This West End revival of the 1972 musical ANNIE has all the hallmarks of a great night in London’s theatreland; uplifting songs, fast-paced dance numbers, stunning sets and a show-stopping performance from a dog.Recently the antagonist Miss Hannigan has been played by Miranda Hart but the billing now features Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood in the role.
ANNIE centres around a New York orphanage full of little girls kept busy at work by the tyrannous, alcoholic Miss Hannigan (Revel Horwood) who unsympathetically declares “Why any kid would want to be an orphan is beyond me!” The role of Annie and the orphans are played with multiple teams of young performers on rotation but tonight it was Madeline Haynes who shone as the feisty red-head who truly believes her parents are coming back for her one day. Haynes had the vocal ability to pull off Annie’s famous Maybe and Tomorrow as well as the comic timing to make the eponymous character both endearing and gutsy.
All the young actresses, with their New York twangs and their highly paced delivery, shone in this production. The punchy choreography for It’s a Hard Knock Life was so full of attitude and carried off with such ferocity it had the audience knocked back into their seats. As Annie manages to escape from the clutches of the orphanage-come-sweatshop we see the wider world of New York deep in the age of depression and realise that Annie’s story is set amongst a much more political backdrop. The ensemble are introduced as the citizens left behind by the American Dream and again the choreography moves faster than the stock market as the audience and Annie are whisked through the streets of NYC.
The pace of the production was kept slick and snappy throughout, although this did mean some moments felt slightly rushed and perhaps missed the mark in terms of timing. Aside from the brilliant young cast members, there were some stand out performances from the adults as well. Most notably, Jonny Fines as the charismatic con-artist Rooster and Mr Warbucks’ virtuous PA Grace played by Keisha Atwell. Although the dominant figure in any scene was the towering Miss Hannigan who staggered about in heels, looming over both her orphan victims and her male objects of desire. The Strictly Judge was clearly going for the scare factor and seemed to revel in every moment.
The Dorfman, National Theatre, plays host to BEGINNING, a new play by David Eldridge set entirely within a Crouch End flat belonging to Laura (Justine Mitchell).