Annie Preview Thread

[morosco]

The sets look really cheap in those clips.

[fingerlakessinger]

The "Star to Be" was....not that great IMO. Her voice seemed shouty and she missed a lot of notes.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

She sounded wonderful at the performance I attended.

Also, the canned applause during that press reel is embarrassingly cheesy.

[mb87]

totally agree. And then the audience claps? It's like didn't they hear how off she was?

Still think Lilla and Anthony are fantastic. Want to see the woman who plays Grace sing a song from the show.

[Bialyhoos22]

That has to be the worst Easy Street I've ever seen. What the hell is that choreography...looks like every other high school staging on YouTube. No, wait, that does a disservice to those kids. This is worse. Please -- lift Gennaro's vaudeville choreography and call it a day!

[windbelle]

Playbill did an interview with Anthony Warlow which I find quite interesting and informative.

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/171954-THE-LEADING-MEN-Aussie-Anthony-Warlow-Keeps-It-Real-as-Annies-Daddy-Warbucks/pg1

[Famebroadway2]

Did anyone else notice that Kate Finneran has been removed from the recent highlight clips? Little Girls and Easy Street were there the other day and now they are gone.

[justafan2]

I haven't read all 15 pages of this thread--but has anyone posted their opinion of Taylor Richardson, who is the u/s for Lilla? I saw her yesterday and, was initially, very disappointed that I wouldn't be seeing Lilla. But I was very pleasantly surprised at the powerful performance given by Taylor.

[mb87]

how long into a run before they usually make an announcement about a cast recording?

[DottieD'Luscia]

I saw the show last night and was pleasantly surprised. I saw the original production with the original cast shortly before Andrea McArdle left the production. Nothing can touch that particular production.

I thought Lilla and Anthony were wonderful, though I have to say that the accent Lilla used throughout was unnecessary and kind of distracting. I didn't notice the orphans using a strong accent though. I agree with those who say that Katie Finneran was miscast (or misdirected). She just wasn't very funny. The ensemble in their various roles were wonderful. They sounded great in their numbers.

I noticed slight changes in the script and I'm amazed how much I remember from the original production. Too bad they didn't incorporate the orphans (as other children) into NYC, because the stage could have used more people.

The audience last night really seemed to like it a lot. It certainly was leagues better in comparison to the horrible '97 revival. I would definitely return if only to see an understudy on as Miss Hannigan.

[goldenboy]

I saw it last week and found this production to be an disappointment in almost every respect.

So Lapine and Blankenbueller wanted to do something different. They did. They took all of the heart out of the show. I'm all for reinventing but if you do so... please make it better. They didn't



For example... in the original production.. At the end of New Deal for Xmas-- Sandy came out of a xmas box and surprised Annie; snow came down, the tree lit up , the audience was moved and the curtain came down.

This production. It just ended. No box of Sandy. No snow, There may have been a tree but who remembers. Clunk.. the end. No stage picture.. no heart.

The choreography did not fit the show. What the heck were they doing?

The heart of the show is Annie. I saw understudy Taylor Richardson who apparently is going on a lot. . She was neither vulnerable enough nor tough enough to pull off this role. She was like an upscale prep school girl playing the role. Her emotions were sad and happy. Nothing in between. There goes the heart of the show. She sang fine.

Then for the balls of the show. Ms Hannigan. Usually love Katie Fineran but she is just too damn pretty and too young for this to work. And she pushes and works so heart that its all for naught. It really is an unfortunate casting and performance.

They need a character woman fifty and up: think Martha Raye, Jane Houdyshell, Ruth Kobart, Judy Kaye----- someone no man in their right mind would sleep with. Otherwise all of the times Hannigan hits on a man-- its not funny.

Wardlow is fine but can't save the show. Rooster was the only character who nailed his part. Bert Healy (understudy David Rosetti ) was also terrific but Rooster and Healy should not be stealing Annie.

The chorus seem like chorus people putting on different costumes. Totally unbelieavble in all of their parts. Lapine please re read the book making your chorus a reality. Blankebueller read over his shoulder.

The orphanage set. It takes up one quarter of the stage making everything look
closed in and awkward. This set needs to take up the whole stage. And the sets look uniformly cheap.

Hurricane Sandy (the timing of) made the critics go easy on this show. It is really a tragic revival.

Homework for Lapine and Blankenbueller---go see Edwin Drood for what a revival should be. Edwin Drood isn't a great show but this is a first class revival.

[justafan2]

I would love to see Beth Leavel play Miss Hannigan...

[tjjster]

So apparently standby Jaidyn Young is going on as Annie today. I actually was Bert Healy in a regional production of it out here with her when she found out she got the Broadway gig.

Anyone going to see her today? Thoughts. I loved working with her.