June 2010 Theatre Review by Joe Stead
Annie
The comedian W.C. Fields once famously advised to never work with children or animals, and judging from Starlight Theatre's production of "Annie" I think he was at least partially right. Still reeling from the Rock Valley College based summer troupe's triumphant "Aida" last week, I had high expectations for this popular 1977 musical hit. "Annie" was the first play I ever reviewed as a youngster, and I have enjoyed it many times throughout my adulthood. It is the token family show in Starlight's "one word title" season, however I have two words to sum up the experience: Big Disappointment.
The outdoor stage is crawling with people, over fifty in fact of every size, age and experience seemingly. And that may be Director/Producer Mike Webb's problem here. Perhaps he was too busy being a traffic cop to spend the necessary time on plot and characterization. Right from the start the kids seem to be going through the motions and playing to the crowd rather than inhabiting their characters and telling the story. Even the adults are guilty of shouting and telegraphing their parts. And the show ends up looking sloppy and thrown together. The cast delivers their lines and hits their marks (when they aren't tripping over one another), but the heart of the show is missing, and that's a big heart.
Our red-headed little heroine's eternally optimistic outlook is always worth hearing again, and the tough times depicted in the musical's setting of the Great Depression have never seemed more timely than today. Perhaps coincidentally, the "Little Orphan Annie" comic strip, which debuted in 1924 and served as the basis for Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin's hit musical, just published its last strip on June 13. The story follows an 11-year-old orphan's search for the parents she hopes are still out there somewhere, and the wealthy mogul who finds a place in his heart for the little girl. Together, they work through the grim Depression to find a brighter tomorrow and a new deal for the country, with a little help from President Franklin D. Roosevelt and a few sparkling tunes.
There is potential talent here, even if it hasn't been well developed. Young Emily Ahrens displays a nice singing voice in the title role, although she appears a little mature for the part and her wig is pretty shabby looking. Betsy Maville is one of several performers who did the show for Starlight 11 years ago albeit in a different role, and her present assignment as the orphan-hating lush Miss Hannigan is an uneasy fit. Ed Prochaska certainly looks the part of bald capitalist Oliver Warbucks, but there is indeed "Something Missing" here all across the boards.
The one member of the cast who had their role down to perfection was Muffin, the Golden Retriever who played Sandy with great personality, timing and the requisite "awww" factor. Now if only Muffin could help get some of his human counterparts out of the dog's house. "Annie" plays June 16-19 and July 21-25 at Rock Valley College's Starlight Theatre in Rockford. For more information or for tickets, please call (815) 921-2160 or visit www.rvcstarlight.com.
About Joe Stead
Joe
Stead has enjoyed a lifelong passion for the theatre, which has
involved acting, directing, producing, designing and reviewing for
the past twenty-five years. He served as founder, producer and
Artistic Director of Curtain Up Productions in Baltimore, Maryland
and Four Star Players in Tampa, Florida. Favorite productions
have included "Life With Father," "Deathtrap,"
"The Odd Couple," "The Miracle Worker,"
"Brighton Beach Memoirs," "You're A Good Man, Charlie
Brown" and "Godspell". He has also performed
leading roles in "Fiddler on the Roof," "Pippin,"
"The Phantom of the Opera," "The Front Page," and
most recently as Hucklebee in "The Fantasticks" for
Waukegan Community Players. Joe holds a degree in Commercial
Art from Tampa Technical Institute. As a critic, he has
reviewed everything from Broadway to community theatre and major
regional theatres throughout the United States including the Kennedy
Center in Washington, D.C., Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey,
Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut, and the Asolo Theatre in
Sarasota, Florida.
Since 1998, he has been a proud resident of Chicago, the greatest theatre city in America. He served for two years as Theatre Editor for College News and Central Newspapers. He created the website Steadstyle Chicago in 2000 to showcase the city's outstanding and diverse theatre scene. Joe was proud to serve alongside a distinguished panel of theatre professionals as a judge for two seasons of Speaking Ring Theatre's "Vitality" Festival of original short plays. His most fulfilling role, in addition to reviewer and all-around theatre fanatic, was as director of the 2007 production of Peter Shaffer's "Equus" at Actors Workshop (now Redtwist) Theatre, which was nominated for five Joseph Jefferson Award Citations and won for Best Actor (Peter Oyloe).