Annie

“Annie” is one of those classic musicals that seems to come around so often that I groan at the thought of seeing it again. But then I go to the theater and remember why I really like this retelling of the Little Orphan Annie story, and why it is so popular, especially when done with the enthusiasm and talent of Davis Musical Theatre Company.

This latest production, directed by Steve Isaacson, with choreography by Ron Cisneros, has a wonderful, talented cast.

This show really rises or falls on the talents of Annie and in Katarina Detrick (in her first lead role) DMTC has a winner. She sometimes tends to be shrill, but she is a belter of the first order, and they probably can hear her out in the parking lot when she sings “Tomorrow.” She also is a good actress and professionally handles the dog Sandy (Cleopatra Graves) who is more interested in running into the audience, with tail wagging, than behaving herself on stage, despite the treats Annie kept in her pocket. Detrick never missed a beat and eventually got the dog under control.

Perhaps the moment that most impressed me was when billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Gannon Styles) is letting Annie know how she has wormed her way into his heart. The intense look of real love on her face as she watches him was just beautiful to behold.

Styles, with a solid theater background, is new to DMTC and what an addition he is. He gives great warmth to the character of Warbucks and has a great voice to boot.

Warbucks’ secretary, Grace Farrell, played by Chris Cay Stewart, is a warmhearted woman hiding feelings for Warbucks, and a great friend to Annie. Stewart also appears as part of the ensemble in some scenes, where her beautiful voice is easy to identify.

Rachel Hoover, a Davis native who performed more than 30 shows before she went to college (including some with the former Sunshine Children’s Theater), is a spectacular Miss Hannigan, the harridan who runs the orphanage where Annie was dropped off 11 years ago as an infant. She’s enough to scare anybody, and her musical numbers, particularly “Little Girls,” are outstanding.
Christopher Murphy, another DMTC newcomer, makes an impression as her brother, Rooster Hannigan, as does Bridget Styles as his girlfriend Lily St. Regis.

The orphans — Kiera Chang, Chantelle Holt, Vivian Li, Lexy Hutcheon, Sage Sigmon and Katherine Berdovskiy — are well- rehearsed, in good voice and perform their dances professionally. Each girl also has her moment to shine in the spotlight.

What I love about DMTC shows are the little unexpected “gems.” I found three under that category in this production. Amaralyn Ewey is great as the fresh-faced star-to-be, newly arrived in New York. There never was a better role for Marc Valdez than that of Franklin D. Roosevelt. But especially outstanding was Jan Isaacson’s performance as the silent sound man for a Gert Healy (Amy Woodman) radio broadcast. She is just perfect.

With familiar tunes like “Easy Street” and “Tomorrow,” in addition to a score of other fun songs and a cast of adorable little girls and funny bad guys, this is a show that will appeal to everyone, and DMTC makes it fun for all ages.

Annie

The matinee audience for Davis Musical Theatre Company's production of 'Annie' (the second show in its 26th season) was filled with children and their parents, all of whom were glued to the action on stage.

It was a near-sellout audience and everyone had a wonderful time.

'Annie,' with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin and book by Thomas Meehan is, of course, based on the classic comic strip 'Little Orphan Annie' by Harold Gray. The newspaper serial told the story of an orphan girl (played for DMTC by Mariah Maldonado) during the Great Depression.

She was left at the door of an orphanage as a baby 11 years ago, with a note from her parents promising to return. She keeps hope alive and knows that somewhere out there her parents are thinking about her.

Annie is invited to spend the Christmas holiday in the home of the richest man in the world, Oliver Warbucks (Michael Cross), which becomes a life-altering event for her.

With familiar tunes like 'Easy Street' and 'Tomorrow' - in addition to a score of other fun songs - and a cast of adorable little girls (and funny bad guys), this is a show that is perfect to share with those young people in your life.

Enhancing solid performances by many in the large cast, there are a couple of stand-out performances by actors in minor roles...

Little Megan Spangler, who plays the youngest orphan, Molly, in addition to being cute as a button, has a real flair for comedy and brings down the house with her antics. Director Steve Isaacson clearly knew how to make the most of her talents and has done so beautifully.

Also, Eimi Taormina, who plays several small roles, sparked up the stage, particularly with her solo as the 'star-to-be' during the song 'N.Y.C.' She becomes the one to watch throughout the rest of the show, appearing later as radio personality Gert Healy - a role intended for a man named Bert - so her song does not fit comfortably in her vocal range, though she manages it quite well.

Maldonado has a winning personality and good rapport with Cross.

The other orphans - Lizzie Carey as Tessie, Claire Deamer as Kate, Devon Hayakawa as July, Emma Kehr as Duffy and Natalie Month as Pepper - are all quite good and have their choreography down pat.

