The Kings Theatre, Portsmouth- until 20 April 2025
Reviewed by Lorna Hancock
5*****
With book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Stouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. The story of Annie, originates all the way back to the 1885 poem ‘Little Orphant Annie’. It’s developed over the years through comics, radio dramas and films to the Broadway musical we know and love today. This production, brilliantly directed by Timothy Quinlan follows the original Broadway production. It tells the heartwarming story of the lively eleven-year-old orphan Annie (Sienna Salter), her hard life in the orphanage, with luck leading her to meet billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Steve Reading) and her desperate longing to be reunited with her real parents.
The show opens in the orphanage, where we meet a very lively bunch of orphans with an energetic rendition of ‘Hard Knock Life’. It was great to see the children’s characters shining through, a special mention goes to Savana Murray for her very cheeky yet lovable portrayal of Molly. This is also when we first meet Annie, wonderfully played by Sienna Salter, she beautifully encapsulates the iconic character. From the moment she bounded on to the stage, red curls bouncing and eyes shining with hope, she was Annie.
Miss Hannigan played by Andee Jordan gave a dazzling performance as the cruel alcoholic proprietor of the orphanage, delivering a villain the audience loved to loathe. Later teaming up with Lily (Fenn Trodd) and Rooster (Curtis Mclennan) both with a magnetic stage presence, the dastardly trio really captured the spotlight.
The ensemble was strong throughout, I especially enjoyed their animated performance of ‘Hooverville’. Playing a smaller part, I also loved the comedic interjections from Drake (Nigel James).
With an obvious array of local talent, there is no ‘Maybe’ that this run will be a shining success. It lights up the stage with heart and hope, and ended with a resounding standing ovation.