BWW Reviews: ANNIE, the musical tale of the spunky orphan, shines at Chaffin's Barn

Annie, that spunky, optimistic and determined orphan who first appeared in the "funny papers" of the nation's newspapers in 1924 - only to become one of the most beloved musical theater heroines ever to express her hope for "Tomorrow" in song on Broadway - returns to that magical levitating stage of Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre in a colorful and sprightly new revival helmed by the multi-talented Martha Wilkinson.

Wilkinson, by all accounts (not just mine, since my feelings for her have been public record for more than 20 years now) the justifiably respected queen of all Nashville theater, brings her all-encompassing knowledge and skill to the fore in this loving rendition of Annie, the Tony Award-winning musical by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin. One of the most beloved musicals of recent memory, Annie and her loyal dog Sandy can likely be found onstage somewhere in the world on any given day, but you'd have to look far and wide to find a version more entertaining and more solidly delivered than the one onstage at the Barn right now, which features the combined talents of some of the most experienced adult actors in town, who so generously share their insights with the budding thespians in the troupe.

While remaining steadfastly faithful to the original musical that opened on Broadway in 1977 with Andrea McArdle in the title role, Wilkinson's Annie nonetheless manages a fresh approach to the material, breathing new life and vigor into the sometimes creaky and tired 34-year-old. Perhaps most impressive in the Barn revival is Holly Shepherd's thoroughly delightful take on Miss Hannigan, the matron of the orphanage in which 11-year-old Annie manages to survive, spunkiness intact, since she was left on its doorstep as a baby. Miss Hannigan's nefarious dealings notwithstanding, Shepherd gives a performance that fairly crackles and pops with comic intensity, the unique delivery of her lines ensuring that she skirts stereotype without relying on conventional dinner theater hijinks and hilarity.

Wilkinson's strength as a director, not the least of which is her ability to pair the perfect actor with the ideal role, is felt throughout the production which features a huge cast of adults and kids - the orphans are double-cast, with two different young actresses (Hayley Covington and Stella London) taking on the responsibility of bringing little orphan Annie to life. While the older folks in the cast are nothing short of stunning in their roles (across the board, they are a committed and focused lot), you have to give credit to all those fresh-faced orphans running around the Barn. Perhaps herein you can really see the skill of Wilkinson, the director; it's obvious that she has worked long hours to get the best performances from her young charges, imbuing each and every one of those girls with her own love of musical theater and sharing her unique skill set with them in every imaginable way. The level of talent among the orphans can be wildly divergent, but Wilkinson clearly has them all on the same page, with the same goal in mind: To present an Annie that they (and their audiences) will long remember. Only a true "actors' director" can achieve that with a musical workhorse like Annie.

In addition to the deliciously vile Shepherd, whom you most certainly will love to hate, Wilkinson has assembled some of the finest actors in the region to mount this production, which harkens back to the grand era of musical theater that defined Chaffin's Barn in earlier decades (Annie is just the latest in a line of superb musical theater productions at the Barn, many of which have featured Wilkinson as leading lady). Will Sevier, with a voice that would do the angels proud, is a somewhat bombastic and resolute Oliver Warbucks, making his eventual and total devotion to Annie all the more notable. The lovely Christina Spitters is a wonderfully capable Grace Farrell, her exquisite voice shown off to perfection. Dietz Osborne, a veteran of many a Chaffin's Barn production, takes on the showy role of Rooster Hannigan with confident aplomb, paired with the outrageously gorgeous Laura Thomas as his sexy sidekick Lily St. Regis; together they make a fine comedic pair.

At the performance reviewed, the "red cast" of orphans took to the stage, with Hayley Covington assaying the title role. Covington, definitely at home in the role, showed a mature grace as she cavorted about the stage, with an interesting delivery of her lines that gave Annie an edge, but which lacked any hint of the precocious, sitcom character reading of the role that too often is evident in productions of the musical. Covington sings confidently, her schoolgirl soprano evocatively capturing the emotions expressed in the anthemic "Tomorrow" and the sweetly sentimental "Maybe." That she holds her own with the assemblage of major talents around her speaks volumes of her future promise. (And I have no doubt that young Miss London, who heads the blue cast, is just as impressive: I've seen that kid steal enough scenes onstage to know what she's capable of - but this was my first time to enjoy a performance by Covington.)

