I had Annie on VHS when I was a young’n, I think, but I was always more of a fan of Bugsy Malone. Maybe I found it more relatable what with me being a 1920s gangster rather than a 1920s redheaded orphan gal. However, if I had to choose, I think now that Annie is the better of the two musicals in my opinion. Its just so wholesome, and a lot more showy!
I went to see the stage show the other night, and I was smiling the whole way through, it was incredible. The story of the lovable orphan Annie (Poppy Cunningham) who gets taken in by the Billionaire Daddy Warbucks (Alex Bourne) for a week and experiences a lavish lifestyle, a world away from scrubbing the orphanage floor that she’s used to whilst in the care of the drunk, Miss Hannigan (Craig Revel-Horwood). During that time, Mr. Warbucks conducts a nationwide hunt for Annie’s real parents, with a reward of 50,000 dollars, which, as you can imagine, attracts the wrong sort of people, including Miss Hannigans crook of a brother Rooster (Paul French) and his new squeeze Lily St. Regis (Billie Kay).
From the get go, this production far exceeded my expectations. The young actors are beyond talented. There was a slight disturbance at the beginning which was quite distracting for the audience and could be heard by everyone, however, Poppy sang through it with true professionalism and without skipping a beat. The second song, Hard Knock Life set in stone how good the rest of the show was going to be; the routine was pulled of perfectly by the girls, everything from the amazing dancing, to the “New York” accent and singing.
The choreography throughout was dazzling, too. From the big show pieces like ‘I think I’m Gonna Like It Here’, “N.Y.C”, and as I said before ‘Hard Knock Life’. ‘Easy Street’ with Hannigan, Rooster, and Lily was also really fun. The whole cast were truly amazing. Oh, and there was a dog, Sandy. The goodest, and most well behaved, of doggos.
This is a fun for all the family show, and would honestly go see it again Tomorrow (Tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow) if I could.
Review by Johnny Banks
Comments Closed