The sun comes out for Annie at Milton Keynes Theatre
Theatre's favourite redhead captures everyone's hearts.
THE autumn season at Milton Keynes Theatre started this week with the family crowd-pleaser Annie and you had to be Teflon-coated not to be sucked into the cutsie, saccharine-coated sentimentality of the musical.
It ticked all the right boxes for a fabulous night out with the kids. There were two loveable mutts who didn't disgrace themselves on stage, a whole bunch of locally picked youngsters playing the rag-tag orphans, a pantomime baddy in the eccentric shape of Su Pollard, and a rags-to-riches story to make your heart melt.
Annie is one of the best introductions to theatre a child can have and it tugs at the heartstrings no matter how many times you've seen it.
A lot depends on the leading "lady" and three little girls share the red bobbed wig on this latest tour of the award-winning show.
First night honours at MKT went to little Lydia Tunstall whose beautiful voice didn't disappoint.
Annie tells the story of a little orphan girl who cheekily gets herself invited to spend Christmas with a New York magnate. Within minutes of her arrival she has endeared herself to the bachelor and, by the end of the holiday, the pair become inseparable.
Annie wants to find out if her real parents are still alive while the evil, drunken, orphanage boss, Miss Hannigan (played with relish by the deliciously over-the-top Miss Pollard) wants to get her hands on a bumper reward billionaire Oliver Warbucks is offering to help reunite Annie with her mum and dad.
It's set during the Depression and the contrast between Warbucks' lavish lifestyle and that of those on the breadline is never far from the surface. Any resemblance to Dickens' Oliver Twist can't be discounted.
First to capture the audiences' hearts was little blonde moppet Ellie Turner who plays the youngest orphan, Molly. You just wanted to scoop her up and take her home.
Then Sandy the dog made his entrance – and I wanted to scoop him up and take him home – before the Julie Andrews' loveliness of Simone Craddock wafted onto the stage as Warbucks' PA, Grace Farrell.
Craddock looked and sounded stunning with a captivating smile, an envious figure, and a knockout voice.
TV star David McAlister blasted the cobwebs out of the eaves with a powerful performance as the self-made billionaire whose heart is captivated by the loveable little Annie.
It's a show with great tunes, an easy to follow story line and the obligatory happy ending. What more could you want from a night out at the theatre?
Annie runs until Saturday. For tickets call the box office 0844 871 7652 or go online www.ambassadortickets.com/miltonkeynes
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Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Wednesday 08 February 2012
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