Among the orphans, all of whom displayed a grasp of just exactly they are supposed to be doing onstage, tiny Anna Strauss as Molly showed some huge acting chops, very nearly stealing the show everytime she opened her mouth. Other featured orphans include Addie Leonard as Duffy, Victoria Thompson as Pepper, Mackenzie Roberts as July, Hope Dyra as Tessie and Virginia Richardson as Kate.

Standouts among the adult ensemble are astonishingly across-the-board, as well, with Lane Wright eliciting his fair share of laughs with his offbeat take on Drake, the major domo of the Warbucks household; Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva, beautiful and strong-voiced as Mrs. Greer, the housekeeper; the amazingly gifted Rosemary Fossee as "The Star to Be" (and take my word for it, typecasting in this role is definitely apropos for the star-to-be that is the charming Miss Fossee); Daron Bruce, who does double-duty as Bert Healy, Louis Brandeis and a handful of other characters); Amanda Lamb, her exquisite voice ringing to the rafters, as Mrs. Pugh and one of the fetching Boylan Sisters; Jennifer Richmond, diripping with stylish panache, lends her unqualified stage presence to the proceedings in numerous roles; and Ken Dale Thompson as the authoritative, avuncular and warm-hearted FDR.

The ensemble is further strengthened by the presence of the versatile and handsome Bryce Conner, Will Mayo and Justin Pike, who claim their moments in the spotlight in a variety of roles. And kudos to Jenny Wallace Noel, whose coterie of ensemble roles include a maid in the Warbucks manse, a Manhattan matron and her on-target portrayal of the first woman to hold a seat in a presidential cabinet, Frances Perkins. Noel's performance is most noteworthy because of her obvious commitment and her total ability to appear "in the moment" in each of her widely differing scenes and characters.

While Covington's musical numbers are standouts, the other highlights of the musical program include the orphans' performance of "Hard Knock Life," the ensemble's "Hooverville," "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here," "NYC," "Annie" and "You Won't Be An Orphan for Long." Shepherd's "Little Girls" is scandalously ribald and naughty, and Act Two's "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" is just as good as you've always remembered.

But where did Warbucks' first act song "Why Should I Change A Thing" come from? Is it from a revival or the movie? I'd never heard it before, can't find any reference for it anywhere on the internet and don't care if I ever hear it again - despite the fact that I'd listen to Will Sevier sing the phone book and be happy about it - in the show, the song just annoyed me that it was keeping us from another production number featuring that stellar ensemble.

Music direction by Jaclyn Lisenby Brown is spot-on and results in a beautifully-sung score (although, I have to admit, something sounded wonky during the overture, although I'm unable to put my finger - or more to the point, my ear - on it), and her work with the scores of kids in the show is evident throughout. Bakari King's clever choreography for the piece, which enables all those people to move about the postage stamp-sized stage at Chaffin's Barn with speed, grace and a certain jaunty charm, is an example of the right choreographer taking on the proper project. Wilkinson intelligently surrounds herself with other artists of her own caliber, to great effect.

Billy Ditty's imaginative costuming of Annie is spectacular. He has created a cavalcade of period fashion that perfectly fits the time frame of the musical, while retaining a sense of cohesion that helps to underscore the aims of the musical's book and individual characters. But I must lodge a complaint: Why are the sleeves on Oliver Warbuck's suit coats so impossibly long? A gentleman's coat sleeve should hit him sharply at the break of the wrist hinge; as a result of his too-long sleeves, Warbucks resembles not so much a Depression-era billionaire industrialist as he does an Eastern European government functionary. (Note to readers: I'm not that far removed from my former career in men's tailored clothing.)

Lynn Williams' sound design works well, helping to augment some of the younger voices, protecting them from the strain of over-use. Set design by Wilkinson and John Chaffin is very effective, allowing the whole of New York - from the orphanage to Warbucks' Fifth Avenue mansion, from the Roxy Theatre to the very streets of NYC - to come to life on the stage of the Barn.

And, finally, may I please have Sandy (played by a golden doodle named Dakota) come live with me? That beautiful dog might steal focus everytime she comes onstage, but how can you not just completely fall in love with her sweet face?

Annie. Book by Thomas Meehan. Lyrics by Martin Charnin. Music by Charles Strouse. Directed by Martha Wilkinson. Music direction by Jaclyn Lisenby Brown. Choreography by Bakari King. Produced by Janie and John Chaffin. Presented by Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, Nashville. Through September 3. For reservations, call (615) 646-9977. For details, visit the company website at www.dinnertheatre.com.

pictured (top to bottom): Hayley Covington, Martha Wilkinson and Stella London.

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