Annie at Edinburgh Playhouse Review
This week, the Edinburgh Playhouse welcomes back Annie, the iconic Broadway musical. In the midst of the Great Depression, Annie is a plucky, optimistic orphan with hopes of a better future. When she is invited to spend Christmas with billionaire Oliver Warbucks, has she finally found her way to a better tomorrow?
At Edinburgh’s opening night, our titular star was played by June Young, though she shares the role with Victoria Alsina, Sophie Saravanan and Bibi Blossom Stockley-Webster. Young gave a charming performance as Annie, and had the audience rooting for her from the very beginning. Her diction was clear, and she handled the iconic score with ease-most notably, “Tomorrow”, “Maybe” and “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here”. It wouldn’t be a production of Annie without her adorable sidekick, Sandy the dog. On this tour, the role is shared by Amber the labradoodle and Dizzy the cockerpoo, with Dizzy playing the role on press night. The relationship between Annie and Sandy was such a highlight of the show, and had the audience awwing, cheering and keen to see more!
Annie’s fellow children are played by three talented teams- Team Empire, Team Rockefeller and Team Chrysler, with Team Empire taking to the stage for press night. This ensemble of young performers (Coco Chapman, Olivia Brooks, Sienna Culm, Kennedy-May Mcleary, Chloe Angiama and Freya Beer) are hugely talented, bringing charm, enthusiasm and heart to their roles. The iconic “Hard Knock Life” is a delightful watch, and the children’s’ interactions with each other in the orphanage feel natural-it’s clear to see that they are confident in their roles as actors. As Pepper, Coco Chapman brings an especially sassy attitude and is charming to watch - impressive for such a young performer!
As the villainous Miss Hannigan, Claire Sweeney takes on her self-proclaimed “dream role”. Sweeney has some big shoes to fill, as the last Miss Hannigan to grace the Playhouse stage was Paul O’Grady just days before his untimely passing in 2023. Having said that, Sweeney takes the role in her stride, as the wicked and antagonistic women. She berates and belittles the children constantly, but in a slightly cartoonish way that allows the audience to still enjoy her role and to not take her too seriously. Shortly before “Easy Street” there was a wardrobe mishap which Sweeney took in her stride, with a couple of well placed ad-libs that created a memorable moment for the crowd, and really highlighting the fun of live theatre. Sweeney’s rendition of “Easy Street” alongside Christian Cooper as Rooster and Amber Kennedy as Lily was such a highlight as the nefarious trio plot to kidnap Annie to obtain the $50,000 reward.
As Oliver Warbucks, Alex Bourne gives a warm and assured performance. Though initially portrayed as a slightly gruff businessman with no time for anything beyond his factories, that persona rapidly melts away as he embraces Annie's role in his life. Some lovely moments between him and Grace (Tanisha-Mae Brown) showed a significantly softer side to him, creating a lovely dynamic between the trio.
Annie is well and truly one of theatres most beloved shows. Premiering over 50 years ago, the show has captured the hearts of families around the world, and has become an international hit. Annie is truly one of those shows that will always be around- either in a theatre nearby, on the movie screen, or the original comic strip. The current UK tour is a solid production with excellent casting and staging. The cheers from the crowd that shows that there is still demand for Annie's story, and given the current political climate, maybe we could all use a little bit more optimism.
Annie is at the Edinburgh Playhouse until Sunday 20th September. The UK tour continues into 2027.
★★★★
Written by Jacqueline for Theatre and Tonic, September 2026.