Review: Annie
At The Alhambra, Bradford
AS a novice I wasn't quite prepared to see the star of this rags-to-riches story sporting a head of straight hair. Surely this is the most famous mop of curly locks in history? Well, apart from Shirley Temple's and Brian May's.
But our little Annie appeared with a severe fringe and extremities which seemed to shoot off at gravity-defying angles. Lady Gaga would think twice about this wig.
Once over the tonsorial shock, stage two involved adapting to the voice of Victoria Sian Lewis in the lead role. I quickly realised that this slightly crude, shrill tone was all part and parcel of the central character's New York rough diamond delivery.
But she was great in the part, really great. At least as far as an Annie novice could tell. An unqualified blast was Su Pollard in the role of cruel orphanage boss Miss Hannigan.
She hilariously milked the drunken bum routine to perfection while still gaining respect by booming out some great numbers showcasing her voice and illustrating why she's still getting plum roles after all these years.
Even more interesting was David McAlister as Oliver Warbucks, the billionaire who rescues our heroine from poverty and tries to track down her parents. After seeing him in more conventional TV roles, watching him adopt an all-singing all-dancing persona is another eye-opener, but he pulls it off really rather well.
The main criticism this Annie novice would level at the show is that, with a running time of around 2 hours and 15 minutes, it goes on for quite a while. The first half alone runs to about 80 minutes, really trying the attention of an audience which includes several hundred kids.
And although there's a few big numbers in there – Maybe, Tomorrow, It's the Hard Knock Life – some are repeated on several occasions while other tunes are instantly forgettable and just unnecessarily stretch out the story.
It seems Annie isn't filled with killer songs such as those in blockbuster musicals like The Sound of Music, West Side Story or Grease. But what there is just about gets you through.
The staging is adequate, though the sound quality on the night sometimes fluctuated, which was disappointing. The production values are obvious but they don't seem to have thrown quite so much money at this one in the same way as we've often seen with other big touring shows.
Not that the kids, or the adults, appeared to care too much. Most of them seemed to be complete devotees and probably knew that our freckle-faced cutesie would, eventually, appear at the end sporting her hallmark red curls.
And it would have been a show-stealing moment were it not for the fact that the producers were smart enough to use a real dog to play her shaggy pooch Sandy. Up against him, even Annie never stood a chance.
Until Saturday, The Alhambra, Morley Street, Bradford, 10.50 to 26.50, 7.30pm Sat mat 2.30pm. Tel: 01274 432000. www.bradford-theatres.co.uk.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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