ANNIE
ANNIE, Lyric Theatre, The Star, Sydney, 5 January 2012 for 12 weeks then Brisbane and Melbourne. Photos by Jeff Busby: Ella Nicol and Jade Gillis; right: Todd McKenney and Chloe Dallimore.
Rig up a Fun-O-Meter in the foyer of the Lyric Theatre right now and – thanks to Annie – you could watch it go right off the dial. The old musical is not only a favourite with kids of all ages, but, in this instance, is so well done that its innocent fun and sheer euphoria are simply irresistible.
It begins with the troupe of little girls – Annie and her fellow orphans – whose joie de vivre and sheer excellence in the opening "It's a Hard Knock Life" permeates the entire production. The opening night team (there are three alternating sets of eight) were a convincingly charming Ella Nicol in the title role, Zoe Ioannou as Pepper, Kirsten Tsoultoudis as Duffy, Morgan Townsend as Kate, Emily Roach as Tessie, Kayley Smith as July, Natasha Mills as Friday and a totally scene-stealing minx, Jade Gillis, as Molly.
Clad in their rather fetching Depression era drab (costumes by the late Kristian Fredrikson) the girls are a credit to their various stage schools in that they are neither saccharine nor precocious but inhabit their roles and the stage with conviction and purpose. Choreographer Kelly Aykers has to be thrilled with the way they manage her sophisticated routines; while the grown-up performers have been given a high standard to maintain by these talented kids.
The joy continues with Anthony Warlow as Oliver Warbucks; he is perfectly cast and a delight to watch and listen to as the billionaire businessman whose hard capitalist heart is melted by the teeny weeny ranga. Julie Goodwin also ranks high in the charm stakes as Warbucks' adoring PA Grace Farrell, even though the role offers little by way of substance.
As the conniving con-man Rooster Hannigan and his ditzy girlfriend Lily St Regis ("named after the hotel"), Todd McKenney and Chloe Dallimore inject fire and pizzazz into the show the moment they burst onstage. That these two high octane performers are in the cast says a lot about the ambition of the show (producer John Frost) and they are just terrific. In supporting roles Luke Joslin, Tony Farrell and Jack Webster also shine, the latter as the urbane Warbucks butler and also the show's resident director.
Annie first opened on Broadway in 1977, with book, music and lyrics by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin. It was based on a favourite American newspaper comic strip, Little Orphan Annie. Set in the years of the 1930s Depression when millions were out of work and barely in reach of the bread line, Annie lives in a miserable, gloomy orphanage in New York, ruled over by the monstrous whiskey-swilling Miss Hannigan (Nancye Hayes). Annie effects her escape in a laundry bag and ends up on the streets where she meets a bunch of down-and-outs ("Hooverville") and a stray dog, Sandy, (alternating shaggy charmers Coogee and Mickey) before being picked up by the cops and returned to the institution.
Annie's luck changes when Grace Farrell arrives to take an orphan home to the Warbucks mansion for Christmas and picks the winsome redhead. Warbucks had stipulated a boy (who would know about Babe Ruth and other manly things) but is soon won over by Annie, especially when she inveigles him into a night out at the movies and on the town (NYC") with the delicious Miss Farrell. Meanwhile, the Depression is raging and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt – FDR – (Alan Jones) is desperate to find a way to fix things. Warbucks is invited to the White House to take part in a kind of kitchen cabinet and takes Annie along too.
In a spooky situation reminiscent of the GFC of 80 years later, the little ranga inspires the men with idea of spending and building their way out of trouble – the New Deal aka Building the Education Revolution aka "Tomorrow"! Warbucks decides to adopt Annie but she wants only to find her real parents – who will have the other half of the locket left with her at the orphanage. Enter Rooster and Lily, aided and abetted by Miss Hannigan's insider knowledge.
But all's well that ends well (that's not in the script) and Annie is finally reunited with her friends, Sandy and her new "family" for a rollicking finale and apparent end to the Depression and all bad things. What's not to like?
Well … actually there are a couple of things that are a bit iffy in this otherwise splendid production. One is an apparently unhappy/miscast/misdirected (?) Nancye Hayes. Everyone's favourite and most admired singer-actor-dancer seemed uncomfortable from the outset and it didn't get any better. This Miss Hannigan didn't gel with the rest of the crew and the lack of bite left a quite serious hole in the middle of the show. As – Amanda Muggleton – a previous and wildly brilliant Miss Hannigan, was in the audience, it was all the more obvious that something was awry on stage.
And then there's Alan Jones AO. Aside from the thought that the real FDR must be spinning in his grave to see himself portrayed by a man who is the living breathing antithesis of his humane, compassionate and caring politics, there is the little matter of Equity. It would be good to know how many professional and excellent actors are currently out of work who could play the role better than the (surprisingly) passable effort from Australia's most loathed multimillionaire shock jock. Did he invest in the production? Is it merely that he's pals with John Frost? Was it somebody's idea of a publicity-generating gimmick? Answers on a postcard, please, boiled lollies for the correct one.
Nevertheless, these odd spots aside, this Annie is a delight, made so by the calibre of the show itself, the little girls and the company of fine musical theatre performers and the stand-out stars mentioned above. It's a particular joy for girls of all ages because of the rare treat of seeing so many in command positions in a show. There were hundreds in the opening night audience and the happy squeal quotient (especially from the two alternate teams that were in prime stall seats to cheer on their onstage pals) was a pleasure. Impossible to be unhappy – this is a Depression-buster and the perfect start to 2012.
