Mum! Mum! It’s Annie!” As I settled down into my seat in Shanklin Theatre the familiar red, bouncy curls of Annie bounded into the nighttime dormitory of the New York City orphanage, and the child behind me couldn’t contain their excitement. There’s something about the simple story here – of a plucky orphan who finds a loving (and rich) family – which has inspired across the ages. But if you think you know ‘Annie’ from the films, you’ve got a whole new experience of the full musical on the stage that awaits you!
Set in The Great Depression, Annie is a show soaked in history and place. In this original stage version we follow Annie’s journey from poverty to riches: from a Hooverville shanty town, to the Manhattan mansion of a Billionaire, via the Oval Office of the President of the USA. Annie goes to the movies! Annie goes on a radio show! This was the American Dream, where hard work and a bit of luck can pay off, and a noble President can swoop in and save the day. If you know your history, it’s a wonderful snapshot of a decade of significance. If you don’t, you will know a good deal more by the end of the show!
Annie is clearly the star, and as is typical of shows which rely on a cast of child performers, the ever-reliable Island Savoyards have two Annies throughout the run, and two teams of orphans (Stars and Stripes). This reviewer had the privilege to watch two fantastic performances and both teams in action. The girls on the stage are just brilliant – ‘Hard Knock Life’ was full of pigtails and rags and buckets and mops, and oodles of energy. It’s difficult to single anyone out, but both Mollys (Polly Careless and the even tinier Dollie Willis-Noad) were full of character and determination, clearly driving Miss Hannigan (a powerhouse performance from Hanna Nixon) around the bend.
Maisie Walker-Green bursts with star quality as Annie – she is bright, bubbly and brim-full of optimism with a pure voice to match. Her counterpart Annie, played superbly by the even more experienced Jemima May Rees, is a tomboy full of gumption with a firm handshake. Both girls light up the stage – and are expert dog handlers with Marley winning hearts as Annie’s stray dog Sandy, in his stage debut.
Annie’s optimism is so infectious that she turns the life around of Stuart Adam’s lofty Oliver Warbucks (the billionaire industrialist whose modern counterpart could be Elon Musk) and inspires President Roosevelt’s New Deal. “Tomorrow” is a classic number – so good we get it twice. Joe Alabaster as scheming Rooster brought his physical prowess to the role, and the trio of Hannigan, Rooster and Lily St Regis (Alexis Mackness) rose to the occasion for the showstopper “Easy Street”. All this around Ellie Rogers fine voice as the sensible Grace Farrell, and the audience are hoping that Annie will finally get the loving family she longs for.
The ensemble worked a full range, from convincing angry homeless street sellers to happy, joyful servants and full of razzamatazz during big numbers like ‘NYC’. Notably, it could just be my age, but the cast seemed encouragingly young and energetic. None more so than Jake Alabaster, who played at least 6 different parts and rightly got a huge cheer for his energetic dance solo in the White House. In addition, John Abraham’s Drake took his few lines and made every single one of them – and his physical presence – count. More like this, please.
‘Annie’ is a real team effort. Hats off to the creative team (particularly the orchestra) for proving that yes, it is possible to work with children *and* animals – and produce a real quality result.
Reviewed by Vix Lowthion
IWtheatre 