Cross is outstanding as Warbucks, who doesn't have a clue about the real world, but has a huge heart. It is clear that he grows to love this Little Orphan Annie who has come into his life.

Monica Parisi is the terrible Miss Hannigan, running the orphanage like a concentration camp and whose life is 'plagued with little girls.'

She conspires with her brother Rooster (Jason Markel) and his girlfriend Lily St. Regis (Brittany Bickel) to pose as Annie's parents in order to get the large reward Warbucks has offered.

Markel gives an interesting performance as Rooster. Most actors in that role are tall and thin and try to create the body language of a barnyard fowl. With a bit more weight on him, Markel instead mimics the cartoon's Foghorn Leghorn, and does it well.

Christina Rae is Grace Farrell, Warbucks' secretary, who is obviously secretly in love with him, and who becomes Annie's friend and protector.

Michael Manley has a suitably prominent jaw as FDR and, fortunately, does not try to mimic the Bostonian accent too heavily.

With a cast heavy on women, FDR's cabinet becomes entirely female, though surprisingly they were not given feminine equivalents of the male names (Mary Young, for example, is still Harold Ickes).

Raymond Rae is excellent as the dog, Sandy, and even chimes in with Annie on her signature song 'Tomorrow.'

The scenic design by Steve Isaacson is mostly utilitarian, though Warbucks' mansion is quite lovely.

Jan Isaacson has done a beautiful job of choreography, even finding a few dancers who can tap.

Jean Henderson's costumes are always noteworthy and the look created by Warbucks' staff as they line up across the stage in their black and red uniforms is memorable.

The 15-member pit orchestra even includes a tuba this time, which was quite a surprise and adds a nice depth to the sound of the orchestra.

As we watch the residents of Hooverville and see the depth of poverty of the people attempting to sell apples to make a dime, live in cardboard box shanties, and make soup out of pretty distasteful ingredients in order to survive, one can't help but make the comparison with what many are calling our current depression.

It's nice to have an 'Annie' to help us keep our spirits up and instill the hope that the sun will come out 'Tomorrow.'

Annie

My father always thought that if a little was good, then a lot must be really good. The ghost of my father must be residing in the amplification system of Music Circus’s production of “Annie.” I have seen many shows at Music Circus over the years, and for some reason, “Annie” seems to get more oomph from the sound system than any other. Perhaps it’s because of having children on the stage, or maybe more hard of hearing people tend to come to see “Annie,” but I sure longed for ear plugs every time one of the principals screamed out another solo, or the little girls did an ensemble number.

The unfortunate thing is that this production does not need all that amplification (which occasionally distorts the voices). The kids are absolutely terrific. Carly Speno, Aubrey Niemi, Kendyl Ito, Heather McDonald, Hayley Smith and six year old Miriam Mars are pros, every one of them. Choreographer Bob Richard has given the girls some great dance numbers and they shine in each, particularly in the “Hard Knock Life” number.

For anyone who has been living under a rock since 1977, “Annie,” based on the cartoon of the same name is the story of a young orphan growing up in a New York orphanage run by a sadistic alcoholic. She longs for the parents who left her on the orphanage steps 11 years ago, half of a silver locket around her neck, and a note promising to return to retrieve her. She's invited to spend Christmas with billionaire Oliver Warbucks, who eventually adopts her, and almost everyone lives happily ever after.

The musical with book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin has been charming and delighting audiences for three decades and the current production certainly seems to be following suit.

For “Annie” to be a success, you need an outstanding young actress to play the title role, originated by Andrea McArdle. I’ve seen good Annies and not so good Annies, but Kelsey Smith is one of the best. This 11 year old has an amazing voice which doesn’t waver, not for a moment. Her unyielding optimism is infectious and she belts out a great “Tomorrow.”

Thank goodness hair and wig designers Ron Swanson and Paul B. Guthrie chose not to put Annie in one of those ridiculous red Afros that so many productions use. Instead they have given her an attractive wig with enough curl to be “special,” but not to make her look like the cartoon.

Reprising his role from the 2001 Music Circus production is Mark Zimmerman as Oliver Warbucks, advisor to everyone from FDR to Gandhi, whose heart is melted by a perennially cheerful little girl looking for her family. Zimmerman and Smith have work quite well together. Their dance was a very sweet moment.

Warbucks' secretary, Grace Farrell, is a strong showing by Christy Morton. She has a wonderful voice and maintains the fine line between efficient secretary and woman hiding her romantic feelings for her employer.

Adinah Alexander is the wretched Miss Hannigan, who runs the orphan asylum. She’s the matron you love to hate, hissing orders at the girls while tippling from a silver flask she claims is “medicine.” Her salute to "Little Girls" displayed wonderful comic timing, and her dance with her sleazy brother Rooster (Jim Walton) and his girlfriend Lily St. Regis (Annie V. Ramsey) was particularly fun to watch.

