Annie was the third film I saw in the cinema as a child.
ET, followed by
War Games, and then
Annie. From memory,
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was the fourth. I’m that old!
The musical theatre version of
Annie is in the Grand Opera House this week. Here’s ten things you should know.
1. For once, the musical – first staged in 1977 – existed long before the film which lifted the best songs (Maybe, Hard Knock Life, Tomorrow, Little Girls, Easy Street) and replaced a lot of the rest with dialogue.
2. The young cast members are terrific. They carry the first ten minutes of the show out on the stage on their own. And they do so with considerable style. Other than the gin-fuelled Miss Hannigan making an abrupt and ill-tempered appearance, they set the pace for the next couple of hours with great choreography, engaging characterisation, and super singing.
3. The character Annie – a foundling rather than an orphan – is written quite precocious. Older than her years. The product of her aforementioned ‘hard knock life’. The consistency of the portrayal – Sharangi Gnanavarathan played a wonderful Annie in Tuesday evening’s show – means that we grow used to this mini-adult engaging with the older characters as a wise soul whose counsel is worth listening to, and are then further charmed when a moment of childish abandon is thrown in.
4. Miss Hannigan has a whistle and isn’t afraid to use it. It’s as shrill as her ghastly demeanour. Aside from dancing and judging
Strictly, Craig Revel Horwood has a long history in musical theatre as a performer, choreographer and director. He has a decade-long association with the role of Miss Hannigan. She’s neither just played for laughs, nor knowingly portrayed as a camp drag performance. We’re never allowed to feel sorry for the alcoholic and abusive orphanage manager. Revel Horwood delivers a beautifully restrained performance, avoids grabbing the spotlight or upstaging the children, and only lets himself go with a series of pirouettes after taking his final bow. (Jodie Prenger plays Miss Hannigan at the Friday and Saturday performances when Revel Horwood nips out to do
Strictly.)
5. The Warbucks set with its statement ‘W’ is like something out of Trump Towers. Yet Alex Bourne creates a likeable tycoon, someone who is self-reflective and capable of change. He’s never left to linger in bad guy territory.
6. David Burrows multi-roles as a police officer and a president. It’s as President Franklin D Roosevelt that he shines in a neat piece of fictional history and harmony singing which sees Annie’s optimism inspiring the New Deal. It’s one of my favourite moments from the show, and sets up FDR to sweep in for the Christmas Day finale that secures Annie’s future.
7.
Annie isn’t
Rocky Horror, but you can still attend in fancy dress. Three generations of Annies with red wigs and distinctive dresses were sitting behind me. They said their companion was Miss Hannigan …. but I was less convinced.
8. Some touring productions feel jaded. The cast seem tired. The set has seen better days. What was once shiny and exciting feels burned-out. There’s none of that with
Annie. Their eyes are bright. The entire cast look like they’re living the dream. And it lifts the performances and warms the hearts of the audience.
9 Much of the success of Nikolai Foster’s touring production of Annie is down to the empathetic performances. The characters may be fictional, the coincidences and timing of events may be entirely manufactured. But there’s something in the eyes of the children and adults on stage that reeks of reality. All the way through there are moments that threaten to test the drainage of your tear ducts.
10. There are few shows that would not be improved by allowing a dog to periodically race wing to wing from one side of the stage to the other during scene changes. Sandy (played by Amber) is in it for the treats. That’s her motivation as the canine character. Staying close to Annie and sniffing her pockets to get the next treat. Pity the dog handler who has to deal with mushy poos on two show days which will have double the treats.
Annie’s run at the Grand Opera House continues until Saturday 4 November. It’s very good.
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