“Little Orphan Annie,” the popular comic strip by cartoonist Harold Gray, ran in U.S. newspapers during much of the twentieth century. The character also had her own radio show during the Great Depression of the 1930s in which her serialized adventures extolled the virtues of individual initiative, hard work, and “pitching in” to help others. Jaclyn Robertson, Falls Church resident and co-producer of the musical “Annie” now playing at Little Theatre of Alexandria, reminds us that the character has a nineteenth-century precedent in the 1885 poem “Little Orphant Annie” by James Whitcomb Riley. Yet for most people today, “Annie” remains the beloved Tony Award-winning musical which has been filmed multiple times.
“Annie” in Alexandria is under the fine direction of Krissy McGregor, whose “Director’s Notes” in the theatre program provide an excellent background of some of the more serious Depression-era themes the original comic strip addressed. As for the musical, little orphan “Annie” at Little Theatre tugs at our heartstrings.
In the story, the poor but plucky 11-year-old red-headed Annie has spent most of her life in an unpleasant orphanage under its heartless director Miss Hannigan, a drunken, bitter woman. After Annie’s unsuccessful attempts to escape the misery of the orphanage, good luck comes her way as wealthy Oliver Warbucks, in a spirit of noblesse oblige, has invited an orphan, little Annie, into his posh home for two weeks at Christmastime. Under the sinister designs of Miss Hannigan’s brother “Rooster” and his accomplice Lily St. Regis, an attempt is made to deceive Annie that they are her parents in order to claim a large reward offered by Mr. Warbucks. How will Annie elude this trap? And what will happen to her dog Sandy? To adopt the catchphrases popularized by Annie and Sandy in the comic strip, “Leapin’ lizards! Arf!”
This production is unique in that there are two different casts of Annie and her fellow orphans, a “red cast” and a “blue cast” which alternate performance days. “There are two sets of children because the performance schedule at LTA is very rigorous,” producer Robertson explains. “While adults with a lot of experience can handle it, it’s tougher for children.” We attended the Sunday matinee production with the “red cast,” featuring Anna Jones in the titular role of Annie; in several other performances, Milly Gerstenberg of the “blue cast” enacts the eponymous role.
Anna as Annie portrays her character with warmth and with strong voice, particularly in two renditions of the show’s optimistic anthem “Tomorrow” as well as in the equally catchy but lesser-known tune “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here.” Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks is played well by Michael E. McGovern, coming into his own especially in a melodic salute to the Big Apple entitled “N.Y.C.” Thanks to a large wardrobe team, there are beautiful 1930’s period costumes in the “N.Y.C.” production number—costumes which are highly saturated à la a Sunday newspaper comic strip! Signs indicating venerable New York landmarks such as Radio City Music Hall also surface in this sequence.
Amanda Silverstein plays Miss Hannigan with aplomb, especially in her Kurt Weill-style showstopper “Little Girls.” An audience member at the Sunday performance commented: “My favorite characters in ‘Annie’ are ‘Rooster”’ Hannigan and Lily St. Regis, and they did not disappoint in this production!” Enacted by Shakil Azizi and Rachael Fine, the two roguish characters are especially engaging in their trio with Miss Hannigan celebrating indolence and malfeasance: “Easy Street.”
Heather Hanna is in fine, indeed operatic, voice as Grace Farrell, secretary to Mr. Warbucks, and the orphans are fun to watch in their antics in “It’s a Hard Knock Life.” Last but not least, Sandy the dog goes over very well with the audience!
The set design by Rebecca Kalent and Adam Ressa of row houses in the foreground and New York City skyscrapers in the background is excellent in presenting the city as a business district as well as a home to the people who live there. A recreation of a vintage radio show in which Mr. Warbucks and Annie appear affords the Little Theatre audience the opportunity to attend virtually a “live” radio program of the 1930s, complete with a toothpaste radio jingle performed by the “Boylan Sisters” trio (Jennifer Thomas, Fosse Thornton, and Rachel Ferguson). The live orchestra, conducted by keyboardist Josh Cleveland, is superb throughout the proceedings.
“Annie” at Little Theatre of Alexandria is at once fun family entertainment and highly enjoyable nostalgia, running at the Little Theatre of Alexandria, 600 Wolfe Street, Alexandria, VA 22314 through March 2, 2024. For more information, please visit: thelittletheatre.com.
