No one cares for you a smidge when you're in an orphanage...
As a child I watched many musicals that I grew out of (The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, Grease), but have since rediscovered them with live stage shows. The most recent of these was Annie, which I went to see at the Lyric Theatre last night. Having not seen the film in at least twenty years, I knew some of the songs and the general storyline, but had forgotten the nuances which ultimately led to a happy ending.
Being a self proclaimed musical nerd, I couldn't believe I'd never seen Anthony Warlow in action before, and he proved himself worthy of all accolades with his rough New York accent alone! And then sang. Wow. I've seen some pretty great male leads in my time, but that his voice could be commanding, gentle, joyful, concerned - with such powerful delivery - was quite incredible.
The only complaint I had was with Alan Jones playing the role of president. My personal distaste for the man aside, it was a joke - he couldn't sing to save himself and nonchalantly faded in and out of his broad Australian accent. It was an insult to the rest of the cast who were fantastic!
Child actors can sometimes seem quite precocious and have a tendency to overact in stage productions - a trait which is easily forgiven, considering their age - but most, if not all, the girls in the production were quite good. Great singers, dancers, actors and even comedians; my favourite scenes were those which involved the little orphans.
Title character Ella Nicol was especially noteworthy, holding her own alongside veterans Warlow (Oliver Warbucks), Nancye Hayes (Miss Hannigan) and Todd McKenney (Rooster). And Julie Goodwin (who I saw as Maria in West Side Story two years ago) was warm and delightful as Grace Farrell.
Musicals based on children's stories can be quite interesting - there's always some slapstick included for the sake of the younger audience, but also some clever or complex inclusions for adults. In this case, they're treated to some historical gems, including references to The Great Depression, Hooverville, former New York mayor La Guardia, former presidents Hoover and FDR, and, my favourite especially, "untouchable" Eliot Ness.
There's also a thoroughly amusing scene set in the infamous NBC Radio Studio which illustrates an era before television, relying heavily on exaggerated audio cues, glamourous girl groups, catchy jingles and "seamless" advertising.
For mine, the stand-out was It's The Hard-Knock Life (it was a shame it's so early in the production). Performed by the girls as they stomp around onstage and bang metal buckets on the ground, it was really fun and energetic with a lot of humour. Jade Gillis was quite the scene-stealer as adorable Molly, making fun of their matron Miss Hannigan. Other favourites were songs by the house staff (especially I Think I'm Going To Like It Here), the dulcet tones of the White House staff singing Tomorrow, the butler's impressive tap dance and, of course, NYC.
What I especially enjoyed about NYC was the way they brought a bustling city to the stage with multiple actors and two white screens with varying backgrounds for depth. Throughout the musical, I loved seeing images of 1930s New York City and could only nod mutely in agreement as Warlow sang, "I go years without you then I can't get enough".
The musical was great, but I certainly wouldn't it count it among my favourites. Probably for the same reason that Mary Poppins was great, but not particularly memorable - albeit a lot of fun. Because they've already been done in books and films and spoofed in countless shows, there's always something familiar about them - comforting and nostalgic. Not exactly groundbreaking, but definitely entertaining!
Being a self proclaimed musical nerd, I couldn't believe I'd never seen Anthony Warlow in action before, and he proved himself worthy of all accolades with his rough New York accent alone! And then sang. Wow. I've seen some pretty great male leads in my time, but that his voice could be commanding, gentle, joyful, concerned - with such powerful delivery - was quite incredible.
The only complaint I had was with Alan Jones playing the role of president. My personal distaste for the man aside, it was a joke - he couldn't sing to save himself and nonchalantly faded in and out of his broad Australian accent. It was an insult to the rest of the cast who were fantastic!
Child actors can sometimes seem quite precocious and have a tendency to overact in stage productions - a trait which is easily forgiven, considering their age - but most, if not all, the girls in the production were quite good. Great singers, dancers, actors and even comedians; my favourite scenes were those which involved the little orphans.
Title character Ella Nicol was especially noteworthy, holding her own alongside veterans Warlow (Oliver Warbucks), Nancye Hayes (Miss Hannigan) and Todd McKenney (Rooster). And Julie Goodwin (who I saw as Maria in West Side Story two years ago) was warm and delightful as Grace Farrell.
Musicals based on children's stories can be quite interesting - there's always some slapstick included for the sake of the younger audience, but also some clever or complex inclusions for adults. In this case, they're treated to some historical gems, including references to The Great Depression, Hooverville, former New York mayor La Guardia, former presidents Hoover and FDR, and, my favourite especially, "untouchable" Eliot Ness.
There's also a thoroughly amusing scene set in the infamous NBC Radio Studio which illustrates an era before television, relying heavily on exaggerated audio cues, glamourous girl groups, catchy jingles and "seamless" advertising.
For mine, the stand-out was It's The Hard-Knock Life (it was a shame it's so early in the production). Performed by the girls as they stomp around onstage and bang metal buckets on the ground, it was really fun and energetic with a lot of humour. Jade Gillis was quite the scene-stealer as adorable Molly, making fun of their matron Miss Hannigan. Other favourites were songs by the house staff (especially I Think I'm Going To Like It Here), the dulcet tones of the White House staff singing Tomorrow, the butler's impressive tap dance and, of course, NYC.
What I especially enjoyed about NYC was the way they brought a bustling city to the stage with multiple actors and two white screens with varying backgrounds for depth. Throughout the musical, I loved seeing images of 1930s New York City and could only nod mutely in agreement as Warlow sang, "I go years without you then I can't get enough".
The musical was great, but I certainly wouldn't it count it among my favourites. Probably for the same reason that Mary Poppins was great, but not particularly memorable - albeit a lot of fun. Because they've already been done in books and films and spoofed in countless shows, there's always something familiar about them - comforting and nostalgic. Not exactly groundbreaking, but definitely entertaining!
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