Theater Review: Ten things to like about an eminently likable “Annie”
By Doug Hoagland
Musical theater’s favorite red-haired moppet and her besties at the orphanage have returned to a Fresno stage in the capable hands of Good Company Players.
Now at Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater through Sept. 20, “Annie” is familiar and comfortable. The title character dreams about “Tomorrow.” Miss Hannigan and her ne’er-do-well brother, Rooster, crow about “Easy Street.” Oliver Warbucks pays tribute to his hometown, “NYC.”
When the show debuted on Broadway in 1977, The New York Times—home of serious theater criticism—declared the show to be eminently likable. Actually, The Times suggested that to dislike “Annie” was “tantamount to disliking motherhood, peanut butter, friendly mongrel dogs and nostalgia.”
With that marker thrown down, here are 10 things to like (in no particular order) about the current GCP production directed by Haleigh Cook and Steve Souza. Both are talented performers; Souza has directed before; “Annie” is Cook’s directorial debut.
ONE: Sonora Warkentin is a wonderfully natural Annie, and she gives an honest and authentic performance. Her singing is crystal clear, and her dancing is graceful. (She alternates the role with Campbell Sloas; I attended on a night when Sonora performed.)
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TWO: A strong, talented ensemble never loses momentum in propelling the narrative forward. Special shoutout to Mitchell Ralston as the butler, Drake, for mining humor in a role that suggests stuffiness.
THREE: The show’s furry, four-legged performers are ready for their closeups. Two dogs alternate as Sandy, the pooch that Annie befriends. The dogs are Oatmeal, a 1-year-old Goldendoodle, and Honey, a 4-year-old Labrador Retriever.
Oatmeal is reportedly something of a ham. His doggie mom, Mia Moore, asks him on performance nights, “Are you ready to do your show?” and he bounds to the front door. Moore and Oatmeal’s doggie daddy, Zachary Kelley, have both acted at GCP. “So Oatmeal’s talent really does run in the family,” Moore said.
Honey also enjoys performing. “Her favorite thing in the world is kids, and it gives her a lot of life spending time with the kids in the cast,” said Taylor Herbert, Honey’s doggie mom.Oatmeal and Honey have met, and their time together is best described as “chaotic,” Herbert said with a laugh. Oatmeal is something of a fan boy. “He looks up to Honey,” Moore said.
FOUR: “Annie’s” first act showstopper, “Easy Street,” arrives courtesy of Miss Hannigan (a wonderful Camille Gaston), Rooster (a charismatic Khari Somerville) and Lily St. Regis (Emily Kearns, doing much with a small part). Their singing and dancing are exuberant, but that’s only the beginning of what sells the number. There’s a playfulness in their shenanigans that’s palpable.
FIVE: More about Gaston: She delivers the kind of strong performance that Valley audiences have come to expect. Gaston employs a powerful voice, comedic chops and finely-tuned timing to good effect. Hannigan is written to be broadly played, but Gaston keeps her a character, not a caricature.
SIX: Daniel Sutherland brings his resonant baritone to the role of Warbucks. In “I Don’t Need Anything But You”—a duet with Annie—Sutherland conveys an emotional warmth that’s among many genuine moments in the production.
SEVEN: “Annie” is no “Hamilton” when it comes to American history. But it acknowledges a real part of the Depression: In the 1930s, people who had lost everything huddled in make-shift shanty settlements known as Hoovervilles. They were derisively named for President Herbert Hoover, and the ensemble confirms that fact with biting sarcasm in the song, “We’d Like To Thank You, Herbert Hoover.”
EIGHT: Costume designer Ginger Kay Lewis-Reed captures the hard times of “Annie’s” Depression-era setting with vintage clothing. Miss Hannigan wears a long, black silk kimono from the 1920s. The folks in Hooverville have moth-eaten sweaters, overcoats with missing pockets and beat-up hats—all decades old. Some of the vintage clothing came through donations.
There’s GCP history in the outfits worn by Warbucks’ secretary, Grace Farrell (Amalie Larsen). Larsen wears a caped suit, a tricolored coat with fox trim and a silk velvet party dress designed and made by Chris Moad, one of GCP’s founders. He produced the outfits for GCP’s first production of “Annie” in 1983. Lewis-Reed was Moad’s assistant and helped sew the outfits. “Chris was my mentor, a great designer and a pleasure to work with,” she said.
NINE: Speaking of Larsen: She conveys Farrell’s efficiency without shedding the character’s humanity, and also shows emotional warmth without lapsing into sentimentality. It’s a smooth and polished performance.
TEN: “Annie’s” cast includes younger performers working their way to a bigger place in the spotlight. One example: Izsac Valencia as the fast-talking radio announcer Bert Healy. He shines while hawking toothpaste and singing “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile.” Valencia has a joy that goes beyond putting on a good face for the audience. Watch for him in the years ahead.
“Annie” continues at Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theatre in Fresno’s Tower District through September 20th.
