NBC's ANNIE LIVE! (2021) - News & Discussion Thread- Page 23

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 12:03am

Auggie27 said: ""Easy Street" reminded us what the show was/is. But the ugly designs -- that vacuous studio with floating dinner theater/TV special sets, period-indifferent costuming, bad wigs -- squelch too much of the good. Putting an dimly lit audience around the action -- but what, 100 feet away? -- just felt bizarre. And then suddenly, there's an "Annie Live!" sign illuminated during an intimate moment. It still looks like a promo with highlights rather than the broadcast. Nothing hung together. Direction, concept, and overall tackiness genuinely disappointed. The 1930s offer a chance for a slice of authentic urban Americana (Google the original). Nothing came close to that."

Imagine, a one night TV special using TV special sets. The nerve of those people! It makes much more sense to sink money into large sets for a tradition that garners ever depleting ratings. They definitely should have done that, ya know, rather than assembling a stellar cast that, over all, did a pretty darn good job. Damn them for letting a musical look so... theatrical on screen. 

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 12:05am

The soundtrack is now available

 

[Broadway Bob*]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 12:47am

I ultimately enjoyed it. I had a few minor quibbles along the way (and I usually am one to rip these live presentations apart) but all in all I thought it was well done.

I will say, however, that Titus Burgess and Megan Hilty were the two EXTREME stand-out highlights of the whole show. Gee! Imagine that! True, experienced Broadway musical comedy talents doing the utmost BEST (by far) in a Broadway musical comedy presentation. Whod've ever thunk it?!?!?!

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 1:18am

I found this this to be a highly entertaining event. I did not expect to like it as much as I did. If felt like they have really learned from past live specials for what works and what doesn't from a staging and filming POV. I would not call any of the performances to be bad. Their weakest link to me was Nicole and only because her pacing on her phrasing was not upbeat enough to match the music and the ensemble behind her. But it was not bad it was just a little off. The orphan's and Annie were all extraordinary for their age. Highly impressive. And Henson really wow'ed me. I went into it expecting her to be that ill stunt casting that drags things down but her camp was on a whole other level. Just plain entertaining. My only "ugh" moment was that they went with some kind of mash up ending of the stage version and the movie version to give Hannigan a redemption. I need to watch it back but it was some pretty poorly written, tacked on dialogue to give the 'star' in the stunt casting a happy ending. Other than that, this might be the best Live TV musical in the recent trend.

[BentleyB]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 1:33am

I rarely comment, but I saw the original cast of “Annie” and the only filmed version to come close to that amazing production was the 1999 one.  This felt cheap and cobbled together.  Miss Hannigan was shrill and so over acted that it was embarrassing to watch, Dorothy Louden brought the house down with her performance.  The set was college caliber at best. The pacing was slow and I have no idea what happened to the ending except they couldn’t decide if they wanted to sing “Annie” or “New Deal for Christmas.”  This is why many in the general public hate musicals. 

[darreyl102]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 1:47am

jacobsnchz14 said: "The soundtrack is now available

"

Really disappointed they didn't record 'little girls reprise' as I thought Taraji nailed it even more than 'Little Girls' in the Live broadcast

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 7:38am

I'm not a fan of ANNIE, generally speaking.  Too many little children, screaming.(and this was true here - since there aren't a lot of children that can actually act well (yet) just have them say their lines REALLY loudly.)  Too darn sweet for my tastes.  That being said, I thought it was definitely one of the better "live" performances done.  I thought both the vocals and the choreo were outstanding.  The acting was a mixed bag - all around.  (Note: I only watched about 1/2 - but will probably finish the rest over the weekend.)   

[ACL2006]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 8:16am

Generally not a fan of this show. I was flipping channels during the entire broadcast. Thought it was done well for what they had. The set was too clean for that era. Nicole's pace was so timid and slowed down. Harry Connick Jr. seemed bored. Why was there 100 extra kids thrown into the finale?

