On Monday 17th June I visited The Orchard Theatre, Dartford to watch Annie, starring Craig Revel Horwood. From the moment I entered the auditorium I was struck by the stunning set design by Colin Richmond, it was so beautiful.
As soon as the show began, I was transported to the world of Annie and the orphans and I was so impressed by the incredible talent those young actors displayed. Such characters, all of them. I was a little apprehensive about Craig Revel Horwood playing Miss Hannigan, as I'm not a huge fan of "star casting" however, his theatre background came through and he was sensational. He played the character in such a way that I forgot at times that he was underneath that dress and wig, he didn't overdo it, he was actually quite a believable, if not ghastly, lady!
The music was wonderful, the orchestra were too. I felt as though the whole cast and crew were strong throughout. I had a little difficulty in hearing some of the dialogue at times, I'm not sure if this was a mic level issue, or if the words were being a little rushed in places, or maybe it was an accent issue, but it didn't happen often, and it didn't take anything away from the performances.
Alex Bourne made a heartfelt and sincere Daddy Warbucks, his voice was clear and strong and his relationship with Annie was very touching. Richard Meek and Jenny Gayner were delightfully ratty and physically brilliant as Rooster and Lily, and Carolyn Maitland was a safe pair of hands as Grace Farrell.
I think what really blew me away, in all honesty, was the incredible performance by Ava Smith, in the title role; Annie. Honestly, what a star. This show marks Ava's professional debut and yet to watch her, you would think she had been on stage her whole life. Her voice was so pure and her stage presence was wonderful, she had the audience in the palm of her hand, receiving huge cheers and applause after every song she belted out.
All in all, this was a stunning production, with a hugely talented cast, and I would absolutely recommend!
Annie is at The Orchard Theatre, Dartford until Saturday 22nd June 2019.
Tommy's take:
As always, I brought my five year old son Tommy with me to see the show, and this is what he thought:
" It was really good. I wasn't scared of Miss Hannigan even though I thought I would be. My favourite was Annie and also the bad guy (Rooster). I'm really happy I saw it."
Tommy and I give Annie 5 Stars!
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