Orphan Annie Finds A Home At The Beck Center

For those of you out there who are unfamiliar with the play Annie, I am about to offer the following review to see if your interests can be piqued. Everyone else who knows the gist, alas, I have nothing new to share.

Or heroine is a cute, perky little orphan girl named Annie (played by Anna Barrett) who is dead set on finding her parents, or rather (spoiler alert) her place in the world. The show’s snarky big opening musical number is "It’s the Hard Knock Life," a very catchy ditty that will have your foot tapping along with a smile on your face and a semi-awkward feeling in you gut. How can a song where children admit to having ‘empty bellies’ and lines like “we get kicked” end in thunderous applause from a packed opening night crowd? Answer: those orphans are a talented bunch.

Fast forward past a failed escape attempt from the orphanage and a strange musical number sung by homeless people that sarcastically thanked Herbert Hoover for crippling the country and we find sweet little Annie winning the lottery (figuratively, of course) by randomly being selected to spend the Christmas holidays with the mind-blowingly wealthy Mr. Oliver Warbucks (played by Gilgamesh Taggett*). The father-daughter chemistry was palpable between Barrett and Taggett making their heartfelt musical numbers all the more believable and at times, adorable.

If you are looking for a night out and a feel good show for all ages, Annie fits the bill. It is full of talented actors and actresses, catchy songs and Mr. Franklin Delano Roosevelt himself. Well, maybe not himself, but veteran actor Leslie Feagan was an absolute delight to watch.

Tickets for Annie are $28 for adults, $25 for seniors (65 and older), $12 for students (with valid I.D.), and $10 for children (12 and under). An additional $3 service fee per ticket is applied at the time of purchase. Flex Passes and group discounts (13 or more) are available. Purchase tickets online at beckcenter.org or call Customer Services at 216.521.2540, ext. 10. Beck Center for the Arts is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, just ten minutes west of downtown Cleveland. Free onsite parking is available.

This production of Annie is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (mtishows.com) and is sponsored by First Federal Lakewood, West Roofing Systems, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, and the Ohio Arts Council.

*Appears courtesy of the Actors’ Equity Association (AEA), the union of actors and stage managers.