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| Annie (Julie Li) has a new friend, Sandy (Jinkua). (Photo by Scott Lasky) |
Palo Alto Players has a smash hit with its production
of “Annie.”
Although it’s almost 50 years old, this Tony-winning
musical still has the power to charm, thanks to its characters and story.
Inspired by the once-popular comic strip, “Little
Orphan Annie,” the book by Thomas Meehan with music by Charles Strouse and
lyrics by Martin Charnin keeps only a few main characters and tells its own
story.
In this version, 11-year-old Annie (Julie Li) lives in
a New York City orphanage for girls in 1933, during the depths of the Great
Depression. Her parents left her there when she was an infant but said they’d
come back for her when they could.
The orphanage is overseen by the tippling, tyrannical
Miss Hannigan (Morgan Dayley). Her song, “Little Girls,” says all you need to
know about how she regards her charges.
Hoping to find her parents, Annie runs away but is
soon found and returned to the orphanage. While on the lam, however, she
befriends a stray dog, Sandy, here portrayed by Jinkua, a lovable golden retriever.
Back at the orphanage, she happens to be in the right
place at the right time when Grace Farrell (Marie Finch) comes by to say that
her employer, billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Joey McDaniel), wants an orphan to
stay with him in his mansion over Christmas.
Warbucks is so taken with Annie that he wants to adopt
her, but she’s supposedly not an orphan. Instead, he pulls strings with
Washington higher-ups to launch a national search for her parents.
Aided by his sister, Miss Hannigan, Rooster Hannigan
(Brandon Savage) and his girlfriend, Lily St. Regis (Vanessa Mendy), pretend to
be Annie’s parents in order to collect a $50,000 reward, but the scheme is
uncovered and the three culprits are brought to justice.
Then thanks to an FBI investigation, information is
found that clears the way for Warbucks to adopt Annie. In the meantime, she
also has charmed President Roosevelt (Charles Evans) and inspired his New Deal.
The show is full of memorable music like “It’s a Hard
Knock Life,” sung by the orphans as they scrub the floor, and the show’s
optimistic anthem, “Tomorrow,” a real show-stopper.
Director/choreographer Joey Dippel has chosen a
terrific, diverse cast of talented actors who sing and dance well.
Li as the endearing title character meets its
challenges and then some. All of the other principal characters are noteworthy
along with the entire cast.
This production opens with grainy newsreels from the
Depression, showing long bread lines, the homeless and unemployed people. Given
the crises created by the recent government shutdown, these newsreels are
timely.
Adding to the show’s enjoyment are the costumes by
Nolan Miranda, set by PAP artistic director Patrick Klein, lighting by Edward
Hunter and sound by Brian Foley. The vocal/music director is Pamela Serrano,
while the orchestral accompaniment is recorded.
Running about two hours and 40 minutes with an
intermission, “Annie” will continue through Nov. 23 at the Lucie Stern Theater,
1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.
It has proven so popular that another performance has
been added. For details and tickets, call (650) 329-0891 or visit info@paplayers.org.
