Daniel Boud
I think it’s fair to say that Annie is one of the most well-known musicals worldwide – even rapper Jay-Z is a fan (he took inspiration from the song ‘It’s the Hard Knock Life’ and turning it into ‘Hard-knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)’ for his third studio album Vol. 2: Hard Knock Life in 1998).
The Tony Award winning musical was written in 1972, based on Harold Gray’s 1924 comic strip Little Orphan Annie (I’m not sure what the 1900s fascination was with orphans… I’m looking at you, Oliver!).
The show’s lyricist Martin Charnin received a book of comic strips as a Christmas gift in 1971 and one thing led to another.
Landing on stage in 1976 in Connecticut, the quick success of the show landed it on Broadway the year after.
Since then, there have been three films made (1982, 1999, and 2014).
Now, as the 25th longest-running Broadway show, it’s back in Australia for the first time since 2012.
Set in 1933 New York during the Great Depression, the story centres around an 11-year old orphan named Annie who’s full of hope and positivity.
After a failed attempt to escape the orphanage and get away from the cruel Miss Hannigan to find her parents, Annie is selected to spend two weeks with billionaire Oliver Warbucks as a guest.
But – just as things start to look up for Annie, Miss Hannigan, and her villainous trio set out to rip it all away for selfish gain…
The Cast
They say never work with children and animals and this show throws that rule in the bin (yes – there’s a real dog!).
On opening night, Annie was played by Dakota Chanel. Across the season, there is a rotating cast of young actresses playing the lead role.
Dakota lit up the stage and was the perfect casting for the character – her smiley character beamed positivity, and her vocals were impressive for someone her age.
Theatre icon Anthony Warlow took ownership of the stage as Oliver Warbucks (this is the fourth time he’s played the role – including once on Broadway in 2013 in the 35th Anniversary production of Annie).
Evoking emotion in ‘Something Was Missing’ – Anthony’s vocals suited the score well and as an audience member I felt he truly embodied the character of someone longing for a family of his own.
Miss Hannigan, played by Debora Krizak, was a hoot and a half. Miss Hannigan seemed to be in a constant state of in-between drunk and sober, and Debora nailed the loneliness and hints of the deeper issues within the character.
Plus – Debora’s comedic timing had the audience in stitches!
Each of the orphans was incredibly talented. You could tell they were having the time of their lives. The cast of St. Hudson’s Home For Girls orphans that I saw included Camille Nko’o, Cailin Scully, Matilda Teiotu, Skylah McMah, Ellie Lang, Chloe Delle-Vedove, and Zoe Reeves.
‘It’s a Hard Knock Life’ and ‘You’re Never Fully Dressed’, the two numbers these girls lead, were full of life and from an audience perspective you could really tell they put their all into it. They’ll never forget their time on that stage.
Special mention to Greg Page (you’ll recognise him as one of the original Wiggles – the Yellow one!) as President D. Roosevelt. He received a cheer when he came on stage – and as his theatrical debut, did the role justice.
Stand Outs
The standout cast member for me was Keanu Gonzalez – who played Rooster Hannigan. This triple threat played the slimy antagonist so well, he made it look natural. At one point he does a backflip – and if that isn’t talent I don’t know what is!
In particular, I loved the trio of villains Miss Hannigan, Rooster Hannigan, and Lily St. Regis together. My favourite number was ‘Easy Street’ – I wish I could watch it again.
Of course, I can’t forget Sandy – what a good boy!
Overall thoughts
Before the show began, there was an announcement that the opening night show was dedicated to the original Broadway production which I thought was a nice touch.
The show opens with an animation of New York – which at first I had worried that maybe the set was going to be fully animated. It was a cute touch to really set the scene and made it feel more modern but I was glad to see proper staging behind the curtain.
The set and costumes were great (Annie’s bright red wig was hard to miss). I loved all the details of each set, especially inside the orphanage and Mr Warbuck’s mansion. There was a distinct contrast in each set – especially as this was set during hard financial times – which was then matched with the costumes.
Although the storyline is old-fashioned, the music and the talented cast make it a fun family night out.
Fun fact – Sex and The City’s Sarah Jessica Parker played Annie on Broadway when she was 14 in the late 70s and early 80s!
- Show: Annie
- Location: Capitol Theatre, Sydney
- Duration: 2hrs 30 minutes, including a 20-minute interval
- When: 3rd April – 21st June 2025
- Cast: Anthony Warlow (Oliver Warbucks), Debora Krizak (Miss Hannigan), Mackenzie Dunn (Lily St. Regis), Keanu Gonzalez (Rooster Hannigan), Amanda Lea LaVergne (Grace Farrell), Greg Page (Franklin D Roosevelt)
- Music and Lyrics: Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin
- Book: Thomas Meehan
