REVIEW by Nigel Carr for Hale and Altrincham Life Annie played by Caitlin Reeves, the eponymous red headed central character is a child in the Hudson Street Orphanage where she has been since 1922 The musical opens to slides depicting the Great Depression following the Wall Street crash in 1929. Hooverville, the homeless persons village that grew up in Central Park, New York was a shanty town constructed of cardboard, tar paper, glass, wood, tin and whatever other materials people could find. It’s 1933 and President Herbert Hoover has just been replaced by F D Roosevelt. The play opens with the all the children making the most of life in the cramped dormitory faux kowtowing to the evil Miss Hannigan, the conniving, gin swilling supervisor. The plot follows Annie’s escape from the Orphanage and her planned adoption by Oliver Warbucks, the billionaire industrialist owner of a number of factories, who doesn’t seem to have fared too badly in the crash. Friends with the president and a host of other famous politicians and sportsmen, (‘how’d you like to meet Babe Ruth? – Annie, erm?’). He is played by Richard Sails, who brings warmth and gravitas to the boy from the wrong side of town made good. The children’s singing is completely professional and hugely entertaining. From the opening It’s a Hard Knock Life and the highlight You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile, with accompanying dance routine and acrobatics. Special mention must be made of Caitlin who never misses a beat and Sasha Carrillo de Albornoz as Warbucks’ PA Grace, whose incredible range and tone is on the scale of a young Julie Andrews. Frankly all of the children deserve a special mention as they were just so enchanting and entertaining! Laura Aremia’s portrayal of the drunken Miss Hannigan is hilarious – she staggers around the stage, managing an almost calamitous curtsy to the wheelchair bound president. With song after familiar song including Tomorrow and Easy Street, spot on American accents and a hyperactive shaggy Dulux dog, the musical went down a storm. The audience was on its feet at the end in a well deserved standing ovation.
Annie
to
21 June 2016
Based on Little Orphan Annie, the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, Annie has become a worldwide sensation. Winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, the beloved show features a wonderful score written by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, including the Broadway smash hit, 'Tomorrow'. With a perfect combination of street-smarts and optimism, Annie warms the hearts of the audience as we witness her rise from next-to-nothing in New York City. She is determined to find her parents, who left her at the orphanage years ago. Though things don't quite work out the way she has planned, she does manage to thwart the plans of the evil Miss Hannigan and find a new family with billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his secretary Grace Farrell, and her lovable pooch, Sandy.
The production is proudly sponsored by The Greenhouse Vegetarian Restaurant
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CAST
The Child Company
- Annie - Caitlin Reeves
- Duffy - Chloe Radford
- July - Olivia Streeter
- Kate - Anna Peart
- Molly - Alice Cross
- Pepper - Daisy Higgins
- Tessie - Chloe Sudworth
- Orphans: Rosy O'Connor, Nicole Astbury, Ellen Thomas- Anderson, Jemima Kloss, Eva Briggs, Pippa Banford, Lily Pearson, Sophie Whittingham, Grace Dougall
The Adult Company
- Miss. Hannigan - Laura Aremia
- Oliver Warbucks - Richard Sails
- Grace Farrell - Sasha Carrillo de Albornoz
- Rooster Hannigan/ Hooverville Man - Sam Berrie
- Lily St. Regis/ Hooverville Woman - Claire Garrett
- Hooverville Man/ Fred McCracken and Wacky/Dog Catcher/ Cordell Hull/ Servant/ New York Citizen - Chris Wagstaff
- Bert Healy/ Hooverville Man/Assistant Dog Catcher/ Louis Howe/Servant/ New York Citizen - Danny McCarrick
- Annette/ Star To Be/ Connie/ Hooverville Woman - Hannah Cound
- Bundles McCloskey/ Harold Ickes/ Hooverville Man/ Servant/ New York Citizen - Brendan Cunningham
- Mrs. Greer/ Sophie/ Jimmy Johnson/ New York Citizen - Samantha O'Connor
- Drake/ Henry Morgenthau/ Eddie/ Sound Effects Man/ New York Citizen - Joshua Crook
- President FD Roosevelt/ LT Ward/ Announcer/Servant/ New York Citizen - Dave Midgley
- Francis Perkins/ Mrs Pugh/ Hooverville Woman/New York Citizen - Sarah Reilly
- Ronnie/ Hooverville Woman/ New York Citizen - Rachel Gerring
- Bonnie/ Usherette/ Hooverville Woman/ Servant - Kitty West
- Cecille/ Hooverville Woman/ New York Citizen/Politician - Susan Mowat
- Apple Seller/ Justice Brandeis/ Kaltenborn Voice/ Politician/ Servant/ New York Citizen - Dave Richardson
- Hooverville-ites/ Servants/ New York Citizens - Rebecca Hanley, Lottie Warburton, Niamh Green, Lauren Whiteley, Ian Daubeney
REVIEW by Julia Taylor for Sale and Altrincham Messenger
The Garrick's production of Annie is full of warmth
REVIEW by Nigel Carr for Hale and Altrincham Life Annie played by Caitlin Reeves, the eponymous red headed central character is a child in the Hudson Street Orphanage where she has been since 1922 The musical opens to slides depicting the Great Depression following the Wall Street crash in 1929. Hooverville, the homeless persons village that grew up in Central Park, New York was a shanty town constructed of cardboard, tar paper, glass, wood, tin and whatever other materials people could find. It’s 1933 and President Herbert Hoover has just been replaced by F D Roosevelt. The play opens with the all the children making the most of life in the cramped dormitory faux kowtowing to the evil Miss Hannigan, the conniving, gin swilling supervisor. The plot follows Annie’s escape from the Orphanage and her planned adoption by Oliver Warbucks, the billionaire industrialist owner of a number of factories, who doesn’t seem to have fared too badly in the crash. Friends with the president and a host of other famous politicians and sportsmen, (‘how’d you like to meet Babe Ruth? – Annie, erm?’). He is played by Richard Sails, who brings warmth and gravitas to the boy from the wrong side of town made good. The children’s singing is completely professional and hugely entertaining. From the opening It’s a Hard Knock Life and the highlight You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile, with accompanying dance routine and acrobatics. Special mention must be made of Caitlin who never misses a beat and Sasha Carrillo de Albornoz as Warbucks’ PA Grace, whose incredible range and tone is on the scale of a young Julie Andrews. Frankly all of the children deserve a special mention as they were just so enchanting and entertaining! Laura Aremia’s portrayal of the drunken Miss Hannigan is hilarious – she staggers around the stage, managing an almost calamitous curtsy to the wheelchair bound president. With song after familiar song including Tomorrow and Easy Street, spot on American accents and a hyperactive shaggy Dulux dog, the musical went down a storm. The audience was on its feet at the end in a well deserved standing ovation.