ANNIE Brings the Sun Out at White Theatre

Now running on the stage of the White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center's Overland Park campus is a very credible production of 1977's "Annie." It is the first new, full, live, Broadway Style indoor production to tread the boards of this very nice auditorium in sixteen months.

Management at the JCC is approaching the reboot with a great deal of caution and respect for both actors and audience. All audience members are required to wear face masks for live performances, houses are limited to fifty percent of the five hundred seats, and concessions are closed for this production.

"Annie," based on a Great Depression era comic strip, is a delightful way to spend an evening. "Annie" is a belter's show and this production is lucky to have a cast of classic belters. Director/ Choreographer Jerry Jay Cranford has selected an excellent group of actors and taught an outstanding abundance of appropriate and fresh dance numbers. This well-equipped community theater production lifts itself to a level above.

Annie is the most demanding of character parts in the show. For this production, the part is double cast. I saw young Ailia Ford. Alternately, other audiences may be treated to Riglee Bryson. Young Ms. Ford did a great job as Annie with this huge voice emanating from a tiny little body. Annie sings eight of twenty musical numbers including the show stopping anthem "Tomorrow" originally belted by a pre-teen Andrea McArdle in 1977.

Annie tells the tale of a ten-year-old redheaded orphan who has been dropped off as an infant on the doorstep of under-resourced New York public orphanage with the promise that her parents will return. The mistress of the institution is selfish, mean, self-serving, and oversexed Miss Hannigan (Franci Talamantez-Witte). Annie is convinced that her birth parents will soon return. And even if they don't, Annie is determined to escape Miss Hannigan's clutches and root them out.

As the show begins, Grace Farrell (Tracy Fox), the private assistant of Billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Ron Meyer), has selected Annie as Mr. Warbucks' companion for the Christmas holiday. The orphan in the billionaire's home is a public relations ploy, but Warbucks unexpectedly falls for the little tyke and offers to adopt her. Annie politely refuses the offer and explains that she awaits the return of her birth parents. Warbucks is disappointed, but agrees to offer a huge reward if Annie's parents can be located.

Meanwhile, back at the orphanage it turns out that Miss Hannigan has a criminal brother named Rooster (Joell Ramsdell) along with his sleazy girlfriend Lily St. Regis (Lauren Taylor). Together, they scheme to pose as Annie's parents, scam Warbucks, and do away with Annie all the while singing and dancing about their imagined future on "Easy Street."

Warbucks utilizes all his important contacts to find Annie's parents including radio star Bert Healy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover. It is all to no avail at least until Rooster and Lily show up. They almost get away with the scam and Annie, but are caught in their lie at the last minute.

Daddy Warbucks adopts Annie and together they sing "I Don't Need Anything But You." All is well as the show ends with a Christmas party thrown for the whole cast including the ensemble of eighteen additional singers and dancers.

"Annie" is a delightful Broadway confection with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. It has run almost continually since it first opened. This particular production is particularly blessed. It features an excellent set by Jeremy Smith, very good lighting design by Justin Dudzik, and professional costumes by Justin Gannaway. Musical Director is Jeremy Watson.

Director Cranford has a real talent for knowing the capabilities of his cast. He pushes them absolutely up to the limit of what they can do and no further. This works perfectly for the audience and offers up a more than entertaining evening.

"Annie" continues its run through July 25. For those unable to make a remaining in person performance, a video streaming version has been shot. Tickets for the video version or the in person performances can be purchased at www.jkc.org.

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