Annie is one of those timeless old-fashioned musicals in the best sense. It’s funny, light-hearted but with moments of pathos, and has a story with a feel-good ending – not to mention cute kids and an exceptionally charming furry mutt called Sandy, played on opening night by Bodhi, who kept an eagle eye on his trainer in the wings!
If you are looking for something cutting-edge with a serious contemporary message and naturalistic characters then you are out of luck with Annie, but it does have a relevant message for our times if you think about it.
The plot involves Annie, an abandoned waif in an orphanage with her fellow destitute orphans and a matron with a heart of pure steel. Annie’s luck changes when she is selected to spend a fortnight with rich Oliver Warbucks, as his Christmas gesture of goodwill. Meanwhile, Matron Hannigan’s no-good brother Rooster and his floozy Lily are planning how to fleece Daddy Warbucks and move to Easy Street. Of course, while Annie’s and Warbucks’ happiness is threatened for a time, it all turns out well in the end.
The story is set against the background of New York in the midst of the 1930s Depression, so we do see the hardships of the homeless people, and the desperation of President Roosevelt to try to make things better and provide employment.
Musicals often boomed during times of economic depression, and with the current state of our world, a musical like Annie provides some joyful escapism from our horror headlines. In Annie, the bad are punished, the good are rewarded and there is hope for the future – a valid hope for our times too. Seeing an audience walk out of the theatre with broad smiles just has to be a good thing.
Having seen Annie several times, I was curious to see how this production would stand up against its predecessors. The answer is that it stands up very well. The adult ensemble has its timing down to perfection and its vocal work is impressive. The principals are beautifully cast, with the standout being Anthony Warlow reprising his role as Daddy Warbucks, perhaps for the first time in his early sixties, making him just the right age for Warbucks. His vocals are as smooth and elegant as ever, and his acting is first class. A pleasure to watch. As his secretary Grace, who is the one who picks Annie as the right orphan to live with Warbucks, Amanda Lea Lavergne is a delight, with a comforting presence, quick wit and great voice.
While Warlow is now the age that Warbucks would have been, the same can’t be said for Deborah Krizak’s Miss Hannigan. Krizak is the youngest Miss Hannigan I have seen, but she carries off the role to perfection, with just the right comic touch and an excellent voice, and she brings wonderful comic physicality to the role. The baddies are played by Keanu Gonzalez (Rooster) and Mackenzie Dunn (Lily St Regis), and both are impressive. More about Dunn later in this review. A surprise casting in the small but important principal role of President Roosevelt is Greg Page, the original Yellow Wiggle, though without the yellow sweater and dark wavy hair; you won’t recognize him, but he gives a nice characterisation of the role.
On opening night, Isabella Hayden played the title role. The chemistry between Hayden and Warlow was touching, and both Hayden and her orphan mates exhibited terrific timing and professionalism. My only criticism is that they are singing with a very strident and harsh tone with no resonance, so I suspect they have been cast as wonderful dancers and actors rather than accomplished singers. While the style of the girls’ singing is not meant to have a classical tone, the stridency of the singing didn’t please this reviewer’s ears – though I hasten to add that this didn’t spoil the positive impact of the whole show.
In a pre-show announcement, we were told that the opening night performance was being dedicated to the original Australian 1978 cast, which starred Hayes Gordon, Nancye Hayes, Jill Perryman and her husband Kevin Johnston. Apart from being a nice gesture, it was especially appropriate, as Jill and Kevin’s granddaughter is Mackenzie Dunn, who in recent years has proved to be a true music theatre chameleon who can play anything from Penny in Hairspray to Rizzo in Grease and now to Lily in Annie. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, and I bet there are two very proud grandparents over in Western Australia!
Annie is an excellent musical to take a family to, especially if it’s the first full-length show your children have seen. For the rest of us, it’s a lot of fun and a real pick-me-up in these difficult times.
Photo credit: Daniel Boud
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Julie Houghton reviewed the John Frost for Crossroads Live production of “Annie”, presented at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre on July 11, 2025.
