My Annie Review

Yay!!! I saw Annie on Sunday with my mom, and I am finally putting thoughts to words. If anyone has any specific questions, please ask - I'll remember as best I can. Also, before I get going, I've posted a few stage door pics on My Page on this site and also put out a video on YouTube of some audio clips of the show. Here's the YouTube Addy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ4Gia4kCdQ

I like to review not just the performance, but the entire experience; so I'll start with our arrival. We arrived on site an hour before curtain, just to make sure we could casually get our tickets, peruse the vending booth and gradually make our way to our seats. Getting the tickets was a breeze - not much of a line at that time. Went to the vending booth and eagerly picked up a copy of "Broadway Tails". If you haven't read the book yet, and you are a fan of animals, performing or Bill Berloni himself, you have GOT to read it. I haven't read all the chapters yet, but Bill has a way of writing that brings you into the situations he has been through - and plenty of insight into the animal performing business.

I also finally picked up a copy of the 30th Anniversary recording and a souvenir program that came with an Annie backpack/slingback bag.

After that we made our way up to the mezzanine level and waited for the dorrs to open. And waited. And waited. It was about 7:15 before the doors opened - not sure what time the show started, I don't wear a watch and had already turned my phone off.

While we were waiting for the show to begin, Mom and I of course were people watching & chatting with folks around us. One of things we were looking for was how big/small the orchestra was - pretty small. There could've been more to it, but from our angle we saw four members and then the conductor. We saw the percussionist do a really nice thing. While kids and their parents were looking into the orchestra pit, the percussionist came over to a mom with her little boy, and he let the little boy hold his drum sticks for a moment. I thought that was so nice of him to do.

OK, finally to the show itself. I don't remember how the show started a couple years ago, so someone let me know if they did this then. After the Overture, while the underscore is going, thunder and lightning occurs before Molly says her lines - I liked it, gave it some nice strong atmosphere before the orphans start yelling. I never really like the opening scene with the orphans - I'm trying to find the right words, but to me it never seems 'real'.

I know that Molly's line about the ferry was taken out at some point; but it was back in during this show.

Nice level of intensity during "Hard-Knock Life".

If you listen to my audio clips on YouTube, they do not reflect well on the quality of Madison's voice. When she sang "Tomorrow" her voice was a crisp, clear belt. The ending was powerful, and the people murmuring around us at the end of the song really appreciated it.

Quick side note on the audio - fantastic. No pops, hiss, quick bangs. There was just one thing that bugged me, and that was during the Hooverville scene. What sounded like feedback, I'm assuming was meant to simulate traffic on the bridge overhead - but it was distracting.

Lynn Andrews (Miss Hannigan) really likes to play with the flexability of her voice (I wonder how many octaves she has)

During "Easy Street" Mom and I saw two stray heads go bobbing by the orphanage windows - don't think they were supposed to be there. It could have been the angle we were at, because whenever Kate went to stomp on Miss Hannigan's foot, she was always quite a ways away, but you wouldn't know it if you were sitting on the main level.

Also, there were two spots during the show where a stagehand went and closed a side curtain - distracting and took away from the scene going on onstage.

Sandy always makes me tear up when he does his cross at the end of NYC. Mikey was just perfect!!!

Madison's voice reminded me a bit of Kathryn Zaremba's at times, especially when her inflections swooped up. Mom and I also noticed toward the end of the show that she had wandering feet. We didn't notice it earlier, just in the last scene.

Gracie has a lot of spunk on stage. She has such beautiful long, blonde hair that's put up into two wonky pony-tails and they just fly around when she does her foot stomping. She opened "Smile".

Sydney (Duffy) does the tap solo in "Smile" instead of Mackenzie (Molly) - at least she did at this performance.

I went to the stage door after the show, and everyone was so kind. Dominique was so cute trying to catch the giant snowflakes that were falling with her tongue. And I've got to commend Siara. She was already on the bus and came out just for me to sign my program and take a picture - AND she's left-handed Too!!!! Lefties Unite! Patrick, the dog handler was very kind as well and let me pet Mikey and Oliver and have my picture teken with them.

OK, enough rambling. Like I said, if you want more specifics, ask away.