Hard to believe, but this is 500!!
Another 100 bites the dust... last November I
celebrated the big 400 mark. To celebrate, let's keep with the
tradition of reviewing a musical made before I was born... (100 & 200 & 300 & 400).
Annie (Quinn) is an orphan living a hard-knock life in an orphanage. Miss Hannigan (Burnett), who runs the orphanage, is perpetually drunk and hates children, and makes their lives miserable. Annie dreams of the day when her parents return, and the life she will have with them, which gives hope to the other girls. They help Annie escape through the laundry.
While on her own, Annie rescues a scruffy dog she names Sandy. They are quickly recaptured and returned to Miss Hannigan, where she is scooped up by Grace Farrell (Reinking), personal secretary to billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Finney). Warbucks is trying to revamp his image, by having the press document his holiday week with an orphan. While Warbucks was expecting a boy, he and the staff fall for Annie.
Meanwhile, back at the orphanage, Miss Hannigan receives a surprise visit from her con man brother Rooster (Curry) and his new girlfriend, Lily St. Regis (Peters), concoct a plan, involving Annie, to make their way to "Easy Street."
Annie first came to life in the 1890s through Harold Gray's comic series "Little Orphan Annie." The strip was popular and last until the late 1960s. The character appeared in a radio show in 1930 and in two film adaptations in the 1930s. In 1977 Annie became a Broadway musical. The show was successful and iconic and was turned into a film, with several changes from the show.
The cast is incredible. A large search went out to find the perfect Annie. Many of the girls who were in the final round for the part were ultimately cast as her friends at the orphanage. Aileen Quinn is endearing and adorable in the role. Albert Finney is not the first actor you think of as the male lead in a musical, let alone this musical... however, he exceeds expectation. Carol Burnett is an inspired choice for Miss Hannigan, and takes the character in a different direction than her Broadway portrayals. She is a raging alcoholic and incredibly entertaining. Ann Reinking is also a Broadway vet and dancer (she was Bob Fosse's protegee)... I don't love most of her work, but I like her in this role (even though Audra McDonald is my favorite in the 1999 film version). Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters began their careers on stage. They are a great pairing and get to sing one of my favorite songs from the film / show, "Easy Street."
A great musical. The show is back on Broadway, and there are rumors that Will Smith is looking to make a new film version starring his daughter Willow Smith. An interesting idea, and I will be intrigued to see the new version.
Annie (1982) 126 minutes
Director: John Huston
Starring: Albert Finney as Oliver Warbucks
Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan
Ann Reinking as Grace Farrell
Tim Curry as Rooster Hannigan
Bernadette Peters as Lily St. Regis
Aileen Quinn as Annie
Geoffrey Holder as Punjab
Roger Minami as Asp
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