SUMMARY

Rating: ★★★★✭

Running Dates: 3 July 2023 – 8 July 2023

Where to see it: Wales Millenium Centre, Cardiff

Duration: 2 hours 35 minutes (including interval)

Keywords: Nostalgia, Musical, Wholesome

REVIEW 

Having only seen the 2014 rendition of the works, I was really excited to see this live.. and I was not disappointed!

Reading through the programme as we hummed some Annie favourites to ourselves, we knew we were in for a treat as each of the cast had many impressive accolades to their names. This was immediately apparent as we kicked off the musical score with a performance of ‘It’s a Hard Knock Life’. The performance was chilling in the best way, a mix of nostalgic euphoria and awe at the talent at display. Zoe Akinyosade was our Annie and has previously performed in Les Miserables, Matilda and High School Musical amongst many others. She had won the crowd over within the first few minutes and would hold our attention for the hours to come!

It's not long before we are off with Annie on her adventures through New York in the quest to find her parents. Something unexpected and truly impressive happens here – the production utilises a real dog! Sandy is a crowd favourite in a symphony of soft aw’s and I am still trying to figure out the inner workings of the rehearsal process of something like this! Our sweet serendipity is cut short as Annie is taken back to the orphanage and must contend with Hannigan. Whilst I’m not a fan of the dynamics between Hannigan and most of the rest of the characters (a credit to Craig Revel-Harwood’s reiterance in this role!), Little Girls remains a personal favourite and was well done in a New Jersey twang. 

We also meet her brother Rooster and his girlfriend, Lily St Regis (like the hotel) – Rooster leaves you with heebie jeebies that will follow you long after the show! This is undoubtedly a spectacular performance by Paul French, however, I can’t shake that not all of the dialogue was relevant – I am still confused about the pig noises which took away from the otherwise diabolical and heart wrenching planned abduction of Annie

Alex Bourne played a suitably awkward but soft hearted Daddy Warbucks, however, it’s his voice that left us wanting more! A household name, he is familiar with the role and had great chemistry with Zoe and Amelia Adams (our Grace Farrell for the night!). Grace is easily one of my favourite characters across adaptations and Amelia did no less than justice to her as the synergy between Annie and Grace brought it to life! Not a stranger to the stage, she’s played both Rachel and Monica in the Friends! Musical Parody – that green dress was definitely Rachel Green approved!

All in all this was an incredible night with plenty to tickle fondly held memories together with a new flare to feast on. The theatre was jam packed before and after and I can only imagine it staying so after opening night!

Standout Moment: Tomorrow sung in different settings! 

Similar Plays: Oliver, My Fair Lady, The Wizard of Oz

See if: If you are a fan of Annie, if you like musicals, you’re looking for summer theatre plans – or all of the above!

Last Impression: I need to know more about Sandy!

Written by Mishail Farooq