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West Wickham Operatic Society are on scintillating form at the Churchill Theatre, where a huge cast use the stage facilities to the full in a lavish, schmaltzy but irresistible Broadway hit.
With music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Chamin and book by Thomas Meehan, Annie recreates the popular cartoon strip about an orphan girl rescued from the clutches of a sadistic orphanage keeper. This is the American Dream in spades, its hero of the hour being, let's face it, a ruthless billionaire.
Director Kevin Gauntlett has marshalled his cast like a military operation, and conductor David Grubb has drilled the singers in the same spirit, while choreographer Debbie Fyffe has achieved remarkable results, especially from the lively troupe of young orphans of the Hannigan team. (The Warbucks team appear on alternate performances.)
A relentlessly cheerful crew considering the sourly bullying tactics of Sheila Arden's Miss Hannigan, they hurl themselves into the proceedings with total commitment.
The Hannigan team's eponymous heroine is Annie Horn, a wonderfully accomplished 11 year old who acts with complete self-confidence, revealing a beguiling personality and singing like a seasoned trouper, her decibel-charged voice cutting the air like a blowlamp.
Ron Leagas, quite undaunted by such infant charm, gives a relaxed performance as the billionaire Oliver Warbucks, controlling his large household staff, from Howard James' suave butler down, with easy authority without making a meal of it. His relationship with his young charge develops in an entirely natural manner, with the sympathetic assistance of Sally Allocca as his secretary Grace Farrell.
Highlights of the show include a delightful depiction of an old 1930s radio station, and a scene in the White House with Michael Appleby as President Roosevelt and a grumpy Cabinet brought to order by Annie's charisma.
Sheila Arden is like a pantomime baddie as Miss Hannigan, with her crooked brother played with seedy chutzpah by Michael Gawadzyn, and Jenny Appleby stridently brassy as his moll Lily. As escapism, this is a must see.
Donald Madgwick
Croydon Advertiser
Advance bookings for Annie were so heavy that an extra performance was squeezed in, making three on one day, eight in all. Tough on the actors and stage crew but allowing several hundred more people to see this totally enjoyable, highly polished production.
The play could barely have been better cast. All the leads understood their roles and their relationship to the play overall. As a bonus, even those with just one line to say or sing did so with conviction.
Sheila Arden was always watchable as the booze-laden Miss Hannigan, trapped in a job she hates, in charge of a girls' orphanage. Michael Gawadzyn (her brother Rooster) and Jenny Appleby (his accomplice, Lily) gave excellent support. None of them went over-the-top, in parts which are all too easy to play as caricatures. The trio sang and danced well together in "Easy Street".
Ron Leagus, Warbuck, not only looked the part but, vitally, carried the total authority of a self-made billionaire. Sally Allocca was an assured Grace, with exactly the right degree of self-confidence expected of a magnate's personal secretary. Michael Appleby combined Presidential assertion with a homely touch as the wheelchair-bound Roosevelt.
Strong ensemble work was exemplified by the cynical Hooverville number. The dancers, interpreting Debbie Fyffe's choreography, showed talent in a wide range of styles, whether suddenly bursting onto the stage in a highkicking routine or forming up for a complex tap sequence.
The difficulty in reviewing any production of Annie is to comment on one team of girls, when, inevitably, two are involved during the run. However, if Annie Horn in the title role and her eleven fellow orphans are representative, WWOS has a rich vein of young talent to draw on and develop. The girls showed their ability in energetic song and dance numbers such as "HardKnock Life".
Back-stage work was exceptional; sets, including Warbuck's elaborate mansion, appeared as if by magic.
David Grubb and his orchestra interpreted the score im-maculately and could be faulted only for drowning out some dialogue with dis-pensable incidental music. The only real criticism was of the sound balance. Annie's singing tone was harsh, seemingly due more to problems at the controls than to the actress's natural voice.
Tony Flook
Words & Music