Review: ANNIE is Earning Ovations at Broadway Sacramento

America’s most endearing, optimistic orphan is back in Sacramento and she has a powerful posse of bunkmates backing her up. Almost fifty years after her debut, Annie is as relevant as ever and still stealing hearts with her smarts and sass. After taking home seven Tony Awards in 1977, the show went on to numerous adaptations, including the memorable 1982 film.

This new tour has all of the original charm with some great new alterations. Thankfully, the famous red wig was one to hit the chopping block, to be replaced with a much more appealing, modern style. Ultimately, though, what we care about is if Annie can belt out “Tomorrow.” This Annie can do that and more. Rainier Treviño is a young powerhouse who makes us feel all of the feels. Her rendition of “Maybe” even coincided with someone cutting onions near me. Her fellow orphans are equally impressive. Jade Smith, who plays little Molly, is a little bundle of spunk packed full of talent. One of the show’s most recognizable numbers, “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” showcases the girls’ strengths and kicks off the electrifying energy that carries the show through to its final number. Their perpetually hungover warden, Miss Hannigan, is delightfully unlikable and played expertly by veteran Stefanie Londino. Of course, no Annie would be complete without her bold, baritone Daddy Warbucks, and Christopher Swan delivers on both counts. I can’t leave Grace Farrell out, because we all know that behind every powerful man is a woman, right? Or something like that. Julia Nicole Hunter’s Grace is the perfect blend of maternal nurturing and cutthroat business maven. She is the glue that makes the cast seem so effortlessly cohesive. Local audiences should know that there is another great reason to come see the show -- we are incredibly lucky to be able to see Sacramento native, Jaelle Laguerre, in the cast. The kids’ favorite, though, will be the best boy, Seamus (ok, he was my favorite, too). He is also a Northern California native and thrills everyone with his stellar portrayal of Sandy (so what if it’s for treats?).

I was a little worried that I would find Annie to be less enjoyable than the show I remembered from my youth. I needn’t have, for as soon as the overture began, I was steeped in nostalgia. This time it came with an adult appreciation for the quality of the orchestrations and the themes I had missed as a child. Annie is more than a rags to riches story. It’s a commentary on politics, abuse, alcoholism, capitalism, and poverty. It’s so cleverly done that all ages will enjoy it equally, but for different reasons. Annie wraps up everything good about humanity into a beautiful gift given to generation after generation.

Annie plays at Broadway Sacramento through April 21st. Tickets may be purchased online at BroadwaySacramento.com, by phone at (916) 557-1999, or at the Box Office at 1419 H Street in Sacramento.

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