"Annie": Old-fashioned Sweetness and Fun

In the 30 years since its debut on Broadway, I have managed to avoid seeing Annie live on stage, and have missed all but snippets of either film version.  The reason?  That blasted song, "Tomorrow"!  Like "It's a Small World", it is one of those songs once heard, I cannot get it out of my head for days.  I'll admit I do love the tune's optimistic lyrics.  Maybe it's that grating refrain or the famous intro to the song.  Maybe it's that signature Annie sound - nasally and whiny and little girly all at once. Well, now I've seen the stage version of the show, and I'm all the better for it.  I have made my peace with that song, and am now filled with regret at all that time lost pooh-poohing what is a wonderfully tuneful, charming story.  It is even more of a regret with the knowledge that this terrific touring Annie, which opened last night at the Hippodrome in Baltimore, will soon have no tomorrows to sing about.  It ends its two-year run this Sunday when it closes here.  So, Baltimoreans get to the box office and snatch up whatever remains of tickets to this gem! 

You often hear "They sure don't make 'em like that anymore!"  And in the case of Annie, they really don't.  To call it old-fashioned and sweet is to somehow sound negative in these high tech, American Idol days.  But it couldn't be more of a compliment in this case.  Lovingly recreated by lyricist and original director Martin Charnin, this stands as a tribute to the way things used to be, and why the American Musical was/is unlike any other art form.  Charnin has enlisted the original designers (the great Theoni V. Aldredge (costumes), the great Ming Cho Lee (sets)) and some new folks (Ken Billington (lights) and Liza Gennaro (who supplements and recreates the original choreography of Peter Gennaro) to re-create this classic.  And for a touring company, it sure is lavish.  Mind you, lavish in this case doesn't mean special effects and elaborate chandeliers, barricades or flying monkeys.  Here, it means hundreds of colorful costumes, huge colorful drops, and complete sets recreating everything from a mansion to an orphanage.  Probably the lowest tech set of the evening is the one of the Hooverville under a Manhattan bridge.  The gasps of awe and delight were plentiful when the lights revealed that one!

That famous song aside, the score is full of awesome tunes and excellent choreography and stage movement, like the politically charged "We'd Like to Thank You Herbert Hoover", the comedic "It's the Hard Knock Life" and the catchy "N.Y.C." (a new song to get in my head for days!)  It helps immensely that these numbers are winningly sung by the hard-working ensemble, who manage to create 3 or 4 distinct characters apiece, and go through what must be dozens of costume changes.

Most of the supporting cast is quite good, particularly Allan Baker's F.D.R, more a caricature than in imitation.  He brings genuine laughs to the umpteenth reprise of "Tomorrow", and some nice warmth and authority to the entire final scene.  David Chernault and Katherine Pecevich are also warm and appropriately stuffy as Mr. Warbucks' heads of the household staff.  Elizabeth Broadhurst's Grace Farrell, Mr. Warbucks' secretary manages to straddle that fine line between ingenue and mature lead.  Her dancing and singing voice are excellent and her charisma (especially when she lets us know she has feelings for her boss) is charming.  Only Scott Willis and Ashley Puckett Gonzales as Rooster and Lily (two of the three villains) leave much to be desired.  They both seem to be going through the motions and are the only two company members who look like they are ending a two year marathon run.  You get almost no sense of evil from either of them, and Ms. Gonzales' posturing belongs more in an old Madonna video than on stage in a family show.

Ah, but what would Annie be without a clear villain?  Made famous by the original, the late great Dorothy Loudon, and perhaps even more famous by Carol Burnett in the film version, Miss Hannigan is the orphan's version of the Wicked Witch of the West.  And in Alene Robertson's extremely capable hands, Miss Hannigan is just that.  She is very funny, what with her drunken tics, growls and hisses and hilariously funny takes as she blows a whistle to control her charges while combating a monster hangover.  Add to that an almost peerless deadpan delivery and an owlish countenance and you get one seriously messed up woman.  And yet, oddly enough, a little bit of me was rooting for her - perhaps hoping at the last minute she'd change her ways, perhaps because you realize she, like everyone else in Depression-era America is doing what she must to survive.  Her "Little Girls" is mean fun and a showstopper.

Daddy Warbucks, the man who saves the day, requires an actor equally at home being a blow hard businessman and a soft hearted teddy bear.  In Conrad John Schuck character and actor have been well mated.  Apparently, this sometimes movie star (MASH) and TV star (MacMillan and Wife, Law and Order: SVU) has quietly made a career of the role, having played it on Broadway and in other tours.  One might think after all that time (and with the end in sight yet again) he might be calling in his performance.  Nothing could be further than the truth.  He wears the role like a glove as he blusters his way through meetings and charity events and even more when you can tell just how smitten he is with the little orphan he has taken in for two weeks before Christmas.  He and his young co-star have amazing chemistry, and his genuine love for her is evident even from 15 rows back.  The crack in his voice as he croons "Something Was Missing" will break your heart.  And the brave front he puts on when he nearly loses Annie is touchingly genuine.

One of the big draws of Annie is always the group of girls who are the orphans.  Each girl creates a unique character, drawn as large and one dimensional as the cartoon on which they are based.  They are charming, well-sung and great dancers all, but you never forget that they are really professional child actors.  They sing a little too well, land their lines a little too well, and occasionally mug for the audience to great, if hollow, effect.  I guess I prefer my orphans a touch more real and endearing.  There are actually two of them (I won't name names) that I would be shocked if anyone adopted them, so obnoxious are they.

Fortunately, the one orphan that really matters, Annie, is being played by an amazing little actress named Marissa O'Donnell.  She is about as real and as grounded as they come.  She has grace and poise to spare, but never once comes across as a star.  She is just a simple girl with boundless optimism and a heart of gold.  She sings "Tomorrow" with the requisite tones, and it is only then that you feel like she is copying any of her predecessors.  Then again, if she tried anything new with that beloved classic, she's likely to be booed off the stage.  Otherwise, she is a completely original creation.  Her steadfast optimism in "Maybe" (the song that should be the classic, in my opinion) and her wide-eyed wonder at "I Think I'm Going to Like It Here" are charming, and the look of true love in her eyes will melt the iciest heart.

Perhaps it is seeing it with fresh, yet adult eyes, that Annie struck me a very grown up.  Like Disney films, Annie has something for the adults to chew on while the little ones are mesmerized by the action.  It has a strong political undercurrent - it is hard to miss the parallels between the Depression time period of the play, the Recession time period of the 70's when it debuted, and the rough economic times and political blustering of our current leadership.  But it is most of all a wonderful reminder of all things being possible and the gifts thaT Loving and being loved can bring.  Plus, you can't beat a 2 and half hour live entertainment that includes a herd of children, clear heroes and villains and one gosh-darned cute dog! (NOTE: You may want to tell your kids that Annie has many stories - the stage version differs significantly from the movies.)

And remember, the sun will come out tomorrow only until this Sunday.  Leapin' lizards!  That isn't much longer!  Get to the Hippodrome fast!

PHOTOS: The Annie Company; Conrad John Schuck and Marissa O'Donnell as Daddy Warbucks and Annie.  Photos by Chris Bennion.

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