Based on Harold Gray’s iconic comic strip, Annie debuted on Broadway in 1977. It won numerous awards for Best Musical that year and played for over 2,300 performances before the popular movie version came out in 1982. I was a young girl during this time and loved everything about Annie. Along with my little sister and our neighborhood friends, I spent hours playing make-believe. Our playtime was heavily influenced by stories like Annie, often starting with, “Let’s say our parents are dead, and we’re running away from the mean orphanage lady.”  

Why is Annie so popular with kids? First of all, the heroine is a spunky little girl who fights back against bullies and injustice and never gives up. She is an underdog who protects the weak and stands up for what is good. Second, the villain, an orphanage headmistress who hates children, is an adult who abuses her power over kids, and loses every battle, even when she seems to win. Independence is the key to any great child protagonist, and though times have changed since 1977, I think kids are much the same. They still love a story with a child as the main character who takes on adult villains. Finally, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin’s Tony-winning music and lyrics gave us unforgettable songs like “Tomorrow”, “Easy Street”, and “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile.” 

The story takes place mostly in New York City, in December, 1933. Act One opens on the run-down, Dickensian orphanage where red-headed Annie (Rainier “Rainy” Trevino) lives with a gang of sassy orphan girls. One of them has just woken up from a nightmare, crying. Annie, who believes her parents to still be alive, sings the girls back to sleep as she imagines what her mom and dad might be like (“Maybe”). 

Never giving up on finding her parents, Annie tries to run away to search for them, but is caught by Miss Hannigan (Stephanie Londino). As punishment, all the girls are forced to get up and clean “this dump ‘til it shines like the top of the Chrysler Building!” After griping about their misery and making fun of mean Miss Hannigan (“It’s a Hard Knock Life”), the orphans help Annie make another escape attempt. This time, she’s successful, and she ends up at a Hooverville, the Great Depression’s version of a homeless camp. While there, she rescues a stay dog, whom she names Sandy, and yes, every time the dog appears on stage he steals the show and upstages all the actors. 

But Annie’s freedom is short-lived, and when the shanty town is raided by the police, she is returned to the orphanage. Before she can be punished, Grace Farrell (Julia Nicole Hunter), the personal secretary to billionaire industrialist Oliver Warbucks (Christopher Swan), comes to the rescue. Miss Farrell is there to choose one lucky orphan to spend the Christmas holidays as a guest at Mr. Warbucks’ 5th Avenue mansion. Miss Farrell can’t resist Annie’s charms, and she whisks Annie from rags to riches, where her plucky positivity wins over the staff, Mr. Warbucks and even President Roosevelt. 

Based on the kids in the audience at Annie’s opening night performance, I think it’s safe to say that this show is still a favorite amongst little girls (and boys). And thankfully, their enthusiasm is contagious. Three young girls in the lobby came dressed up in 1930s work dresses, complete with aprons. One even had a cleaning rag sticking out of her pocket, and for a moment, I thought they might have been actors who somehow escaped from backstage. The kids in the audience watched the show wide-eyed, while stuffed “Sandy” dogs they’d just bought at the concessions booth sat in their laps. Every kid I spoke to loved the show. Annie, is, after all, one of the most family-friendly musicals of all time, and it’s a great opportunity to introduce your own kiddos to musical theater.

All the leads in this production have strong voices, and Trevino as Annie can really belt out the anthem “Tomorrow.” I do think Director, Jenn Thompson (who was one of the orphans in the original Broadway cast), missed an opportunity to show some variety and moments of vulnerability in the orphans. Pretty much every song they sing is belted from start to finish and many of Annie’s tender moments are rushed, making her less likable than I expected her to be. My favorite? Londino is fantastic as Miss Hannigan, and I wished she’d had more numbers than just “Little Girls” and “Easy Street.”

While family-friendly and recommended for ages 6 and up, parents should know that Miss Hannigan is constantly drinking bathtub gin. She also has a brief verbal exchange with the laundry man when he asks how to get to first base with her. There isn’t any violence except for the orphans stomping on the feet of “bad guys”, but Miss Hannigan’s brother Rooster pulls out a blade in answer to what he’ll do to Annie. Other than those minor instances, this is about a rated G as a show can get. 

If You Go

  • Annie has a 2 hour and 45 minute run time which includes one 20 minute intermission.
  • Evening performances don’t get out until after 10:15 pm, but there are two matinees this weekend.
  • Tickets, priced from $34.95 to $144.75, are available from Broadway in Portland. (As of publication, tickets are still available.)
  • Annie runs until May 19. 
  • Pro tip: Booster seats are available to borrow from the coat check at no charge.