“The sun’ll come out tomorrow. So you gotta hang on ’til tomorrow, come what may. Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya, tomorrow! You’re always a day away!”
The inspirational, optimistic, showstopping musical number “Tomorrow”–lyrics by Martin Charnin, music by Charles Strouse–in the thoughtfully crafted revival of the Broadway musical “Annie,” brilliantly directed by James Lapine, holds a deeply meaningful message, especially for these economically challenging times.
Set in New York City in 1933, during the Great Depression, with a book by Thomas Meehan based on the comic strip “Little Orphan Annie,” the latest staging of the musical opened Nov. 8 at the Palace Theatre.
Here on an exciting, ever-evolving stage, the transfixing scenic designs by David Korins exposed the story of two factions of the city–the rich and the poor–as depictions of poverty and opulence clamored to outdo each other.
On the one hand, there’s the tiny, cramped, sad-looking room of the Municipal Girls’ Orphanage, the home of several orphans. Here at the top of the show, we find 11-year-old Annie (Lilla Crawford) huddled on the stairs, while the other young girls occupy one bed. They are Pepper (Georgi James), Duffy (Taylor Richardson), July (Madi Rae DiPietro), Tessie (Junah Jang), Kate (Tyrah Skye Odoms) and 6-year-old Molly (Emily Rosenfeld), who is tucked in a most unlikely place to sleep. In charge of the orphanage is the mean, frustrated Miss Hannigan (Katie Finneran), whose primary goal is not her young charges, but the desperate realization that age is creeping up on her, and she doesn’t have a man.
A set change exposes yet another scene of the underprivileged. This backdrop portrays one of the city’s makeshift communities created by homeless New Yorkers, who huddle over a fire to keep themselves warm from the bitter cold, as they share scraps of food. This is another languishing segment of society that Annie and her newfound friend, Sandy, a dog, briefly experience before they are separated by hostile authorities bent on cleaning up the neighborhood.
As an audience member observing this heartrending scene, images of hundreds of East Coast citizens who were hit hard by another Sandy–Hurricane Sandy–immediately came to mind. As fantasy and reality merge, the memorable, poignant song “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” sung by Annie and the orphans, comes to life in a stark, explicit way.
Juxtaposed with these images of poverty is the affluence of the posh mansion setting of billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Anthony Warlow), who knows historic figures such as President Franklin D. Roosevelt and who tosses around names like that of Prohibition agent Eliot Ness. Here in this setting, the audience gets to know Warbucks’ secretary, Grace Farrell (Brynn O’Malley), as well as meet his extensive housekeeping staff.
As ordained by destiny, the rich and the poor come together at Christmas, when Annie enters Warbucks’ world and the millionaire gets a glimpse of hers. What evolves is a soulful, meaningful experience of what it truly means to be human for a little girl searching for the love of family, and for a man who has every material thing money can buy, yet is still missing something that is very special.
Yes! The exciting musical numbers, on-point direction and uplifting book with its multifarious life-affirming messages resonate deeply, taking on fresh, spectacular depth, all the while offering the gift of high-spirited entertainment, thanks to an extraordinary cast that is the joy of the Yuletide season and beyond.
The casting team of Telsey & Co. has indeed found pearls in its selection of talent for the entire “Annie” cast. Crawford, who brings heart and soul to her role of Annie, is matchless. Finneran’s portrayal of Miss Hannigan is unforgettable, switching between queen of mean and woman of desperate measures.
And a Casting Pearls cheer to Miss Tyrah Skye Odoms. At age 7, Tyrah “is thrilled to make her Broadway debut” in “Annie,” in which she sings, dances up a storm and delivers her lines like the true pro she is. Her other regional credits include “Seussical” (Who) and “Beauty and the Beast” (Chip). Tyrah has also been featured in commercials, print campaigns and runway shows. Tyrah, keep on “making your dreams come true.”
