Annie
Head down to Easy Street and get your tickets to see Annie at the WMC this month. This particular production recently ran for an extended season in the West End, following a sell-out tour of the UK and Ireland in 2015-16.
Craig Revel Horwood, best known as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, returns to the part of Miss Hannigan, having played it in the West End and on tour. He’s joined by Alex Bourne as Oliver Warbucks, Richard Meek as Rooster, Jenny Gayner as Lily and Carolyn Maitland as Grace Farrell. The titular role is shared by Faye Katsande, Ava Smith and Freya Yates.
Bourne, too, reprises his performance as Warbucks after playing the role in this production of Annie in the West End, Toronto and on the 2015/16 tour, hopefully bringing the charm and assurance he’s known for; his credits include Danny in Grease, the Beast in Beauty And The Beast, and Fred/Petruchio in Kiss Me, Kate for which he received an Olivier Award nomination. Maitland (Ellen in Miss Saigon, plus appearances in Groundhog Day and Kiss Me, Kate) reprises her performance as Grace Farrell after playing the role in this production of Annie in Toronto.
Set in 1930s New York during the Great Depression, brave young Annie is forced to live a life of misery and torment at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. Determined to find her real parents, her luck changes when she is chosen to spend Christmas at the residence of famous billionaire Oliver Warbucks. Spiteful Miss Hannigan has other ideas, and hatches a plan to spoil Annie’s search.
With its award-winning book and score, this new production includes the unforgettable songs It’s The Hard Knock Life, Easy Street, NYC and Tomorrow. The original music and lyrics from the 1977 incarnation by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin respectively is still in place, but this rendition is directed by Nikolai Foster, who has a successful track record in musical theatre – to the point where critics have even attacked him for doing too many. But hey, there’s a reason the audiences keep coming.
Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay, Mon 19-Fri 31 Aug. Tickets: from £19. Info: 029 2063 6464 / www.wmc.org.uk
Words: Sarah Bowdidge