★★★★

Reviewer - Samantha

*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review.

Annie is set in the 1930s in the hustle and bustle of New York during The Great Depression, which saw one in every three workers unemployed, and half of the city’s manufacturing plants closed. A brave young Annie lives in an orphanage with her friends and Miss Hannigan and it’s not an ideal home for any youngster.

Annie’s luck soon changes when she makes the great escape from the orphanage and meets her soon to be best friend, Sandy the dog. Her luck soon changes when Grace Farrell visits Miss Hannigan’s orphanage on behalf of famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. Mr Warbucks requests that an orphan comes to stay with him during the festive period and Annie tries her best to ensure she’s chosen for this incredible opportunity. Miss Hannigan reluctantly agrees but Annie and Sandy immediately leave for a better life in the Big Apple.

Annie is exposed to a completely different lifestyle and even has the opportunity to meet the president – now that’s an achievement at 11 years old. Despite Annie living in a safe environment, she feels it’s now time to find her real parents after Mr Warbucks presented her with a brand-new locket. This troubled Annie, as she’s always had her heart set on being reunited with her family. Meanwhile, Miss Hannigan and her crook of a brother conspire together to come up with a devious plan to con Mr Warbucks out of his generous £50,000 reward if Annie’s parents are found. Thankfully, the Hannigan’s plan falls through!

Annie is directed by The Curve’s very own Nikolai Foster, and I must say, with every show he has been involved with, I have never left feeling disappointed. The show was full of energy and although the scenery was fairly basic, it still drew me in because the dark colours reflected The Great Depression.

There were a few things in this musical that really stood out for me and the first was how choreographer, Nick Winston incorporated tap dancing into this show. I haven’t really seen tap dancing in previous shows I’ve been to but by doing this, I was engaged throughout the dancing scenes. The individuals tap-dancing filled the stage not only with their fantastic fast feet but also with their wide smiles as they showed us all how hard they have worked to perfect such a talent.

I was also delighted to see Paul French on stage again as I thoroughly enjoyed his performance as the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz in 2022. It was a surprise to see him play Rooster, but I thought he gave everything to that part – it was almost like seeing a young Tim Curry again from the original film. I thought Paul French, Craig Revel Horwood and Billie-Kay worked so well together, that was a trio I didn’t know I needed.

And lastly, the costumes were incredible. The bright colours made us all forget about The Great Depression for a moment and made us want more for Annie – the colours were warm pinks and reds which represent happiness, joy and love so it was a complete contrast to the start of the show.

As I haven’t given this musical five stars, I just want to clarify why this is and hope there will be room for change in the near future. We needed more of Miss Hannigan. I feel like her character didn’t get enough stage time when she’s so iconic, and she does make everyone’s lives miserable. I wanted more from the character and even more solos because Craig Revel Horwood was made for this role.

Audiences may wonder why an able-bodied person plays a disabled character, in this case, a gentleman in a wheelchair. This was something that I was drawn to but after some research, Nikolai Foster makes a suitable historical reference that enables it to be in line with the production. President Roosevelt would often only use a wheelchair in private after contracting polio at the age of 39.

The show is great, and I do think you should go and have a night in front of the stage because I don’t think this story will ever not be relatable. We still have a high percentage of children in care and sadly, there are people out there who are money driven. This musical explores so many important themes - loneliness, hope, deceit, depression and love. I do think all of the themes were portrayed well by the cast as I felt the emotion was there throughout the entire performance.

If you are forever wishing that the sun does come out tomorrow, then you definitely need to consider watching Annie the Musical whilst it is on tour. Note, if you do love the original like I do, try and go in with an open mind rather than comparing it word for word with the film.

Annie the Musical is currently on tour at The Curve in Leicester, but it has sold out! If you would like to see the tour, information regarding venues and tickets can be found here.