Genre of Annie

[Kenzie12]

Hello, I don't really know much about theatre and I am trying to write a paper about the play I just saw which is Annie. I got asked what is the genre. Is it modern tragedy,modern serious comedy,contemporary anti-middle class comedy , naturalism,theater of alienation,or the theater of cruelty?

Thank you!

[dramamama611]

It isn't any of those.

[BrodyFosse123]

In simple terms: it’s a Broadway musical.

Nothing more; nothing less.

[Robbie2]

Kenzie12 said: "Hello, I don't really know much about theatre and I am trying to write a paper about the play I just saw which is Annie. I got asked what is the genre. Is itmodern tragedy,modern serious comedy,contemporary anti-middle class comedy , naturalism,theater of alienation,or the theater of cruelty?

Thank you!"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_(musical)

[UncleCharlie]

I'd call it Redwigism comedy with overtones of Doghairism.

[SharksVsJets]

I can tell this is going to be my new favorite thread.

[Dollypop]

Plainly put:

It's musical comedy.

[Phantom4ever]

It sounds like your class might be studying theater topics that don’t appear on Broadway often (or at all).
The theater genres you mentioned are quite narrow and some might even say rare. In fact, I have never even heard of most of those genres. I mean, theater of cruelty is a thing ? What on earth would that possibly involve? You would be better off going to to an off-off Broadway and/or experimental theater in order to explore some of those genres.

[ChairinMain]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatre_of_Cruelty here ya go, have fun. 

 

That being said, to the OP...don't read too deep into Annie. It's Fluff. Optimistic, surface-deep, tooth-rotting fluff. It can be fun in a good production, has a nice message about not giving into despair even when things look bleak, and...that's...about it. 

[darquegk]

Revisionist history: Annie ends the Depression and is implied to prevent World War 2 in 1933.

[dramamama611]

I'm wondering if the OP had the assignment of viewing something that was suppose to fall into one of the genres but assumed that ALL theater fell into one of those very specific ones.

[GavestonPS]

I don't see how the OP can answer the question when the show's creators never really decided. Sometimes ANNIE is social protest, sometimes a light, family comedy, sometimes historical satire, sometimes show biz parody (Annie descending the staircase during the title number in her red dress a la Dolly Levi), etc.

It isn't even consistently a cartoon.

And, yes, Theatre of Cruelty is a thing. And google is your friend.

[henrikegerman]

Does it have to be on of these multiplied choices?
If so, I would think I'd say that of these options, the one it most closely resembles is modern serious comedy.

If you can choose your own the answer, as has been mentioned, it's a musical comedy.  To narrow that field down, as Gaveston mentions, it is many things.  But I would suggest a musical comedy Cinderella story.  Because it is consistently that.

Alternatively, a dog and puny show.

[Alex Kulak2]

Ask your teacher if you can add a new topic to the list: Profitable theatre. Annie's that.

[John Adams]

henrikegerman said: "Alternatively, a dog and puny show."

Is "puny" a typo (as opposed to pony) Maybe a "dog and punny" show? Whatever the intention, it made me laugh .

Now that I've googled "Theater of Cruelty", I'd like to see a re-imagined Annie in the style of ToC. (...although that might ultimately be "Farce".) Oh, the angst!

[sinister teashop]

"Theatre of Cruelty" definitely had its moment in the 1960's but I think your drama teacher might be a bit mad. That said, I would adore seeing a production of ANNIE directed like Peter Brooks' MARAT/SADE.

[FosseTharp]

Very off topic, but I saw a parody production of Annie at the inaugural year of the Chicago Fringe fest that I would consider Theater of the Absurd. It was set in a Futuristic sci-fi world with the orphanage set in a Brothel with Hannigan as a Madame and the orphans were prostitutes. ??

[Kad]

There is no way in hell that production would've happened if the rights holders were aware of it.

[darquegk]

Chances are it wasn't a massively adapted production but an "unauthorized parody" show, like SCarrie.