Reviewed by Dr. Tiffany Knight Raymond, PhD and Theron Raymond (6th grader)
The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust welcomes Annie to the Benedum Center. This 1977 Tony-awarding musical is directed by Jenn Thompson and features book by Thomas Meehan, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and music by Charles Strouse. Annie is based on a 1924 comic strip, which was in fact inspired by a poem. The show is aptly timed between the recent centennial of the comic strip and upcoming National Poetry Month in April.
Hazel Vogel is spell-bindingly magnetic as title character Annie. While Vogel’s vocals feel rushed at times, she brings an indomitable spirit and effervescent charm. In the orphanage, Annie is differentiated as a redhead, but all of the girls have mussy, unbrushed hair that exemplifies the lack of care they receive. Once Annie goes to the Warbucks home, her hair is brushed, then adorned with bows. It culminates in the curls we associate with Annie thanks to the brilliant hair and wig design by Ashley Rae Callahan. The modernization of Annie’s hairstyle symbolizes her rise in status. Curls were all the rage in the 1930s, which is when the show takes place. The level of care and required styling expertise earmarks them – and her – as high society.
Alejo Vietti’s costume design works synergistically with Callahan’s hair and wig design. The orphans wear drab, undifferentiated shades of brown and beige that symbolize their downcast surroundings. However, the play ends with each girl wearing a different jewel-colored dress. Annie may own red, but Vietti shows us they each shine gemlike in their own way.
Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks (Christopher Swan) is the bald-headed Jeff Bezos of his day. His character progresses from money-grubbing billionaire to adopted father with a heart of gold. Swan’s authenticity makes Warbucks’ transformation feel real. When Annie asks for help finding her real parents, the pain on his face is acute at the thought of losing her. However, like any good parent, he puts her needs first and summons all of his powers to help. In fact, the moral seems to be that a mid-life crisis might be better solved by adoption and helping the less fortunate than day-drinking Bezos-style with bikini babes on yachts.
Miss Hannigan (Stefanie Londino) manifests a palpable disgust for the girls in her charge. She seeks refuge in alcohol and expresses her dissatisfaction by tormenting her wards. The girls are not cowed and rally to torment her back with antics like dangling a dead mouse in front of her. They seek agency in a world where they’re forgotten. The ensemble of orphans shine in synchronicity in legendary numbers like “It’s a Hard Knock Life.” They bang buckets in unison at the expression of “hard knock” and use mops as props in this beautifully staged number by choreographer Patricia Wilcox.
Wilson Chin’s scenic designs make use of sharp contrast that reinforce the status of those who live there. The orphanage’s despondent gray walls are cracked and crumbling. The Warbucks mansion is awash in cream and gold tones with towering, sparkling windows. As bad as the orphanage looks, there’s one scene in a homeless encampment where the “walls” are dirty fabric, heightening the spectrum of disparity across America and reminding us this story is just as relevant today.
-TKR, Ph.D. & TR
Purchase online tickets for Annie through March 15, 2025 at the Benedum Center, 237 7th Street, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222.
