Annie

Despite the old theatrical adage ‘never work with kids and animals’, from an audience point of view few theatrical experiences are more appealing. Twice filmed, Annie is a much-prized, well-watched part of most family DVD collections.

And talk about musical theatre star firepower.

With musical theatre matinee idol Anthony Warlow, living national triple threat treasure Nancye Hayes and ‘nasty’ TV dancing judge Todd McKenney for starpower, and controversial radio host Alan Jones as celebrity casting, this revival of Annie was off to a flying start at the box office. Producer John Frost announced that more than 60,000 Sydney tickets had sold prior to opening night.

Those three stars are all in top form, while what seemed like a bizarre piece of celebrity casting at first glance, with Alan Jones making his stage debut as President Roosevelt, comes off quite acceptably.

A cast of talented, exuberant kids, and a scene-stealing dog, though, temporarily upstage even these stars on any number of occasions. I’m guessing the other two casts of kids, and the alternate dog, will appeal just as directly to audience hearts.

This Annie is blessed with an all-round outstanding cast and ensemble.

Star-on-the-rise Julie Goodwin positively glows as Grace Farrell, after grabbing attention in 2010’s West Side Story, while leggy triple threat Chloë Dallimore absolutely nails the high-kicking dumb blonde Lily St Regis. Veteran hoofer Jack Webster is delightfully showcased tapping his way through the big party number as the butler, Drake. Ensemble members are called on to play a range of cameos across the show’s varying worlds, and delineate them impressively.

While the sets, props and costumes of many professional productions are sold off after a show closes, canny John Frost had warehoused his 2000 production of Annie.

In the foyer at intermission, one of the first descriptions I heard uttered was formulaic. Yes, musical comedy is formulaic, there’s no escaping it, and Annie is unashamedly musical comedy, with big nods to vaudeville into the deal. So, for anyone single-mindedly after more elevated ‘music theatre,’ Annie may be the wrong choice. But the show, a late hurrah of the well-loved musical comedy genre, nails the elements of the form, and provides light-hearted, escapist entertainment in abundance. 

The disappointing moment of the evening is actually an attempt to go darker, with a new discordant arrangement of Hooverville. Less evident to newcomers to the show than repeat audiences, it seems be caught uncomfortably between the brash Broadway original and some sort of attempted dark reinvention. It’s a brief disappointment.

Anthony Warlow’s warm, likeable, and alternately gruff and vulnerable Warbucks certainly isn’t the sort of dramatic or vocal challenge of last year’s Zhivago, but it’s great to see him up there at the show’s heart, performing with such blustering joie de vivre.

Three of our top triple threats, Nancye Hayes, Todd McKenney and Chloë Dallimore, delight as the song and dance villains of the piece, timing roles that bristle with vaudeville punchlines to perfection.

Julie Goodwin brings depth, warmth, nuance and whimsy beyond anything in the part as written, to her performance as Warbucks’ secretary Grace Farrell. Slight changes seem to have been made to the score, allowing more chances to enjoy her delightful soprano.

On opening night Ella Nicol, one of three girls alternating in the role of the eternally optimistic orphan Annie, eventually adopted by a billionaire, gave an engaging, vocally assured performance. All the orphans’ songs are crowd-pleasers, sung and danced with vivacious energy, with the high-kicking reprise of ‘You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile’ easily the biggest audience-pleaser of the night. The role of the youngest orphan, Molly, is a scene-stealer, and little Jade Gillis is utterly cute and vivacious.

Mechanised design elements, integrated with effective use of projections, ensure a smooth, fluid production, and integrate with costuming to move between the grey tones denoting downtrodden depression New York and the brighter colours signigfying Warbucks’ wealth.

Annie is bright, escapist family entertainment.

Neil Litchfield

Images: Ella Nicol as Annie and Jade Gillis as Molly; Nancye Hayes (Miss Hannigan), Todd McKenney (Rooster) and Chloë Dallimore (Lily); Daddy Warbucks (Anthony Warlow), Annie (Ella Nicol) and FDR (Alan Jones); Annie (Ella Nicol) and Daddy Warbucks (Anthony Warlow); Annie Ensemble cast and Annie Finale. Photographer: Jeff Busby.

More Annie Reading

Dancing with Todd: How his Annie dancing partners rate him

Annie Cast Announced

Annie Childrens Cast Announced

Annie Australian Cast Recording

To keep up with the latest news and reviews at Stage Whispers, click here to like us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.