“Donna Feore keeps the musical hits coming, opening the 2025 Stratford season with the Broadway favourite “Annie”. It’s charming, full of heart, and has oodles of Feore’s signature high-voltage kicking, flipping and high stepping. But it’s the namesake star and her orphan pals that effortlessly steal our hearts along with the show. “

Legendary Stratford director and choreographer Donna Feore is a Canadian theatre treasure. Celebrating 29 seasons at the Festival, her golden touch consistently reinvents the musical genre, delighting audiences with groundbreaking interpretations of both classics and new works. From Rodgers and Hammerstein to Lerner and Lowe to Elton John, Feore has shaped musical theatre in her image, and we’re all the better for it. Her reputation has even earned her the legal rights to completely reimagine and put her indelible stamp on Broadway staples, such as “A Chorus Line” and “Chicago.”

She’s done it again this season, collaborating to create a more robust score with more dance music to extend show-stopping numbers. The opening night audience was unanimous. This “Annie” is radiant and relevant and has found a home for the next 7 months.

Stratford plays it safe this season, and that’s not a bad thing. While not the outrageous knee-slapping farce of last year’s megahit, “Something Rotten”, “Annie” resonates in its simple messages of resilience and enduring difficult times.

“Annie” is, of course, based on the Little Orphan Annie comic strip. It’s set in 1930s New York City when Franklin Roosevelt (Stephen Patterson) tried to manage the Great Depression. Annie lives with eight other little girls in a run-down orphanage run by the horrid Miss Hannigan (Laura Condlln), who hates little girls and drinks to drown her sorrows.

Enter Oliver (Daddy) Warbucks (Dan Chameroy), a billionaire whose demanding business life is organized by his secretary, Grace Farrell (Jennifer Rider-Shaw). Grace decides to bring home an orphan to celebrate Christmas in Warbucks’ home. Annie comes to their Christmas celebration and is given a new wardrobe and a taste of high society. She’s even been introduced to the President. But what she wants is to find her parents, whose note and a broken locket left at the orphanage promise their return for her. Warbucks vows to locate them and calls on the FBI to assist. Will Annie ever have a family?

Though boasting a cast of some of Stratford’s finest adult singers and dancers, it’s the children who are the real stars!

Yet despite Feore’s imaginative and high-flying choreography, some key characters are played as mostly mundane and ordinary. Among the adults, there are only a few standout performances.

As the spunky, fresh-faced, mop-topped orphan, Harper Rae Asch is a marvellous Annie. Her vocals are impeccable, and she dances effortlessly, embodying the comic book character perfectly. Her timing and spirited delivery are spot on. This rising young star is one to watch. I was hoping for more dimension in her journey as she moves from the squalor of the orphanage and Miss Hannigan to Daddy Warbucks’ palatial domicile and the prospect of finding a family. Asch plays it one-note, one level. Perhaps that will come as she settles into the run.

Briefly sharing the spotlight is her canine companion, Sandy, played at this performance by an adorable foxhound-poodle named Clue. The two share a delightful chemistry, which garnered some heartfelt “awwwww”s from the audience when Sandy put his paw on Asch’s lap during “Tomorrow”.

Asch’s spectacular cadre of young co-stars is the heartbeat of this production. As the orphans, these kids are among the most talented group of young triple threats I have ever seen in a musical. Their show-stopping rendition of “Hard Knock Life” near the beginning of the show is proof positive that they capture hearts easily with their remarkable talents. This sprightly crew tumbles and flips across the stage with precision while vocally avoiding the pitfalls of screechy ensemble singing heard in lesser productions. As actors, their characters are diverse and heartwarming. These awesome orphans are worth the ticket price alone!

The ensemble is equally energetic and entertaining, thrilling us with extended singing and dance segments thanks to new dance music arrangements by David Dabbon.

Surprisingly, some adult performances don’t measure up to the electricity of the ensemble.

As Daddy Warbucks, comedic favourite Dan Chameroy is perhaps too boisterous as the billionaire benefactor with an occasional soft side. Jennifer Rider Shaw’s Grace Farrell sings beautifully but is unremarkable overall, given her star-making performance as Velma Kelly in 2022’s Chicago. There isn’t much connection between the two, given the script’s clear romantic undertones.

Conversely, Laura Condlln as Miss Hannigan and Mark Uhre as her brother Rooster are an absolute hoot! Coupled with the ditzy charms of Rooster’s girlfriend Lily St. Regis, marvellously portrayed by Amanda Lundgren, and you’ve got a tricky trio you just love to hate. Their cartoonish portrayals as the antagonists of the piece are brassy without being over-the-top. Condlln is a musical comedy genius as the alcoholic caretaker of the orphanage who despises children, especially girls. Her Hannigan is multidimensional, never drifting into caricature. She’s stepping into the big shoes of iconic stars who have played the coveted role before her, including Dorothy Louden and Carol Burnett.

Condlln’s Hannigan is deviously dazzling, a performance that’s instantly classic. Mark Uhre has just as much fun as Rooster while Lundgren plays the gangster’s moll to the hilt. They’re made for each other. “Easy Street” is one of the most memorable numbers of the show!

Michael Gianfrancesco’s set, presided over by a large silhouette of New York skyscrapers, is functional and straightforward, with staircases on either side of the stage leading to an upper level. It all easily transforms with the addition of vases, tables and suspended light fixtures. His beautiful costumes capture the styles of the 1930s. From the rags of the orphans to the fine garb of the rich and famous, suits, dresses, fabrics, textures, and patterns are detailed and absolutely authentic.

Never underestimate the power of good lighting. It tells us where to look and when. It focuses our attention and creates mood, enhancing a scene’s aesthetic. Kimberley Purtell once again proves her mastery of her craft. Her stunning lighting design is characterized by warm tones and bright palettes, complemented by muted, dim lights in the orphanage and back alleys. Her scene transitions guide us to the action and away from darkened set changes. Highly effective!

Not as effective are Sean Nieuwenhuis’ projection designs. Large projections bathe the entire stage, partly obstructed by the set. It’s an unnecessary and ineffective choice. Smaller projections of Broadway marquees and billboards appearing and disappearing above the stage are put to better use.

Laura Burton returns as musical director to lead the lively pit band, and once again, they sound terrific. Voices and instruments blend beautifully.

Feore’s a visionary director, and her choreography is astonishing. It’s not dance for the sake of dance. It tells a story, pushes the narrative forward. She consistently provides shows with new choreography and new approaches to tantalize and delight audiences. Surprising that her direction here plays it a bit too safe in shaping some key character portrayals.

“Annie” is the musical we need right now. As our Canadian identity sits in the crosshairs of our neighbours to the south, we need Annie’s hope, loyalty, and perseverance, love, family and optimism that tomorrow will be better.

'Annie' is a family affair you’ll want to experience more than once.

Running time: Approx. 2 hours, 25 minutes with one intermission
For tickets call the Box Office at 1-800-567-1600 or email www.stratfordfestival.ca

The Stratford Festival Presents “Annie”
Book by Thomas Meehan, Music by Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Martin Charnin

Directed and choreographed by Donna Feore
Set and costume designer – Michael Gianfrancesco
Lighting designer – Kimberly Purtell
Sound designer – Haley Parcher
Projection designer – Sean Nieuwenhuis
Additional Dance Music Arrangements/orchestrations – David Dabbon

Performers: Harper Rae Asch, Dan Chameroy, Laura Condlln, Jennifer Rider-Shaw, Mark Uhre, Amanda Lundgren and other child and adult artists in the ensemble.