Walton wrings every bit of emotion he can from the role of the dapper con-man determined to use Annie to get money for himself. The gum-chewing Ramsey is his perfect match.

Kami Threlfall shines in her small bit as a Star to Be in "N.Y.C." and Ron Wisniski does a credible FDR. Richard Rice Allen is distinguished as Drake, Warbucks’ butler; and Michael Dotson gives a spot-on impersonation of Depression era radio announcer Bert Healy.

Annie’s dog Sandy is played by Lola, a rescue dog adopted from the Connecticut Humane Society, from which the original Sandy was also adopted. (Surprisingly there is no extra dog used in this production as the “stray dog,” as has been done in previous productions.)

The Music Circus tech crew deserves special mention for this show. These unsung heroes race onto the stage in pitch dark, pick up large set pieces and run them off, still in pitch dark, without ever slowing or interfering with the action of the show itself.

This production of “Annie” is outstanding and will delight adults and children alike. And if they could just turn down the amplification a touch, it could be darn near perfect.

Annie

If you were to run an electroencephalogram (EEG) on the Davis Musical Theater Company’s new production of "Annie," directed by Steve Isaacson, it would look like your typical strip--squiggles across the page, with peaks and valleys of varying heights.

You can’t really go wrong with a show that features a bunch of cute little girls and an adorable dog, but there are some aspects of this production which are better than others.

Heading the list of good things is Kaylynn Rothleder in the title role of America’s favorite orphan. Kaylynn is quite a belter, but she’s actually even better when not singing quite at full volume. She has a more controlled voice than one would expect from one so young. Her duet, "I don’t need anything but you," with her mentor, Oliver Warbucks (Mike Jones) is adorable and both performers sparkle.

Also worthy of praise is the group of orphans. It’s a given that they are cute, but they have learned the choreography of Ron Cisneros beautifully and are consistently better drilled and more precise than some adult choruses in community theater.

Seven year old Leona Craig as Molly, the youngest orphan, and Camille Totah as Tessie (the orphan who keeps saying "oh my goodness!" over and over again) are particularly noteworthy. Leona shows a real affinity for the stage and looks like she was enjoying every minute of it. At 11, Camille is already a theater pro, having done roles at both DMTC and Music Circus. She is perfectly at home on stage.

Claire Lawrence was outstanding as Grace Farrell, the assistant to Warbucks, as was Lauren Miller in the role of Lily, the gum-chewing girlfriend of Rooster Hannigan (Arthur Vassar), the nefarious brother of Miss Hannigan (Monique McKisson), the little girl-hating alcoholic who runs the orphanage.

Vasser gave a solid performance as Rooster, as did McKisson as Miss Hannigan. Mike Jones likewise gave an energetic interpretation of Oliver Warbucks, at his best in his duet with Annie.

Ben Brunning appears in several roles (Bundles McCloskey, the butler Drake, the radio announce Bert Healy and Harold Ickes). He handles each very well. Brunning’s acting talents have developed over the years and he’s turning into quite a good supporting actor.

Mark Valdez, seen early in the show as the police officer, Lt. Ward, appears later as Franklin Roosevelt and gives a believable imitation of the president.

Midas Vanderford, as the dog, Sandy, briefly stole the show when he stopped to investigate a few errant fleas during Annie’s signature song, "Tomorrow." It is a little unfortunate that either he was unable to be on stage off leash or that the dialog was not changed to reflect the rope Annie was holding. It seemed kind of ludicrous for Lt. Ward to threaten to lock the dog up if Annie didn’t get him on a leash, when she was clearly standing there with the dog on a leash!

Jean Henderson’s costume designs were fine, but couldn’t they please do something about that wig of Annie’s? It looked like it belonged to her mother. The curls came down in front and covered her eyes so that for the entire last half of the show she is really visible only from the nose down. She’s too good a performer to be sabotaged by an ill-fitting wig.

Danette Vassar should also rethink her lighting design. Many scenes were too dimly lit. Annie sings her first song, "Maybe" in a dim light. I realize it’s the middle of the night, but in this poignant song about a young girl’s wish to be reunited with the family that abandoned her, she should at least have some sort of pin spot on her face. Many other scenes either had the lighting offset or the actors missed their mark. Annie sits at Warbucks’ desk in one scene and only half of her face is lit. There is something seriously wrong either with the lighting, or with the placement of the set pieces.

The 13 piece orchestra is competent, though the trumpets were unfortunately not quite in tune some of the time, especially in the overture.

The audience, full of the DMTC faithful, was enthusiastic and gave a partial standing ovation at the conclusion of the show. It’s hard to do a bad "Annie" because there is so much human interest stuff going on on stage, and so this is a fun show that children (and relatives of the cast) will love. But though there are many good things about this "Annie," it is not one of DMTC’s better productions.