Photo Credit: Mark Frohna
As soon as a spunky, red-haired orphan (Kylee Hennes) starts belting out hit song “Tomorrow” in Skylight Music Theatre’s production of Annie, the audience inevitably comes under the spell of this memorable musical. Who wouldn’t love a show that contains adorable orphans (the Sky cast on opening night), a heart-melting relationship between an orphan and a lonely old bachelor, as well as a scruffy dog in a show’s cast of characters? There may be a few Scrooges among us, but Friday’s opening night audience was lapping it up like a cat with a bowl of cream.
Under Molly Rhode’s capable direction, all the main characters in Annie are magical. Carrie Hitchcock leads the way as the horrible orphanage manager, Miss Hannigan. (Unlike the revived 2012 Broadway production, which appeared to soften Hannigan’s resentment against her charges, Hitchcock brings back the original, heartless Hannigan. She’s as coarse, hard drinking and cruel as they come, and her hatred for Annie is particularly intense.)
In Miss Hannigan’s office, the private secretary (played by Diane Lane) to billionaire Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks announces his wish to have an orphan spend the Christmas holidays at Warbucks’ estate. Hannigan reluctantly agrees to let Annie go. Later, Hannigan castigates herself for letting a smart-mouthed orphan find herself in the lap of luxury. Her self-pity is reinforced by the sudden appearance of her disreputable brother, Rooster (Matt Crowle), and his tawdry girlfriend (Samantha Sostarich). Singing and dancing together, they turn “Easy Street,” into a showstopper.
A few minor changes have made the plot more believable. Instead of a bald tycoon who could easily pass for Annie’s great-grandfather, Andrew Varela’s Warbucks has a full head of hair and the vigor to be a real father to this homeless waif. Although the romance between Warbucks and Grace (his personal secretary) is basically non-existent, it only leaves more time for what the audience wants—cute orphans, cleverly scripted scenes with a wheelchair-bound President Franklin D. Roosevelt (a credible Dylan Bolin) and grandly choreographed production numbers. (Amazingly, Democrat Roosevelt and Republican Warbucks actually seem to get along; today, such an alliance seems to move the show towards pure fantasy.)
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Although all of the orphans are equally adorable, a couple of the standouts include tiny Taylor Arnstein as Molly and Avery Holmes as a bully, Pepper. The children are double-cast, as are the dogs, so audiences may experience a separate set of performers.
Before the final curtain comes down, the audience is treated to well-known songs such as “Hard-Knock Life” and “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile.” Skylight has pulled out all the stops to produce one of its finest offerings yet, and lucky audiences can look forward to an evening of enchantment at Annie.
Through Dec. 27 at the Broadway Theatre Center’s Cabot Theatre. For tickets, call 414-291-7800 or visit skylightmusictheatre.org.
