“Annie” our review of the CLTP show

Sept. 30, 2009

post by Karen Cotton, kcotton@wyomingnews.com

story by Kevin Wingert, kwingert@wyomingnews.com

Young actress Katie Denney sings as she is held by actors portraying butlers during a dress rehearsal for the production of 'Annie' by the Cheyenne Little Theater Players at the Mary Godfrey Playhouse on Sept. 23. Michael Smith/staff

Did the sun come out today for the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players’ production of “Annie” ?
Here is Kevin Wingert’s review of the show that you can also read in ToDo. Feel free to comment here on this blog.

 Cheyenne Little Theatre’s rendition is highly entertaining despite a few hard knocks

“Annie”

A Cheyenne Little Theatre Players production, directed by Wende Wolfe-Perez

When: Through Oct. 11, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.

Where: Mary Godfrey Playhouse, 2706 E. Pershing Blvd.

Tickets: $16-$22

More info: 638-6543, www.cheyennelittletheatre.org (tickets available online)

By Kevin Wingert

kwingert@wyomingnews.com

Minus a few hard knocks, the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players put on an entertaining community-based production of the musical “Annie” Saturday night that even held some surprises.

That’s no easy task with a well-loved musical about a little orphan where most everyone knows not only how the story develops but also virtually every line, every note.

On the top of that surprise list? Royce Backman.

This associate principal at Johnson Junior High has heretofore largely flown under the radar of the theater and music communities in Cheyenne.

But stepping on stage in the role of Daddy Warbucks, Backman commands the stage like a general with a presence that’s felt even when he’s silent. His movements look natural, and he spends his time in front of the lights enveloped in the scene.

All too common in community theater are actors who stand on stage anticipating their lines, thinking about their blocking and occasionally responding to the ongoing action in such grandiose fashion as to be grotesque.

Not Backman. He never drops character, never stops “being” Daddy Warbucks.

And his voice. That booming baritone fills the Mary Godfrey Playhouse and then transcends it.

One is left wondering why this man is not chasing Prisoner No. 24601 through the sewers of a strife-torn Paris.

Also stunning is Misty Christie in the role of Grace. Christie moves and speaks with a physical sense of her character that allows the viewer to forget the fourth wall and get wrapped up in the story.

And with a solid singing voice, she dispatches her role well.

Janae Walker Bernhard shows her own acting chops in the role of Miss Hannigan, depicting that character’s pathos well and showing a comfort performing on stage.

But the role of Hannigan is undoubtedly the most difficult in the entire musical. It requires a unique blend of pity and spite, coupled with an edginess that should leave the audience squirming at the thought that such a woman should be in charge of the welfare of orphan girls.

And that hint of violence or malice is lacking. It leaves the transition that Hannigan undergoes with the song “Easy Street” feeling contrived and undermines a key component in the tension behind “Annie.”

As for Annie, herself, the character is being handled alternatively by Katie Denney and Rebecca Port. On Saturday night, Denney took the stage.

When lost in the moment, the tween-aged young lady turned in a solid performance. She possessed enough moxie to make Annie believable.

A few times, though, she became a little prepossessed with remembering lines and movements, leading to scenes that felt a bit stilted.

And her compatriots at the orphanage, although occasionally soft, comported themselves well beneath the heavy hand of Hannigan. The girls conveyed a sense of enthusiasm and fun that was infectious. They established the tone for the entire production with “It’s the Hard-Knock Life.”

And through that piece, they also set a truism that carried through much of the remaining musical – when performing ensemble pieces, the entire cast shined, rendering solid hits with the likes of “We’d Like to Thank You Herbert Hoover,” “NYC” and the “Tomorrow” performed in the White House.

Solo and small-group performances were a bit more hit-and-miss, with some actors struggling in the upper range. It’s been mentioned before, but the CLTP should give serious consideration to using microphones on key roles to provide a little “oomph.” Alternatively, they need to reign in an occasionally overenthusiastic orchestra.

As for the live orchestra, its performance rested firmly in mediocrity. It did, however, perform a few moments that were “spot on,” and one could hear the potential possible behind this grouping of musicians with added practice and discipline.

Additionally, there were some timing issues – whether the result of the musical direction or at the actors’ own hands was unclear. But there were a few points where dialogue and movement stopped as actors waited, counting bars and looking for their cue to begin a song.

Costuming for the production was solid, creating an atmosphere where the clothes helped establish both the period and feel without ever upstaging the actors or action.

And, for the most part, the stage construction did likewise. There were only two noticeable faults.

The first was the Roxy. Throwing this scene in front of the interior of Warbucks’ home proved visually distracting. The deep blues of the New York skyline conflicted with the delicate pinks and purples of the mansion and drew some attention away from the musical number “NYC.”

The second miscue on staging came with the scene in the White House where the backdrop was not placed forward enough on stage and became partially entangled in the closing black curtains.

Despite these knocks, the evening proved delightful on the whole.

And with the heavy hitting of Backman and graceful stylings of Christie, one is left wondering what tomorrow will bring for the CLTP.