Direct from the West End, this evening’s performance of the musical “Annie” at Chester Storyhouse was a vibrant night of family entertainment, wise-cracking humour, sassy little girls, and showstopping numbers that had some audience members standing to applaud during the curtain call. My Assistant Reviewer, age eleven, was one of them! She had a wonderful time.
Set in 1930s New York during the time of the Great Depression and Roosevelt’s New Deal, designer Colin Richmond took delight in every grimy detail present in the lives of the many characters living in hardship. The orphanage was an avenue of harsh metal overhead lights above iron beds; the homeless living under a bridge were interrupted by angry red police headlights against the walls, via Ben Cracknell’s lighting design; and smudged faces were everywhere. In contrast, the Warbucks mansion was the height of art deco elegance, streamlined and clean, and dominated by a huge gold door in the shape of a “W.” These were the two worlds that our eleven-year-old orphaned heroine Annie interacted with, performed with rough-edged elfin charm by Ava Smith. Her rendition of “Tomorrow” was simple and soulful, but with a singing voice full of power.
Six other orphans possessed the stage with cheeky panache, ranging from Drew Phoebe Hylton as chippy teenager Pepper to Tia Grace Isaac as cute cherub Molly. They noisily filled every corner of every space, stimulating a very heartfelt performance of “Little Girls” by their alcoholic matron, Miss Hannigan. This role, to be played by several famous actors over the course of the tour, was last night filled by Anita Dobson. Spending half the performance in some rather elderly bloomers and a sad-looking wrap, Dobson sashayed, glugged, drooled and smarmed her way through her efforts to improve her life, and displayed an impressively long and dexterous tongue in some of her more grotesquely desirous moments. (“Eugh!” was my Assistant Reviewer’s reaction.)
Daddy Warbucks was performed by Alex Bourne with crisp alpha male masculinity and a lovely layer of vulnerability just beneath. His personal assistant Grace was the warm and graceful Carolyn Maitland, who has an especially sweet and beautiful singing voice. Having brought Annie to spend the Christmas fortnight with them in their mansion, they were surrounded by a vivacious ensemble of smartly turned-out servants that each managed to keep their own individual character, leading to a lively “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here”, and some very spritely choreography from Nick Winston. The scene where Warbucks almost announced to Annie that he wanted to adopt her, until he found out about her locket and note, was particularly touching.
Nikolai Foster’s detailed direction and sense of fun was extra apparent in the radio station scene, and the ensemble made the most of their cameo characters. From three sardonic and glamourous sisters singing around their drinks flasks and pregnancy bumps, to the sulky top-hatted man who declared himself as “Radio’s only Masked Announcer” while holding his “Applause” sign back-to-front in disinterest, a perfect little universe was created; and George Rae’s jolly-faced radio host Bert Healy led the stage in “Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile.”
Back at the orphanage, Miss Hannigan’s wily brother Rooster, deviously played by Richard Meek, and his peroxide-haired moll Lily, the smirking and sultry Jenny Gayner, were slithering their way into Miss Hannigan’s knowledge of Annie: it having been announced that Warbucks will give $50,000 to anyone who could prove they were Annie’s parents. The trio’s performance of “Easy Street” was of scheming slyness, and Meek’s and Gayner’s performances as the yokel Mr and Mrs Mudge was in delightful contrast.
All ended happily, and with Annie joyously clutching her dog Sandy for the finale – amiably played by labradoodle Amber.
Reviewer - Thalia Terpischore
on - 25/3/19
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