Annie
Annie By Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin
Directed by Steve MacKinnon
Starring MacKenzie Potter, Beth Neel, and David Eppley
Theatre Downtown, Orlando, FL</strong>
I don’t understand why anyone would want to be an orphan, and neither does Mrs. Hannigan (Neel) in this slick and wonderful production of “Annie.” The comic strip was recently canceled after 80 years so I’ll give you a brush up on the plot: Annie (Potter) showed up a decade ago on the doorstep of Municipal Orphanage with a note and half a silver locket. Mrs. Hannigan manages the orphanage and abuses the kids, but in a loving alcoholic frustrated old maid manner. This year rich industrialist Oliver “Big Daddy” Warbucks (Eppley) invites a random child (Annie) to spend Christmas in his mansion, falls in love with her, and the pair go on to inspire FDR to create the New Deal. If that’s not enough, the music is excellent and there’s a cute fuzzy dog who licks everyone in the audience.
We all know the risk of small children and animals on stage. They either mess up one way or another, or they get their parts right and out-cute the adults. Tonight we joyfully experience the second of those outcomes – the dozen or so preteen orphans remember their lines, hit all their cues, and put on some amazing Busby Berkley style dance numbers including a full kick line. Potter’s Annie is pale and pathetically wispy, but had plenty of energy to nail her big numbers like “Maybe” and “Tomorrow”. “Tomorrow” is where we meet Sandy (Cleo the Goldendoodle) and her collar slipped off as Potter clung desperately to the dog’s front paw as it tried to escape. There’s nothing like being upstaged by your co-star.
The adults turned in excellent acting as well, including Neel as the conniving orphanage manger with a heart of gold. Opposite her we find the very slick Rooster (Mathew Schwartz) and his platinum dyed, rugs-don’t-match-the-drapes moll Lily St. Regis (Britni Leslie). Supporting Warbucks the always elegant John Kelly serves as Drake the Butler and his mis-fired love interest / hyper efficient assistant Grace Farrell (Danielle Lang). I was disappointed by Eppley as Warbucks; he seems less like a striving war profiteer and more like the sort of man who would vote Democrat, even in a closely contested race.
“Annie” is one of those great family friendly musicals, and tonight it kept the dozen or more single digit aged audience members enthralled, and I’m happy to report they all came back after intermission. The singing and dancing was some of the best seen on Theatre Downtown’s stage, and the excellent production values kept on the safe side of the Early January/Late December romance between Annie and Warbucks. As the show wrapped up, Warbucks slips the more age appropriate Grace a wedding ring, but he gives the gooey eyes to Annie. Somehow, I think Annie can control this titan of industry, just as Director MacKinnon controlled this high profile script.
For more information on Theatre Downtown, please visit http://www.theatredowntown.net