Charming duo: The 12-year-old, Heidi Gray, as Annie and Gilgamesh Taggett as billionaire Oliver Warbucks perform “I Don’t Need Anything But You” in the musical Annie, which will be staged in Jakarta until Aug
Charming duo: The 12-year-old, Heidi Gray, as Annie and Gilgamesh Taggett as billionaire Oliver Warbucks perform “I Don’t Need Anything But You” in the musical Annie, which will be staged in Jakarta until Aug. 14.
The beloved musical, Annie, which kicked off its Jakarta tour last week, will leave you humming the tune to “Tomorrow” and fill your heart with a rush of optimism.
The premier night of Annie at Ciputra Artpreneur Theater in Jakarta lived up to expectations. Throughout the two-hour show, red-headed orphan Annie (played by 12-year-old Heidi Gray), her adorable little friends at the orphanage and the rest of the cast charmed the audience with their solid performance.
Annie is a revival of the classic 1977 Annie musical, based on the book and score by Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin. The original musical won seven Tony awards and has been adapted for the silver screen.
Directed by the original lyricist and director Martin Charnin, Annie made a lovely impression from the first minutes.
In the first scene, Annie and the girls at the orphanage prepare for bed in the dilapidated orphanage. Annie sings “Maybe” as she thinks about her parents, who left her on the orphanage’s doorstep 11 years ago.
The maudlin moment quickly picks up as the detestable and alcoholic Miss Hannigan (Lynn Andrews), who repeated sips from a bottle of “medicine”, enters the room and orders the girls to clean the floor in the middle of the night.
As they mop the floor, the girls share tidbits about their unfortunate life under Miss Hannigan’s rule in “It’s the Hard Knock Life”.
The scene of the drab orphanage seamlessly transforms into the streets of New York as Annie runs away and stumbles upon a group of homeless people. Annie tries to convince them that there is good in every situation.
“What about empty pockets?” a homeless person asks.
“At least you have pockets,” Annie quips.
“What about freezing fingers?” another homeless asks.
“Good thing you have empty pockets!” Annie answers, prompting laughter from the audience.
The homeless people then sing the entertaining satirical number ‘‘We’d Like To Thank You, Herbert Hoover”, pondering their lives, which have been shattered by the Great Depression.
Annie goes back to square one when the police take her back to Miss Hannigan, but Annie’s life suddenly seems brighter when Grace Farrel (Ashley Edler) visits the orphanage.
Farrel is an assistant of bald-headed billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Gilgamesh Taggett) and she invites Annie to spend the Christmas holiday at the Warbucks’ mansion.
Dancing to the music: Lily St. Regis (Lucy Werner), her conman boyfriend Rooster (Garrett Deagon) and Rooster’s sister, Miss Hannigan (Lynn Andrews) (left to right), share the stage, performing “Easy Street”.
Annie quickly melts Warbucks’ heart, prompting the billionaire to mull adopting Annie. But Warbucks quickly hides his intention after discovering that Annie wants to find her parents. Warbucks and Annie go to a radio station and announce that anyone who can prove they are Annie’s parents will be granted US$50,000 by Warbucks.
It follows with a scene that is, perhaps, not significant to the plot but it offers one of the most hilarious moments in the musical.
Radio announcer Bert Healy and the Boylan Sisters sing “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile”. Back at the orphanage, the girls listen to the radio and sing the song while mimicking the sassy style of the Boylan Sisters.
Another highlight of the musical is the moment when Annie visits the White House and brings optimism to President Roosevelt and his Cabinet, who are struggling to stabilize the crumbling economy, with her rendition of “Tomorrow”.
After failing to find Annie ‘s parents, Warbucks announces his intention to adopt Annie, who gladly accepts. They celebrate the happy moment with a big Christmas party at the mansion, but the celebration is short lived. A couple, Mr. And Mrs. Mudge (Miss Hannigan’s brother, Rooster, and his girlfriend, Lilly, in disguise), interrupt the party and claim to be Annie’s parents.
With a little help from President Roosevelt, Warbucks and Annie finally find happiness.
Gray, who plays Annie, sang and acted wonderfully throughout the two-hour musical — which made it sometimes hard to believe that she was just 12 years old.
The orphans (Lynn Masako Cheng, Lilly Bea Ireland, Bridget Carly Marsh, Angelina Carballo and Sage Bentley) gave adorable, engaging performances. The littlest one, Molly (Alyssa Emily Marvin), presented a lot of hilarious moments.
As Warbucks, Taggett exudes power and authority when talking to his employees, business associates and even the president, but on the other side he shows his vulnerability and compassion to Annie. There is a lovely father-daughter chemistry between Annie and Warbucks when they dance together in “I Don’t Need Anything But You”.
Lynn Andrews plays charmingly as the detestable and hilarious Miss Hannigan. She is entertaining except during her rendition of “Easy Street”, which she performed alongside Rooster (Garrett Deagon) and Lily (Lucy Werner), at the end of Act 1 that felt too long and tedious.
The musical creates a funny version of President Roosevelt (Jeffrey B. Duncan), who at times appears to be overly optimistic and whimsical. Members of the cast, who play multiple roles as the staff in Warburcks’ household and the homeless on the streets of New York), also act wonderfully together.
The strength of Annie is not only in its cast but also in its lovely orchestra and magnificent sets by Tony-winning scenic designer Beowulf Boritt. From the set of a dark cold night on New York streets in the 1930s to the lavish Christmas party at Warbucks’ mansion, the scenes are perfect and flow seamlessly.
During the premier night of Annie in Jakarta, some little girls and their parents went home after Act 1 at around 9 p.m. — perhaps it was past their bedtime. But the rest of the audience, including lots of children, stayed in their seats and applauded as the cast took their curtain call.
Perhaps Annie’s rags-to-riches story is too good to be true, but its excellent production and heartwarming performance will put a smile on your face and make you wholeheartedly sing the eternal anthem of optimism: “The sun will come out tomorrow!”
Photos by Donny Fernando
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Annie the musical will be staged at the Ciputra Artpreneur Theater in Jakarta until Aug. 14.
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