 

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 8:39am

I watched it. I thought it was fine.  I saw the original production in 1978 just before Andrea McArdle left for the West End production.  I have seen various incarnations of this show, and nothing comes close to the original.  I'm sorry they cut, You Won't Be an Orphan For Long, and that they fiddled around with Act 2.  I enjoyed the dancing, but I thought the vocals of the ensemble were wasted.  I enjoyed Megan Hilty and Titus Burgess the best.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 8:49am

It's interesting to me to see people who pine for past productions complain about the sets. The sets reminded me of variety show sets from the 60s and 70s. I thought it very nostalgic and sweet. I'd never expect much more. I think everyone did well. Taraji was a little overdone for me at times, but overall a solid performance. I'd love to see her on stage. Titus and Megan were great. Harry Connick was actually the weak link. He didn't seem comfortable. 

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 9:20am

All in all, serviceable, and at this point in entertainment, given the ongoing pandemic and such, that's really all they needed, a solid inoffensive contender like the first go-round with Sound of Music in order to justify prioritizing such projects again. (In fact, that's an apt comparison, as the parallels are numerous: largely faithful script, some musical interpolations from the most known film ["Sign" and "We Got Annie," which though it was written for the show at one point is best known for its film appearance], okay-ish casting with the lightest possible interpretation of star power, some noticeable flubbing of lines around where I would assume the Eleanor Roosevelt cameo was supposed to be, etc.)

Most people did not dig what Taraji was laying down, but she was playing to the back row and not to the cameras and, in my opinion, turned in a solid performance given that (I'd like to see what she could do with Mrs. Lovett, for example), as, indeed, were most of the kids. If anything, the busy camera work seemed to try too hard to split the difference between live show and film; if you're going truly live, with a live audience, maybe shooting it more like, say, Cathy Rigby's Peter Pan or other pro-shots is the key. Treat it like what it is, in other words.

The one aspect that particularly bothered me was the pacing. Congrats on managing to fit in as much of the show as one could, but dear God, do we need that much room for commercials that we have to speed through it like a bat out of hell? I barely had a second to breathe between "Maybe" and "Tomorrow."

Updated On: 12/3/21 at 09:20 AM

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 9:36am

I'm not sure why Harry wore a bald cap. I mean, isn't he bald? It's well known he wears hair pieces and wigs. Why would he not just shave his head? I feel that would have looked more natural. 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 9:46am

Harry isn’t bald and didn’t want to shave his head. That’s why.

 

I thought it was terrific. I was Strouse’s archivist and lived with him for a while. It was terrific, true to his vision, and little Celina was astonishing.

[BwayLB]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 9:47am

I throughly enjoyed the show last night!

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 10:30am

Besides Scherzinger's vocal choices at some parts, she gave a stellar performance. When we came back from commercial and she was in that yellow dress I teared up. And then that dance!! She's fabulous. Everyone was a real pro in this. 

[Luscious]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 10:48am

Just dreadful. The staging was all wrong. This should have never been performed in the round with the audience in clear view throughout. It's not that kind of show and the audience serves no purpose. ANNIE is not JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. Additionally, the sets looked cheap and cheesy, although, personally I find cheesy and ANNIE to be synonymous. The casting was all wrong. I won't go into the shortcomings of almost all involved, but Taraji P. Hensen was just the worst! This woman does not belong in a musical anything. She doesn't have a voice. And I could possibly forgive her insufferable mugging if any of it was even the least bit funny. Harry Connick, Jr, was also woefully miscast and not in good voice. If this wasn't the worst of the LIVE TV musicals,  it came damn close. Bah humbug.

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 10:57am

I had a really good time last night! Sure, there were bumps (I had more quibbles with the backs of cameras showing up than anything to do with that cast, set, or whatever), but it was overall a lot of fun. I've always liked (if not loved) Annie, and this hit most of the right buttons. I was wondering if they'd surprise us with a new Eleanor Roosevelt, but it was probably too short an amount of time.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 10:57am

Humbug, indeed. Maybe you should stop watching them.

