Review: ANNIE Brings Her Smile To The National Theatre

That perennially adorable optimist Annie, and her fellow orphans have landed at Washington's National Theatre, and they're bringing the cute. Seriously folks, the show has real dogs, talented kids, a heartwarming story, and songs you know well (whether you like them or not might be another issue, of course). There's an impressive Beowulf Boritt set that makes good use of the height of the National's stage, and frequent set changes, refreshing for a touring production (which are often more spare for logistical reasons). And it's always a treat to have a live orchestra, a true overture and Act II musical introduction, and a troupe of excellent voices.

Annie is, at its heart, fun. Fun to share with the kids in your life, and for your own inner kid too. My adult show companion, who was seeing the show for the first time, enjoyed it immensely, and felt as if her young daughter would also have loved the experience. We both had good things to say about the cast and set, in particular.

To my dismay, however, I can't offer as much praise as I'd like for this production. The most glaring problem for me was the sound (design credit to the otherwise wonderful Peter Hylenski), and that's an often overlooked element by audiences, who may not notice what they've got til it's gone. But in Annie, you really need that atmosphere. The story and characters are literally drawn flat in their comic strip origins, and giving them dimension requires that the audience be pulled into Annie's and Daddy Warbucks' captivating and bustling 1930s New York City. Heck, there's a whole love song to the city ("NYC") in Act I. To that end, the costumes and set work well, but if there was any ambient sound, it was swallowed up before it reached the audience. It was particularly obvious in a poignant scene with Sandy, the "orphan" mutt, when he wanders out on stage looking for Annie, and there's not a sound to be heard. It was also evident in-between musical numbers, and during the characters' nonverbal expression. This lack of ambience makes it a bit more obvious, and clunky, when the actors are moving to hit their next mark, and you're a bit too aware that you're watching an actor on a stage, rather than being transported to another time and place, as we hope to be at the theater. There were also moments of uneven volume in line delivery, but whether due to any given actor or to the audio technology, was unclear.

I also found it jarring in the first few moments of the show to notice somewhat of a mean streak in the way the band of orphans is introduced. They seem genuinely annoying at first, and a tad nasty, instead of sympathetic, and were lacking the definition of personalities I remember enjoying in the 2012 Broadway revival. It felt like an eternity of bickering before Annie, played enthusiastically, in good voice and with a smart sense of comedy by Heidi Gray, came in to soften the mood, and get the story started. And you can always count on tiny orphan Molly, here played with charm by Annabelle Wachtel, for delightful comedic relief. There's also no question that all the young actors are performing their hearts out, and having a great time.

The strongest performances and voices though, belong to Gilgamesh Taggett as Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks and Chloe Tiso as his clever assistant with heart (and a pining for Warbucks), Grace Farrell. Tiso has a lovely voice and great charisma, and Taggett was a warm, likable presence on stage; I enjoyed his subtlety, and his wonderful voice. Likewise, Jeffrey Duncan as F.D.R. is also a treat. Lynn Andrews, as Miss Hannigan, the hard drinking, villainous orphan-hating matron, was a true crowd favorite, filling the stage with over-the-top antics, a fearless performance and a strong voice (and generous use of that whistle).

And I have nothing but good things to say about the ensemble. These versatile, hardworking and very talented performers are another often unappreciated element in a show, and this Annie has a great group. But the staging and choreography tended to the wooden, and I was left wanting a little more exuberance on the stage, and a little less careful moving about by everyone.

Though probably not for those who aren't already Annie fans or of the younger variety, the production is musically strong and will provide an enjoyable visit to the theater for the family.

Annie runs through the weekend (final performance is at 6:30pm on Sunday, March 20 '16) The National Theatre. Visit http://thenationaldc.org/events/category/series/annie/ for more information and tickets.

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