ANNIE THE musical is at the Gardyne Theatre, Dundee, this week and is sure to warm your heart and bring a tear to your eye, writes a music critic.
Annie takes you with her on a colourful journey in a feast of vibrant songs, dance and costume. On the opening night a charming, captivating and confident Rachel Weir played Annie perfectly.
Agnes Boardman is in top form as the flamboyant, comical, but intoxicated Miss Hannigan. The orphans excel as they sing and dance to the popular tunes, and play up to the scheming Miss Hannigan.
Alex Robertson shines as Molly, Annie's closest friend at the orphanage.
Life changes dramatically for Annie as she leaves the orphanage to spend two weeks with the billionaire, Mr. Warbucks, played strongly but sensitively by Brian Boardman.
As Annie begins to fill his life with joy and new meaning, the audience warm to his secretary, the endearing and caring Grace Farrell, played by Tricia Stewart.
The conniving but comical villains Rooster Hannigan (Ross Cameron) and Lily St. Regis (Lisa Lynch) make the show complete, alongside Annie's newly found four-legged friend, Sandy (alias Tally).
A show to melt your heart
The Evening Telegraph
Classic musical Annie, performed by Tread the Boards Youth Music Theatre, is a cracking show (writes a theatre critic).
You’d have to have a heart of stone not to have it melted by this show.
The eternally optimistic Annie is convinced that one day her parents will return and she'll be re-united with them after 11 years. The orphanage is awful, run by the drink sodden Miss Hannigan. Oliver Warbucks is a billionaire, who decides to take in an orphan for Christmas - you've guessed! It's Annie.
She meets the President of the USA, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and at the time of the Great American Depression. Annie's optimism - best summed up in that hit song Tomorrow - inspires the President to launch his New Deal to get America back to work ~ and to help search for her parents.
Rachel Weir, who plays Annie, is a great little trouper with a clear, clean voice giving applause must go to the girls who play the other orphans, with a special mention for young Alex Robertson, who plays Molly, Annie’s best friend at the orphanage.
Agnes Boardman, who plays the truly dreadful Miss Hannigan, has a wonderful voice and really brings lots of humour to the part. Brian Boardmasn plays super-rich Daddy Warbucks, giving a portrayal of some depth as he goes from the hard-nosed businessman whose heart is melted by Annie, whom he eventually agrees to adopt.
Tricia Stewart sparkles as Grace Farrell, who wins the heart of the billionaire. Another good voice here.
No allowances were needed for the opening night. The hard-working ensemble is great ~ so too is the dog Sandy (played by Tally). The sets and costumes are excellent and the band under the direction of Andrew Grier is terrific.
This heart-warming show is always a delight to watch and to make it a success a Society must have a strong cast of principals. This production had it in abundance! The scene was set by the excellent orchestral overture and, as the curtain rose on the charming bunch of boisterous Orphans, all was in place for a great evening’s entertainment.
Rachel Weir belied her tender years and turned in a terrific performance as Orphan Annie, showing a clear, resonant voice. Almost upstaging her, and escaping from the dog-catchers, was Sandy, a role played by the loveable Tally, making his bow-(wow) on stage! People go to great extremes for amateur theatre and Brian Boardman completely shaved his head to give the famous bald look for the Daddy Warbucks role, giving a strong, confident performance.
As the horrible harridan Miss Hannigan, Agnes Boardman was superb as the always-sozzled, orphan-hating matron. Ross Cameron played her slimeball brother Rooster, and brought a great stage presence to his role, aided and abetted by a brilliant Lisa Lynch as the dizzy blonde, Lily St Regis. Grace Farrell was played with impeccable grace by Tricia Stewart, and two excellent cameo roles came from Greg Davidson (Drake) and Stephen Millar (President Roosevelt).