[BwayLB]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 11:06am

LizzieCurry said: "I had a really good time last night! Sure, there were bumps (I had more quibbles with the backs of cameras showing up than anything to do with that cast, set, or whatever), but it was overall a lot of fun. I've always liked (if not loved) Annie, and this hit most of the right buttons. I was wondering if they'd surprise us with a new Eleanor Roosevelt, but it was probably too short an amount of time."

 

I completely agree

 

[windowwaving]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 11:24am

Highlights for me were Celina, the choreography and McKenzie Kurtz. Harry Connick Jr. sounded great but it felt like they just gave him the script last week and threw him on stage. 

I was not fond of the set at all. Non-eq tours looked better than this, but I think they learned from their other TV musicals just how complicated that is. It did allow us to focus more on the actors and the staging/choreography. After the initial disappointment, I focused on the show and found it very enjoyable.

Celina truly is a standout. She felt the most balanced in performing this for an audience and for TV. I liked Nicole and thought she did a great job, but she doesn't exude "Grace" to me. When she sang it still reminded me of her PCD days. 

I actually enjoyed that most of the ads were specifically made for the live special. 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 11:27am

Not sure how anyone could have watched last night and found nothing kind to say. How could someone not be amazed by Celina’s skill at such an age? 

[broadway86]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 11:39am

Celina was mostly impressive. Sometimes her singing was shouty and her acting was either very raw and effective or completely flat. Henson was making a LOT of choices, but it was a performance that would work far better on stage than directly in front of a camera.

Connick was just... Charismatic as always, but he didn't seem comfortable off-book and I never got the sense that this Warbucks didn't know how to relate to Annie or communicate with her. Garber and Finney both understood that is a major part of the character's arc. Scherzinger danced and appeared super elegant, but she sounded vocally fatigued and her acting was fine if a little one-note. I expected more from Megan and Tituss, to be honest, but they were solid.

Having said all that, the orphans and ensemble were really fantastic, especially the former.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 11:40am

iluvtheatertrash said: "Not sure how anyone could have watched last night and found nothing kind to say. How could someone not be amazed by Celina’s skill at such an age?"

Apparently you’re not aware she’s a series regular on the Tyler Perry series YOUNG DYLAN, therefore she is experienced working with cameras, learning scripts, working with other actors and camera blocking, etc.  The only addition was she was singing.  She wasn’t “discovered” at Taco Bell.  

[neutra1892]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 11:56am

The book scenes were horribly directed. Very few jokes landed.

[Marlothom]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 11:59am

I have always had a soft spot for Annie, seeing it first as young child in an All-Spanish production, and then wearing off the color of my cousin's VHS. One of the issues I find with more recent revivals/movies is that it's tough to find the balance between the dark parts of the story and the reality of having so many children around.  IMHO it's not really a kid's show.  Curry and Peters are VERY touchy in the movie, Burnett's Ms. Hannigan is a horny drunk, her advances at the various men that walk through the orphanage are NOT subtle, and it's fairly clear that she hits the children.  I think this raises the stakes and makes you want to root for Annie and the orphans more (similar to Oliver).

I thought last night's broadcast did a good job of finding this balance.  Rooster/Lily played up the camp (which made up for lack of sexual chemistry), and Henson always had that "I am funny but I will still whip yo ass" energy that kept you guessing the whole show.  If I recall, in her first entrance, she pushes Annie to the ground, which I thought was bold.  I

As an aside, I LOVE "Sign" and think it's genius and funny, but only because I've heard it (and possibly sang it in my room) about 1000 times -  It' "I guess I'll never know the feeling, of running fingers through your hair!" (LOL!), and last night there were sound, diction, pacing issues, as well as some necessary lyric updates which took away from it.  Not to mention, clear limitations in the staging - I am guessing they Finney/Burnett needed several takes to get it right. 

I also loved the nods they made to the earlier versions, particularly the yellow dress and to me Hilty was channeling Peters, particularly during the Easy Street dance breaks. 

For some reason, I kept hearing something similar to stage manger directions for 3/4 of the show ("Grace continues to dance with the 'servants' and joins Ms. Pugh playing the piano).  It was very odd, anyone else get that? 

Anyway, all in all a much needed visit with my 9yr. old self!