Annie

Review by Angie Bedford 

Annie, the lovable redheaded girl and her dog Sandy are back in Melbourne again. In a time where we wait up to a decade to see the best of Broadway and the West End venture over here, you might wonder if Annie has enough appeal to fill houses in its second appearance this century.

The answer is obvious – Annie’s timeless music and infectious energy pulls a repeat crowd, and of course given that a third of the audience weren’t born last time it was here, you’re sure to have the Regent Theatre brimming with joy.

Producer John Frost and the Creative Team have taken no chances here, casting a who’s who of Australian theatre in the leading roles. Frost comments “boy, that’s a big payroll”, but as I weaved my way through countless children in red headed wigs and Dads juggling the choc tops, one can sense it has already paid off.

I feel no need to explain what the story is about, as surely everyone has at least seen the wonderful film version (okay, it’s a bit different) starring the musical theatre stars of yesteryear.

But if you were a deprived child like the title role, here goes : redheaded little girl escapes New York orphanage, meets a scruffy dog, ends up adopted by a billionaire and on the way saves the US from depression, meets the President and annoys some petty crooks. That’s all there is to it, because Annie is, unapologetically, a fuzzy family musical.

Audiences will appreciate the modernisation of the production, including the now standard use of projections to assist in settings and providing context at the beginning of the show. The projections (by Kenneth Foy) were woven in nicely with the more traditional scenery, so they enhanced rather than replaced the grand theatre of days gone by that Frost and team aimed to replicate. 

Warbucks’ various mansion settings and the White House were a fine example of this ideal marriage of technology, and throughout these acted as homage to Annie’s genesis as a comic strip, with black and white appearing throughout. 

Other noticeable changes were welcome orchestration differences and what appeared to a bit of trimming and rearranging of the libretto. ‘Hooverville’ lost its ominous thudding but became far more of a show stopper for it. Assisted by fantastic costuming (Kristian Fredrickson) and a tight ensemble, it was an early highlight. The adult ensemble throughout played the gamut of characters with ease. Angela Kennedy shone in all her roles.

Anthony Warlow received a high compliment from Annie creators years ago when they wrote ‘Why Should I Change a Thing’ for his Warbucks. This wasn’t included in this production (no surprise given the show worked fine without it for many years), but it wasn’t necessary for Warlow to convey why he is so well suited to the role. 

Unhibited, but never overplayed, Warlow avoided caricature and exposed all the sides to Warbucks’ character: playful, powerful and loving. It goes without saying that he didn’t miss a beat vocally.

Theatre veteran Nancye Hayes appeared as Miss Hannigan, in her third Annie (she was the original Aussie Lily St.Regis and Resident Director in 2000). As much as I wanted to adore this performance, it missed the mark for me. Hayes resisted the familiar drunken, sexy and evil Hannigan in favour of a more cranky, fed-up and frumpy character. Of course this was delivered with Hayes’ trademark gusto, but just wasn’t my taste. Julie Goodwin’s Grace was spot on: gorgeous and intelligent, with a superb accent and vocals.

Todd McKenney and Chloe Dallimore played crooks Rooster Hannigan and Lily St.Regis with ease. McKenney was particularly delightful in his guise as Canadian pig farmer Ralph Mudge. I would love to have seen more challenging moves in ‘Easy Street’ as the two are capable of far more. There seemed to be more opportunities for scene stealing comedy here, but the production’s direction (despite its stellar cast) overall never stopped for star moments – it was all about the storytelling.

Hattie Hook as Annie had the right combination of spunk and emotion to carry off the role. The orphan ensemble were incredibly well directed and choreographed with a great diversity across their scenes. Pocket rocket Mackensie Young as Molly was a standout, and had me in stitches throughout the show. Scruffy dog Sandy was well behaved and a crowd favourite.

Peter Casey’s soaring orchestra coupled with Karen Johnson Mortimer’s efficient direction have really brought Annie back with a bang. Take your kids, or borrow someone else’s – this is one show where the inquisitive commentary from chatty children just enhances the whole experience.