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A young orphan girl’s adventure to find a family and home.
The Broadway touring company of “Annie” graces the Winspear Opera House in Dallas with all the sparkle, charm and brilliance needed to spin musical theatre magic! Based on the comic strip ‘Little Orphan Annie,’ “Annie” was originally produced on Broadway in 1977. The original book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charmin remain virtually unchanged. Martin Charmin was not only the lyricist, but also the original director in 1977 when “Annie” took the world by storm.
Much to my surprise and delight, Martin Charmin has taken up the director’s mantel once again for the current touring production of “Annie.” Celebrating his 57th year in the entertainment industry, Charmin offers a few interesting tweaks to the current production. In many ways, the show is everything I remember falling in love with at 11 years old in Los Angeles. It was the summer of 1980, and “Annie” was my first Broadway show experience. Last night at the Winspear Opera House, I found myself in almost as much awe and fascination with the level of talent and charm of the music.
Expansions on production numbers added depth, and enhanced the overall show. Unfortunately, Charmin’s choice of direction where the orphan’s dialogue is concerned left me extremely disappointed. The children’s lines were delivered in a very cartoonish and stilted manner. The way they sounded could best be compared to the way it sounds when an adult is mimicking or mocking the way a child speaks. I would also have liked Issie Swickle (Annie), to have had a sweeter tone to her delivery of the lines and music. I rarely saw the tender side of the character. Her singing was a bit nasal, and her acting had a little too much sass and brass for my taste. That being said, it was a delight to see the younger portion of the cast take stage with an incredible amount of vocal and choreographical excellence.
Many of the adults that took stage last night gave spot on performances that wowed both myself and my daughters age 9 and 14. Easily the favorite was Lynn Andrews as Miss Hannigan. This Broadway vet originally held the role of Miss Hannigan in the 30th anniversary tour of “Annie.” Her comedic timing and stage presence were fantastic. The parts of Daddy Warbucks (Gelgamesh Taggett), Grace Farrell (Ashley Edler) and Rooster Hannigan (Garrett Deagon) were also brilliantly played, and made for a very well told and sung story. The smaller part of Drake (Todd Fenstermaker) needs to be mentioned as well. Sometimes it’s the smaller parts that makes a show sparkle. This is absolutely the case with Fenstermaker’s Drake.
The stars of the show? Hands down the ensemble! The ensemble of actors that play the shanty town residents and the Warbucks staff were incredible. Everything one would expect from a Broadway quality production, and then some.
“Annie” will be at the Winspear Opera House from June 25th – July 5th. Tickets can be purchased online HERE. $25 Discounted student rush tickets are also available for purchase the day of each performance with a valid student ID on a first come first served basis.
