Civic Theatre brings musical holiday hit with “Annie”
Optimism—along with all the needed talent both on stage and back of house for a hit —carries the day in the return of “Annie” for the local theatre’s 40th anniversary.
The Grand Rapids Civic Theatre’s “Annie” has all the trappings of a musical holiday hit, including a winning combination of actors playing the lead roles, vibrant music and dance numbers, a versatile and talented chorus and just the right amount of heartstrings.
Although The Civic’s 40th Anniversary production of this show started a bit slow Friday evening and struggled for stage focus in its opening number in the darkened orphanage dormitory, the show gained solid footing as the orphans put their backs, mops and scrub brushes into a vigorous rendition of “Hard-Knock Life.”
By the time young Annie (Ellie Brower) delivered the anthem for positivity, “Tomorrow,” while standing on the freshly scrubbed floor of a dreary orphanage, the audience was on board and pretty much hers.
Brower has the lung power to reach every seat in the house and the sparkle to sell the song that everyone has come to hear. She also possesses the ability to engage with other actors on a believable level, without falling into the trap of relying on cuteness to evoke “awes” from theatre-goers. Simply put, one gets the feeling that there’s a real little girl with real values, feelings, and experiences behind all of those red curls.
Brower and fellow lead Jason Morrison as Oliver Warbucks have the right chemistry to connect with one another in a number of key moments, including their initial meeting, Annie’s play for his attention, and a celebratory father-daughter waltz.
Morrison can play the confident hard-boiled business tycoon, or the nervous would-be parent unsure of his role. He is always sure footed on the dance floor, with songs like “I Don’t Need Anything But You” and the complex confessional solo number “Something Was Missing.” Kira Alsum as Grace supports the softening of Warbucks, her boss, and helps bridge the emotional gap between the two strangers she brings together.
Noddea Moore Skidmore brings physicality, comic flair and depth to the half-inebriated orphanage martinet, Miss Hannigan. Skidmore finds good reason for her character’s foul mood and dissatisfaction: life is passing her by. Her slinky, gliding dance with brother Rooster (Jon Calkins) and his sleazy partner Lily (Emily Ambs), however, points Hannigan and the trio toward “Easy Street,” an Act I show-stopping favorite.
Like many musicals, the musical “Annie” demands frequent and rapid set changes, from the orphanage to the Warbucks’ mansion to Hooverville to the street corner—and back again. David Lens’ steel-span, deco cityscape meets this challenge with style and allows Director Allyson Paris’ fluid staging to move effortlessly from scene to scene.
Other reasons for the success of Civic’s “Annie” are elements that help firmly root the show in 1933. The ramshackle Hooverville, one side of the city, serves as a grim reminder of the world from which Annie seeks to escape. The montage of sights and sounds supporting Annie and Warbucks as they stroll through Gotham during the elaborate and enchanting number “N.Y.C.” shows off the more glitzy side of the big city for the uninitiated eyes of a young orphan, and reminds the audience of the contrast in lifestyles during the Great Depression.
Equally impressive are Robert A. Fowle’s costumes, which help underscore the great divide of wealth during this era.
Adding to the period style of this musical is a live radio show, complete with Foley artists, ventriloquists, a female trio, and singing commercials. Kyle Cane, as Bert, the wonderfully annoying announcer, relentlessly plugs his Oxydent toothpaste sponsor with “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without A Smile.”
Balancing the effervescent optimism bubbling throughout the show is the delicate and appropriate manner in which this production handles a serious moment toward the end of Act II, when Annie learns that her real parents died years ago. Annie (Brower) is given space and a long pause to process this news and respond to it. She is alone and isolated for several agonizing seconds before she says what amounts to a simple benediction for her parents. Then and only then is she able to join the Warbucks family. This mental shift, change of pace, and the time taken to set this sequence up represents a wise directorial choice. It pays emotional dividends.
The ending of Friday evening’s performance was, as expected, lifted by the reprise of “Tomorrow” at the curtain. With “Annie,” optimism always carries the day.
Out of the theatre, hurrying through wet streets to get to our car through the pouring rain, I heard someone singing in the distance: “The sun will come out. . .”
“Annie” at Grand Rapids Civic Theatre
Tickets and more information here
Give Thanks Special: On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Day performances will be discounted: $15 for students and $27 for adults.Music by Charles Strouse
Lyrics by Martin Charnin
Book by Thomas Meehan
Based on the Harold Gray comic strip “Little Orphan Annie”
