Review: ANNIE at Greater Boston Stage Company

Like the namesake comic strip orphan who inspired it, “Annie” is both ageless and timeless. The Tony Award-winning musical, set in 1933 and first produced in 1977, tells the tale of an 11-year-old redhead whose eternal optimism not only buoys her fellow waifs but also leads the little orphan to dabble in political philosophy on a visit with FDR and his Cabinet at the White House as they struggle to lift America out of the Depression.

Cartoonist Harold Grey created “Little Orphan Annie” for the funny pages long before she came to life on Broadway, almost 50 years ago, in the enduringly appealing stage show – with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and book by Thomas Meehan – which is being presented by Greater Boston Stage Company in Stoneham through June 28.

At a recent performance, clarion-clear-voiced Livia Quist (who alternates with Helen M. Brady in the title role) imbued the plucky heroine with winning warmth and believability. Quist was impressive on the show’s signature anthem, “Tomorrow,” and emotionally affecting on “Maybe,” the gentle lament which opens each of the show’s two acts.

Quist was supported by a terrific troupe of young performers who are double-cast and include Marina Liwanag and Maya Feldman as Duffy, Aisling Murray and Georgia Linehan as July, Cassidy Linskey and Riley McGuinn as Kate, Ainsley Moulton and Audrey Awad as Molly, Brenna Brien and Quinn Briere as Pepper, and Bella Nevin and Penelope Mae Kaminsky as Tessie. And, because no “Annie” is complete without her dog, a scene-stealer named Gideon is on hand as the ever-popular Sandy.

Like any great musical, the strength of “Annie” comes in the artful blending of score and story. Many of the Strouse and Charnin songs, from “It’s the Hard Knock Life” and “You’re Never Fully Dressed without a Smile” to “I Don’t Need Anything but You,” have become familiar to audiences of all ages and serve to advance the story they help tell.

As the live-in overlord of the orphanage and Annie’s arch-nemesis, Miss Hannigan, GBSC stalwart Ceit M. Zweil is terrific. She sings, dances, and menaces on “Little Girls,” all while bringing her character’s darker shadings forward. Zweil, of course, has some hard acts to follow. Dorothy Loudon originated the role on Broadway, with Nell Carter and Katie Finneran toplining the 1997 and 2012 revivals, while Carol Burnett, Kathy Bates, Cameron Diaz, and Taraji P. Henson have all played the part in film and television adaptations.  

During the 2012 revival, Finneran was succeeded first by Jane Lynch and later Faith Prince. During that period, Weymouth’s own Mary Callanan – remembered by GBSC audiences for playing Vera Charles in the company’s 2016 production of “Mame” – was a replacement Mrs. Pugh and understudy for Miss Hannigan, going on several times in the role.

Reprising his role from the 2025 Wheelock Family Theatre staging of “Annie,” De’Lon Grant may be one of the most dashing Oliver Warbucks ever. From the outset, Grant eschews the character’s customary bombast to be a kinder, gentler billionaire industrialist – and we could certainly use more of those these days – welcoming Annie into his home and his heart. Grant’s Warbucks has a winning, rather than off-putting, confidence and his deep voice adds considerable warmth to “Something Was Missing.”

With a smile that could light a room, Tader Shipley exudes charm and determination as Warbucks’ loyal secretary-turned-love-interest Grace Farrell, and is a delight on songs including act one’s “N.Y.C.” and “You Won’t be an Orphan for Long.”

Mark Linehan, as the nefarious Rooster Hannigan, and Kathy St. George, a fixture at GBSC, as his ditzy accomplice, Lily St. Regis, make a great comic pairing visually due to Linehan’s height and St. George’s lack thereof. And Zweil’s spirited choreography and performance of “Easy Street,” alongside Linehan and St. George, is a highlight both in act one and when it is reprised in act two.

When it comes to the character work needed to make Rooster and Lily worth watching, however, most of the heavy lifting falls to St. George while Linehan sometimes seems to be struggling to keep pace with his scene partner. Indeed, some of St. George’s funniest bits here come when, masquerading as Annie’s long-lost mother, Shirley Mudge, she plants a series of lip-smacking air kisses on Quist and poofs up her own Annie-like perm.

Under the well-paced direction of Tyler Rosati, with music director Bethany Aiken leading a well-tuned seven-piece band, this is a solid “Annie.” Scenic designer Katy Monthei tries a more conceptual approach than usual with a set apparently meant to evoke a child’s coloring book. The result, however, seems oddly disconnected both from the story, since Annie isn’t shown coloring, and from the other, more realistic, design elements.

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