Jack Studio Theatre – until 27 May 2019
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
4****
The UK premiere of Michael John LaChiusa’s musical about Annie Edson Taylor, the first person to ride over Niagara Falls in a barrel and survive, is a real treat. Pint of Wine’s production is a thing of sepia tinted beauty, from Bethany Gupwell’s evocative lighting to Tara Usher’s curio-filled set.
It’s 1901, and after years moving around the USA, often just ahead of her creditors, widow Annie decides to go for broke in her quest for fame and fortune in an era of daredevil stunts. La Chiusa’s Annie (Trudi Camilleri) has a selfish but charming restless independence and confidence on the surface, but her insecurities haunt her in the shape of the fearsome tiger she saw in her childhood and her dread of it forever stalking her. The first act is all about Annie’s preparation for her stunt, ending with the deed itself, while the second focusses on the disappointing aftermath that sees Annie die a pauper. With manager Frank Russell (Will Arundell) stealing her barrel, her unwillingness to bare her soul to her audiences, and a series of new managers unable to keep her in the fickle public eye as priorities and attitudes change in the leadup to World War 1, Annie is left selling postcards of her feat to tourists at Niagara Falls.
Director Dom O’Hanlon has the band on stage in period costume, as if they were part of the eclectic collection of objects on shelves, and musical director Jordan Li-Smith ensures that the soaring score is fully realised. There are no standout songs, as often happens with LaChiusa’s musicals, instead every number compliments and adds to the atmospheric and stirring experience. There is plenty of humour throughout, with Will Arundell and Emily Juler having a ball in Million Dolla’Momma as Russel tours with a young, drunk imposter posing as Annie. The cast’s movement and use of simple props is beautifully judged, and the vocal talent on display is phenomenal. As Annie, Camilleri is a powerhouse, and her softer, more maternal interactions with a young soldier going to war and the man who shot President McKinley (after a timely pep talk from the unwitting Annie) are a delight.
Yes, the narrative does lose its way a little, but the final emotional pay off when Annie shares how it felt inside the barrel as she dies makes any shortcomings forgivable. This emotional and uplifting gem of a musical is a must-see production.