SINCE it first premiered on Broadway in 1977, Annie has become one of theatre's most-loved musicals.
So there was a lot for Bournemouth and Boscombe Light Opera Company - also known as BBLOC - to live up to when they took on the show for their latest production at the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth.
But, as with every BBLOC show I've seen over the years, Annie didn't disappoint.
The level of talent from this amateur company is always outstanding, with the staging, costumes, sets and choreography consistently slick and professional.
Set in 1930s New York during the Great Depression, brave young Annie is forced to live a life of misery at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. Her luck soon changes when she's chosen to spend a fairytale Christmas with famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. Meanwhile, Miss Hannigan has other ideas and hatches a plan to spoil Annie’s search for her true family.
The Tony award-winning score includes familiar numbers such as It's The Hard Knock Life, Easy Street, I Don't Need Anything But You and Tomorrow, while this production also featured a few additional, but lesser-known tunes – each and every one delivered confidently and with an abundance of character.
Jonathan Busk was suitably stately with strong vocals as Oliver Warbucks, partnered superbly by a pitch-perfect Kayleigh Jones as Grace Farrell. Sally Wheeler portrayed the much-hated, miserable Miss Hannigan just brilliantly and even fluffy, friendly Teddy the pooch failed to put a paw wrong as Annie's canine companion, Sandy.
But, of course, this show is all about the kids – each and every one bringing a supreme confidence, bucket loads of character and astonishing talent to the stage.
And finally to the wonderful Eva Riisager, who, as Annie, led the entire show as if she was born to do it – utterly relaxed throughout, impressively professional with an absolutely incredible talent way beyond her years.
A star is born.
Well done BBLOC – another superbly entertaining production!
Emma Joeseph 
Bournemouth and Boscombe Light Opera Company have again pulled off a corker. ANNIE is a musical with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and a book by Thomas Meehan. It is based on the 1924 comic strip, Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray (which in turn was inspired from the poem Little Orphant Annie by James Whitcomb Riley). The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, setting a record for the Alvin Theatre (now the Neil Simon Theatre). It spawned numerous productions in many countries, as well as national tours, and won seven Tony Awards including for Best Musical. The musical’s songs “Tomorrow” and “Its the hard knock life” are among its most popular musical numbers (and for good reason!).
From entering the decadence of the Bournemouth Pavillion you are transported to 1930s NYC and the set throughout the show is truly stunning. This is BBLOC’s 76th production since 1955 and the commitment to theatre and production remains absolute. The production team for this show; Helen Barrington (Director), Heather Davis (Choreographer), Ian Peters (Musical Director) and Duncan Hook (Production Manager) have really outdone themselves. Along with the beautiful and transformative set and stunning music and production, the direction and choreography of this show really is outstanding. This is a significant cast for BBLOC, made up of 52 actors (with 24 children). The children are split into two troops; Team Maybe and Team Tomorrow. For opening night we were treated to Team Maybe who were exceptional.
Annie (Zanthie Lock) is fantastic as the cheeky but loveable orphan and her voice and singing were perfection, for the role! The Team Maybe Ophans (Rebecca Gillard, Sienna Karimi, Anita Roberts, Emily Chapman, Harper Williamson, Freya Sainsbury, Hattie Coniam, Bella Brittan, Matilda Dunford, Alice Vernon-Mulryan and Darcy King) set the scene from before the curtain rose and played their roles with magnificence and confidence. Of the adult actors some of the roles really stood out, Sally Wheeler (Miss Hannigan) was made for the role and was fabulous, but the standouts for me were Jonathan Busk (Oliver Warbucks) whose singing voice I could listen to all day, Kayleigh Jones (Grace Farrell) who was exceptional in her delivery and Phillip Fry (Franklin D Roosevelt) who again may have been made for the role!
This is certainly not to say the rest of the cast weren’t fantastic, these members were just my personal favourite. The classic numbers were amazing but my favourite was in the Second Act with Roosevelt and his advisors (well done Edward Brennan for an exceptionally over enthusiastic performance, which was fab!). In this production of course was also Sandy the dog (Teddy), a 4-year-old cockapoo who was stunning and who drew ‘ahhs’ from the crowd whenever he entered the stage!
They say never work with children or animals but this dedicated and talented team have pulled off to perfection why you SHOULD! This is a classic production which appeals to ALL ages. I went to see it with my son Dylan (age 8) who loved the show and the great thing about seeing shows in Bournemouth is you can make an evening of it by going out for dinner first (we went for Gluten Free Wagamama’s, perfectly positioned opposite The Pavilion but there is so much choice around the local area!). Annie is at The Bournemouth Pavilion until November 1st so hurry to get your tickets as 1st November is only a couple of days away!
Kate Cuthbertson 
Annie Comes to Bournemouth Pavilion!
The sun really will come out tomorrow with the beloved story of orphan Annie as the BBLOC stage show plays in Bournemouth this week! I mistakenly thought I had seen the film previously, but think I must have missed most of it as I didn’t know what was coming in the storyline, which always makes watching a stage show fun!
Of course I knew a couple of the songs (Hard-Knock Life and Tomorrow), but I was pleased to enjoy the rest I hadn’t heard before too (especially Easy Street)! Vocally, the actors were brilliant, especially lead Annie, who is dually played by Zanthie Lock and Eva Riisager. I was seriously impressed with how Zanthie commanded the stage, having us believe she really was struggling at an orphanage in earlier scenes. Special mention has to also go out to the other child actors (again dually played across the performances), who gave it their all with fantastic renditions of the songs.
As I mentioned, I didn’t know what was coming next in the storyline, which is set in 1930s New York during the Great Depression, but thought the flow of the performance was brilliant. Sometimes I can feel a little trapped due to claustrophobia during long performances, but I didn’t this time. The first act is 75 minutes, but there is so much action and story going on to follow, that it flew by. The second act, following a 20 minute interval, was just as good with a climatic ending and more musical numbers to enjoy.
Staging was done marvellously, with the elegance of Mr Warbucks’ mansion really coming through as well as the poorer areas including the orphanage itself offering a stark contrast. I liked the fact that the story is set in the lead-up to Christmas too, allowing for props such as a Christmas tree to add to the grandeur in the final scenes. Props were used to enhance scenes, such as a the giant laundry basket for the children to play tricks from and hide in, and we cannot forget to mention the use of a real live dog in the performance – no easy feat, from a dog-owner!
BBLOC have previously performed Jospeh and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamboat, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and 42nd Street as well as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on stage at the Pavilion, so I knew we would be in for a treat as performances are always professional and immersive.
Miss Hannigan (played by Sally Wheeler) was portrayed really well, adding comedy to the cruelness to create a captivating character throughout. Meanwhile, in contrast, it was interesting to see the strong and somewhat blunt character of Mr Warbucks (played by Jonathan Busk) soften upon meeting and getting to know Annie.
I had a fantastic night at the theatre watching Annie, which had me beaming ear to ear during many of the songs (after all, you’re never fully dressed without a smile!). It is a feel-good story, whilst tackling difficult issues such as poverty and loss of parents with a softened approach, making it suitable for the whole family to enjoy this half term. Performances are on now until Saturday, with family tickets from £85, the perfect treat for those who are looking to avoid the Halloween activities, or simply crave a little escapism. Tickets can be purchased online in advance, I promise, you’re gonna love it!
I was provided with complimentary tickets for the purpose of review, however all words are my own.
Emma
