling, great movement, they also did a great job with ‘Never Fully Dressed’ … be proud one and all!

Staging/Tech/Music … the performance was staged in a sort of ‘traverse’ setting, the audience being sat on three sides of the stage area all within close proximity to the action. This arrangement worked very well and the young cast dealt with it all, with relative ease! Situated at the far end of the stage/floor area was a set of rostra with square boxes thereon, which provided height for the cast to stand on.  The technical side of the performance worked well, lighting was basic, sound was good and enhanced the production.

The Crew … standing alongside these young people were more young people, slightly older who have all evolved through the Artz Centre… I think they go under the ‘banner’ of ‘Peer Mentors’, they do a fabulous  job supporting their younger members.  These mentors included Abi Meadows, Amy Lewis, Charlotte Ineson, Finley Mooney, Lexie Kaill and Lola Ratcliffe… plus some slightly older society members … Caitlin Porter Bimpson, Robert Barclay, Richie Prunetti, Joe Lucas and Vselena Karpovych who should all be praised and recognised for the support they provide for these young cast members.  

Costumes … the costumes were basic as were the ‘Props’

Again, reading the programme, it was really interesting and exciting to read that ‘The Artz Centre’ had been named as a Community Partner in a new research programme called ‘Arts 4’. The research is being led by Edge Hill University and is the largest of its kind nationally. It’s aims are to make links between ‘The Arts’ and the mental health of children and young people.  Myself and all at NODA wish them all the luck in the world with their involvement in this venture and the hopeful positive outcomes.   

Thank you so much for inviting me to your production… it was a joy to be there and witness something that I’d never seen before… further education I think they call it. Be very proud everyone involved … great entertainment by such a young cast!  Looking forward to your next production!

Stay safe, Keep well 
Stronger Together

Jim Briscoe
NODA NW
District 6 Rep

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