“Annie,” the Depression Era story about an orphan who won’t give up on believing tomorrow will bring a better day, is starring at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. THE PRODUCTION enlists a large cast, 15 of whom are new faces to the ICT stage, including Lampe, McMurray and Palmer.
Iola Community Theatre’s version will unfold at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and Sunday afternoon at 2. Tickets — $12 for adults and $8 for students — may be purchased at Sophisticated Rose, 19 S. Jefferson Ave.
Gabriella Lampe fits the role of the precocious Annie hand-in-glove.
She has a sweet voice, darts about the stage in self-assured manner and never plays second fiddle to the dominant personality of Daddy Warbucks, portrayed by Russell McMurray, Burlington.
Annie is an 11-year-old left as an infant on the doorstep of the New York City municipal orphanage.
Warbucks dispatches his secretary, played by Iola’s Kristina Palmer, to the orphanage to fetch a child to intervene on the loneliness that a life of business-only has created.
Annie shines as the perfect selection but, not to spoil the plot, a handful of twists and turns ensue among a variety of relationships, including the enlistment of President Roosevelt (Jeff Cokely) when Annie goes missing.
Notable numbers include the songs “Hard Knock Life,” by the orphanage ensemble, “Tomorrow,” by Annie, and “Easy Street,” by Miss Hannigan, portrayed by Liz Ulrich.
Ulrich has performed before. She has an easy manner, which makes her version of Miss Hannigan, something of a lush, believable.
Jake Ard, as Rooster and a wannabe parent of Annie, also has been on stage previous, but Angela Whitmore as Lily, his lady friend, hasn’t. They join with Ulrich for a little dance number that’s a hoot.
Six other orphans have several appearances. They are Jadyn Kaufman, Caiden Cloud, Austyn Stewart Hailey Hammer, Josie Plumlee and Haley Carlin.
A number of other actors, including some newcomers, flesh out the show by playing several roles. Among them is Pete Peters, a veteran, whose dry wit comes across even when he has no dialogue.
The show is a must-see for anyone who likes good, upbeat music and melodrama.
‘Annie’ musical at the Bowlus Center
