Annie the Musical is back in the West End, directed by Nikolai Foster and starring Miranda Hart. Here is five reasons why you need to see it:
1. The children of the cast: every single young actress on the stage throughout the show are immensely talented and have a great energy about them that brings a smile to the faces of the audience. With the help of Nick Winston’s choreography, the ‘Hard Knock Life’ sequence is spirited and energetic in a way that really showcases their talents.
2. Nick Winston’s choreography: what makes this show so energetic and lively is down to the wonderfully choreographed songs such as ‘NYC’ and ‘Easy Street’ that capture the spirit of the show perfectly, while ensuring there is plenty of technique thrown in to keep things interesting.
3. It is just good fun entertainment: granted, some might find the story a little bit overly sweet in places, but there is certainly no denying the fun appeal of it all – with plenty of humour and moments that are designed to tug at the heartstrings – making the audience leave the theatre feeling uplifted and more positive that things will look brighter tomorrow. Anything feels possible after watching this show.
4. It has been a long time coming: Annie the musical was last seen in the West End back in 1998/1999 in which it ran at the Victoria Palace and starred Lesley Joseph and then Lily Savage as Miss Hannigan and Kevin Colson as Warbucks. It feels as though the time is right to bring it back, given the gloomy state of the world, offering families a couple of hours of pure enjoyment.
5. Nikolai Foster’s production: in the wrong hands, Annie the musical could be in danger of becoming overly sentimental – but thankfully this production doesn’t; opting to keep it light and surrounded by moments of poignancy that are never overplayed.
Annie is currently booking at the Piccadilly Theatre until January 2018. To book tickets visit: Ticketmaster.co.uk, ATG Tickets, Discount Theatre.com, See Tickets.com, Last Minute.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk, Love Theatre.com and Theatre People.com.