Annie
Music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and book by Thomas Meehan. St Michael’s Collegiate School, Hobart, Tasmania. Middle School (Years 5 – 8). August 2013
Annie is the perfect paean to optimism and we are thankful to Jane Polley and her creative team for this marvellous production of a much-loved musical.
When the character of Sophie (admirably played by Anais Jubb) asks, “Whatta we got to be optimistic about? Look at us. Life’s a nightmare”, the perky protagonist Annie opines with confidence and optimism, “Well, you gotta have a dream.” Indeed, I would argue that the success of the musical very much centres on the ability of the irrepressible orphan Annie to be charming, lovely and resilient whilst singing clearly. Caitlin Carnaby did not disappoint on Thursday night and friends tell me the alternating Annies, Amber Rothe and Mia Grant were both equally impressive.
The show traces the adventures of orphaned Annie as she firstly seeks the parents who abandoned her and then her quest for a better tomorrow with the benevolent and eccentric millionaire, Oliver ‘Daddy’ Warbucks. Both India Bence and Olivia White who shared this role demonstrated stupendous singing resulting in spry performances, despite the challenge of playing someone who is so much older than them and of the opposite gender. As portrayed by both girls Warbucks is comically oblivious to many aspects of the real world but full of genuine feeling for the plight of our heroine. I really liked Polley’s decision to present Warbuck naturalistically which enabled his songs to be inflected with considerable emotional power.
Annie is set in New York and apart from the musical being a poignant homage to that city’s bravado and resilience, what the amazing team of director (Jane Polley), producer (Meg Rimes), costume coordinator (Georgina Lienert), scenic artist (Ros Wren) and lighting designer (Damian Fuller) have achieved was to transform the city of New York into a dreamy landscape that is simultaneously mythical and familiar. What the audiences witnessed was a plethora of settings, from the drab interiors of the orphanage, to the nocturnal streets of NY, the dazzling world of radio station and the splendour of the Warbucks mansion that prompts Annie to ask, “Do you really live here? Or is this a train station?” Such smooth transitions were only made possible by the meticulousness of Natalie Robinson’s stage management and her commendable crew. In fact, what we experience as an audience is a journey into a fairy-tale Emerald City, redolent of the glamorous Jazz era, recalling the sheer excesses of The Great Gatsby and replete with appropriate green hues! Pointedly, as much as this new vision is fantastical it is also familiar and homely – made possible by the lovely Christmas tree, the detailed costumes, the festive candy canes, the sparkling baubles and the glistening red bows!
Annie, like most memorable musicals likeChicago, is top-heavy and it is a tribute to all involved that the engagement of the audience does not falter in the second part. The big set pieces, particularly, are never sentimental but rather earnest and fast moving. Congratulations to choreographer, Sandy Robinson, for achieving the impossible: to have a gargantuan cast of ninety children always appearing and disappearing from the stage as if by magic as well as giving us some memorable dance routines.
Like all good texts, Annie transcends the specificity of its context and speaks to all audiences. It is set at the time of the Great Depression when people needed to hear its message of resilience in the face of adversity demonstrating how the titular orphan is integral in getting the Democrat President (played with confidence by Amy Wallace) to embrace her message of positive thinking. How well this resonated with me thinking about the negative electioneering associated with the Federal Sep 7 election.
The expert musical direction of Sonya Van de Geer ensured that all ensemble pieces were memorable and the vocal performances were impressive, accurate and hit the mark each time.The rendition of musical's more well-known numbers "Tomorrow" and "Hard-Knock Life" were suitably striking. I particularly liked Sarah Savage as the beloved Sandy and Madeleine Dragar was suitable officious as Lt Ward. Cariad Weitnauer was noteworthy as the lovely Molly and Adelaide Robinson, Hannah Dillon and Lauren Yates were all marvellous as the talented and exuberant Boylan sisters. Also impressive were Zahara Lemon, Zoe Hansen and Hannah Swindon during the rendition of ‘Easy Street.’
All girls involved in the radio chorus were well cast and performed commendably demonstrating why the bygone popular form of entertainment called Radio Theatre was so popular. This form of performance relied solely on the auditory experience, and offered entertainment through dialogue, sound effects and music to convey characters and story to the listener. A standout, was Eliza Coombes whose singing was rich, powerful and pure and her acting was impressive as she communicated Bert Healy’s dapper and dashing nature to life.
Two other outstanding young performers must be singled out because they almost stole the show! In the important and demanding part of Grace Farell Sophie Liennert’s singing was crystalline and her acting polished and accomplished. Emily McDougall on alternative nights was equally impressive. The role of the dipsomaniacal Miss Hannigan is usually undertaken by a grande dame of the musical world so the execution of this role by a young performer is no mean feat. Alexandra Lehman-Ware should be congratulated for giving us a cunning, mischievous, slovenly Miss Hannigan whose bitterness was all too understandable.
I genuinely loved every minute of this wonderful musical, full of verve, innocence and geniality. Devoid of ham-fisted expressions redolent of pantomime shows of old, this new Annie is age-appropriate for our girls at Collegiate. What is astounding about the show is its charm and the spell it can cast over the audiences with its unnerving confidence about the many splendiferous ‘tomorrows’ which await our girls. What a glorious dose of positive energy to wile away our chilly Hobart winter blues.
William Simon
Head of English, St Michael’s Collegiate School