“Annie,” an endeared American musical introduced on Broadway in 1977 that ran for six years at the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre), has been reprised as numerous productions nationally and abroad and earned seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The music, written by Charles Strouse, and lyrics by Martin Charnin, created icon songs like “Tomorrow,” “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” “Easy Street,” and “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile.”
The story is based on the popular comic strip “Little Orphan Annie,” created by Harold Gray in the 1920s. The novel “Annie” is written by three-time award-winning playwriter Thomas Meehan.
Directed by Jenn Thompson, the production playing at the Conner Palace in Cleveland’s prized Playhouse Square district through March 24 is joyous and playful. Although sometimes tragic, the play delicately tells a difficult story. (Many young children were in the audience, perhaps seeing their first musical production!) The costumes, designed by Alejo Vietti, added beautifully to the different sets. The orphan’s drab and minimal clothes were high in contrast to the affluential clothing and hairstyles of the wealthy and were true to the timeline.
The musical is set during the Great Depression in a run-down orphanage in New York City. Annie lives in an orphanage run by Miss Hannigan, who mistreats the children in her care. Annie is an optimistic young girl who dreams of reuniting with her parents. Her parents left her at the orphanage as a baby with only half of a silver locket and a note promising to be reunited with her soon.
Annie, played by Rainier (Rainey) Trevino, is charming, sweet, and smart beyond her 11 years. She is more of a caretaker to the orphans than the mean-spirited Miss Hannigan. Trevino, who has been performing since age three, plays Annie with a strong stage presence. She sings with confidence and enjoys the applause and feedback from the audience.
The play opens with the orphans struggling with their loneliness and the mistreatment by Miss Hannigan. Annie soothes the orphans as she seems to do often and encourages them through the song “Maybe.” The orphans join in to sing the popular “It’s the Hard Knock Life.” The orphans are a wonderful part of the show as they sing, dance, and flip around and over their beds, bringing the choreography of Patricia Wilcox to fruition. The audience fell in love with Jade Smith, a delightful and spunky young performer who plays the orphan Molly. She has a lot of heart, and this reviewer loved seeing her pop up during other performances with talented orphans.
Miss Hannigan (played by Stephanie Londino) is hard to dislike as the actress provides a humorous and comedic side to the role. Miss Hannigan is also struggling and miserable during the depression and oftentimes copes by hitting the bottle. Worn and tired, she expresses her dismay at being in charge of the orphans. with her snarky rendition of “Little Girls.”
Annie escaped the orphanage, much to Miss Hannigan’s chagrin. On her journey, she encounters a street dog named Sandy (played by Seamus), and they become a short-lived duo. Annie and Sandy meet up with other homeless people under the 59th Street bridge. They sing “We’d Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover,” referring to the encampments called Hooverville (named after Herbert Hoover, who was the President of the United States during the onset of the Depression). She is only a run-away for a short while before she is returned to the orphanage.
As fate would have it, Annie is selected by Grace Farrell (Julia Nicole Hunter), the assistant to the wealthy industrialist Oliver Warbucks (played by Christopher Swan), to spend Christmas at the mansion. Oliver is known for his wealth and love of making money. His mansion offers a huge contrast to the orphanage. The setting is elegant, with tall ceilings, comfortable furniture, large picture windows overlooking gardens, and staff tending to their every need. The contrast between Oliver having money and no one to share it with and Annie’s big heart and no belongings influences Oliver to see things differently. Annie is a charming young orphan who has remained steadfast and hopeful in finding her parents. He is inspired that her hope is never lost and is most needed during this dreadful time. Oliver Warbucks’ businesses are also hurting financially due to the Great Depression. He plans to do something about it through his vast high-level contacts in the government.
Christopher Swan plays a convincing, hard-core, influential businessman and how one can be transformed to be softhearted and protective because of the presence of a hopeful, optimistic, and endearing child. Along the way, Annie and Oliver Warbucks encounter various characters, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Annie happens to meet FDR and his cabinet members. FDR is taken aback by her optimistic nature. This encounter seems to have influenced FDR’s cabinet members to design the New Deal. They decide to create government jobs to help dig America out of the dreadful financial and social depression.
In an effort to speed up the finding of Annie’s parents, Oliver comes up with the idea of offering $50,000 to the couple who can prove to be Annie’s parents. This brings about a host of imposters hoping to capture the money. Miss Hannigan’s brother, Rooster (Jeffrey T. Kelly), and his partner in crime, Lily St. Regis (Samantha Stevens), are lively characters and bring villainous excitement to the story. They scheme to snag the money by claiming to be Annie’s parents. With Miss Hannigan’s help, they forge a birth certificate and give Oliver the knowledge that they gave her a silver locket and letter when they brought her to the orphanage. They were discovered in their folly when Oliver received word from the FBI that her parents were indeed deceased. Rooster, Lily St. Regis, and Miss Hannigan are dramatically arrested and removed from the mansion. This is a bittersweet moment for Annie as she knows that her parents would have come to claim her had they been alive. Yet it is heartwarming as Oliver wants to adopt Annie, and they have bonded over the two-week visit to the mansion. The other orphans are joined at the Warbucks mansion for a Christmas celebration. The closing song, “New Deal for Christmas,” was sung by Oliver, Grace, Annie, and the Ensemble. Annie and the orphans are once again outstanding and a huge part of the joy of the play.
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