"The idea that a rich bachelor wants to borrow an orphan child for a couple of weeks rings alarm bells in this day and age"
It's rare that you find a stage musical that is actually better than the original classic film, yet the spectacular production currently running at Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall, based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, somehow manages to do just that.
It's 1933 and plucky eleven-year-old Annie is in the municipal girls orphanage. Dreaming of a life outside, she decides to escape from the home run by the tyrannical, crass Miss Hannigan (Lesley Joseph) to find her parents. However, Miss Hannigan is determined to stand in the way of Annie's fun. In a somewhat predictable story, Annie not only manages to change the life of Millionaire 'Daddy' Warbucks but also manages to influence President Roosevelt too.
The original Annie was made in 1982 and a lot of little girls have passed through the orphanage in that time, donning the famous red wig. The original film is the kind of thing you fall asleep to at Christmas, it starts off well with some unforgettable songs then loses momentum, you doze of, wake up and nothings happened. The the stage version avoids that malaise by simplifying the story and making it shorter, sharper and slicker. Don't get me wrong, though, the idea that a rich bachelor wants to borrow an orphan child for a couple of weeks rings alarm bells in this day and age. The stage version gets round that particular awkwardness by claiming it's "over Christmas".
And so our smart talking red-haired heroine goes to stay with an all together more amicable Daddy Warbucks than the film version, who warms to her far quicker too and wants to adopt her before we've seen out the first half of the show. Fast work, Daddy.
The seven actresses playing the streetwise orphans shine and act wonderfully together, it's easy to forget how young they actually are. Credit to Annie herself, eleven-year-old Elise Blake is the star of the show in every respect .She acts her little socks off throughout, delivering a particularly brilliant version of Tomorrow that's enough to give you goosebumps and tears at the same time as she comforts Sandy the stray dog, telling him of better days yet to come, carrying with her the confidence of an actress far older.
Special mention too to Natasha Raphael who puts in a great, vibrant performance as the adorable youngest orphan Duffy. Other notable performances come from Alex Bourne as Daddy Warbuck and Holly Dale Spencer as his secretary Grace Farrell. It's a shame though that the romance between the two characters is kept low key in this production, after all, we all love a love story don't we. Of course I couldn't go without mention of Sandy the dog, played by labradoodle Amber, again a far smaller role than the dog in the film but cute all the same.
Another star of the show is the set, simple yet colourful, and with a few minor adjustments transforms from the streets of New York to the White House and back to the orphanage. Stunning choreography by Nick Winston and a fabulous cast, many playing several roles directed by Nikolai Foster, turn what in theory could be a sickly sweet musical into something unmissable.
Go see it it 'tomorrow', you're guaranteed to have a swell time.
Annie, Royal Concert Hall, show runs until Saturday 26 March 2016, £16 - £37.50.
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