This year the Bord Gais Energy Theatre welcomes the return of everyone’s favourite family musical, Annie.
The play is set in 1930s New York during the Great Depression as Annie is forced to live a life of misery at Miss Hannigan’s rotten orphanage.
It looks as if her luck has changed when she’s chosen to spend a fairytale Christmas with famous billionaire Oliver Warbucks.
But a jealous Miss Hannigan hatches a plan to spoil Annie’s fun with the help of her evil brother.
It's an emotional journey that has parallels with society, challenging injustices and offering new perspectives.
As in between musical numbers and dancing, the play deals with extreme poverty, neglect with children pushed to the margins of society.
In songs such as ‘It’s The Hard Knock Life’, ‘Easy Street’ and ‘Little Girls’ there is much to ponder along with the easy rhythms.
Annie, played by Freya Yates, captures the hearts of the audience as she remains optimistic throughout her search for her real parents. The actress is filled with charm, pluckiness and courage that the role demands.
A standout performance comes in ‘Hard Knock Life’ which showcases the huge talents of the whole cast.
Despite their tentative years, they ooze confidence and their precision during several intricate dance numbers is remarkable.
The show includes the most brilliant choreography especially shown in numbers such as ‘NYC’ and ‘I Don’t Need Anything but You’.
These moment hark back to the golden age of movies with staging and costuming making you feel as if you’re back in the days of swing.
Jodie Prenger as Miss Hannigan was gripping as she throws her drunken and despicable character around the stage with ease, terrifying the children while swigging on a naggin of gin.
But the star of the show may be Sandy, Annie’s loyal friend and stray dog. The five-year-old Labradoodle is obedient and plays her part exceptionally (with the help of a few treats).
It is easy to see why Annie has been such a long-running success. It’s good over evil, love over money and it appeals to all generations.
It will make you laugh, sing, dance and maybe shed a tear or two. It is an experience you do not want to miss.
Annie will be on every day up until Saturday, July 20. Ticket prices range from €22 to €48 and can be bought here .
