Evan Zimmerman
Any review of Annie must open with the old theatre adage: ‘Never work with children or animals.’
It’s a line with some merit to it, of course, and it’s not hard to tell where it came from. Serious thespians were tired of being upstaged by adorable children and wagging pups! I get it.
But does that apply when the show is about those adorable children? And the emotional arc of the show hinges on a wagging pup?
You already know that the kids are the stars of the show in Annie, whose National Tour has stopped at Washington D.C.’s National Theatre. And you know that all of its themes and messages are told through the eyes of a child. But this time, that’s quite literally true.
This production, an original non-Equity tour, is directed by Jenn Thompson, who played Pepper, one of the orphan girls, in the original Broadway run. She brings a lifetime of Annie to her staging and it’s one of the stronger directed tours you can see. She clearly knows the material well and is approaching it from the way it needs to be seen: through Annie’s eyes, the eyes of a child.
Our title character is brought back to life by Rainey Treviño, an actress who is, as her Playbill bio states, ‘humbly honored to bring this spunky icon of optimism and resilience to life’ — and that’s exactly how she plays her Annie. When she sings those famous lyrics about the sun coming out tomorrow, Treviño doesn’t just belt them (though she does), she tries to convince you. She joins a very long lineage of young ladies who have played Little Orphan Annie (the little redheaded girl is turning 100 this year!) and if you’re not yet convinced by the character’s hopefulness and confidence, Treviño is doing her darndest to turn that frown upside-down. (There are no scheduled alternates listed in the Playbill — do they make this poor girl do all eight shows a week? That’s madness!)
Thompson also relishes in the world that all of the little girls inhabit, not just Annie. The girls get to play, run around, stomp (their ‘Hard Knock Life’ is as bucket-slamming as ever), torture Miss Hannigan, and, above all, clearly have a blast, (some smirks poke through their button-nosed faces.) Her direction knows that we have to love the girls right away and love them as she clearly does, so you can give yourself over to some of the show’s more unbelievable moments. Molly (a precious Jade Smith) jumps in and out of laundry baskets, while Kate (a sharp Addie Jaymes) hops from bed to bed — they’re springy and fun.
The show opens with them for a reason. It’s their story and Thompson knows this.
Evan Zimmerman
This isn’t to say that the supporting adults don’t get the same attention. Stefanie Londino is the Miss Hannigan that you want to hate because the girls hate her, the exact kind of caricature they would see her as. She’s loud, brash, and cranks her accent work up to 11. Julia Nicole Hunter follows as Grace (she’s a highlight of the production) and whisks Annie away to her new life with a warm energy and a kind smile, the absolute opposite of mean old Hannigan.
Then, of course, there’s Christopher Swan as Oliver Warbucks. He loves Annie almost immediately. Truthfully, and this is Thomas Meehan’s book, probably too quickly to be sensible, but he’s convincing because she’s convincing. He’s the right type of Daddy, you want Annie to live with him because he’s thoughtful and giving — you almost forget he’s a billionaire too.
It’s a relief that this cast is charming and talented because they make the night worthwhile. Annie is a centenarian and her story takes place in the early ’30s, the musical was written some forty years later, and equal time has passed to today. The story of Annie is old hat. Sure, the themes are evergreen, as are its observations about the haves and have-nots, deserved and under-served. But many parts of the show feel like a history lesson. How many booster seat users in the crowd know who Franklin Delano Roosevelt (an uncanny Mark Woodard) was or what he did? Or care? Or have the patience to sit through a song about ‘The New Deal’? It feels involuntary, like the test you have to take right before the bell rings for recess.
The musical would be nothing without jokes about fireside chats and scenes from Hoovervilles, they’re essential to the story from the days of the comic strip, but it still feels like you forgot to study for that test.
However, if we’re seeing it through those kids’ eyes, it’s also okay to not worry about those things too much. To enjoy the talent on display, hum those sweet tunes, and, of course, be smitten with that adorable treat-devouring dog who upstages the whole darn thing.
Annie runs about 2 hours 30 minutes with one intermission.
Annie runs through January 28 at Washington DC’s National Theatre. Other cities on the schedule include Reading, Boston, Daytona Beach, Chattanooga, New Haven, Dallas, Cleveland, Nashville, New Orleans, Sacramento, Detroit, Portland Oregon and more. Visit the official website for more information. Use our Ticketmaster link to purchase tickets.
Annie – North American Tour 2023
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Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
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