ANNIE Reviews

I'm expecting mixed reviews across the board on this one. I'm interested to see what critics think of Finneran.

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hasn't Katie already given the performance that will be reviewed? I thought the critics performance was usually a few days before opening night...

AMNY (Windman)

OUCH.



Annie
1.5 stars

How would you like to see an irresistible musical comedy about a smart and spunky young girl who outwits a tyrannical, child-hating female power figure and is eventually adopted by a genuinely caring adult?

No, I'm not talking about "Annie," though I'll get to that soon enough. The musical you really want to see is "Matilda," which will open on Broadway in a few months.

As for "Annie," one of the most heartwarming and beloved musicals of all time, it has been all but butchered by James Lapine - a playwright-director best known for his original and edgy collaborations with Stephen Sondheim and William Finn - in his charmless and misconceived new Broadway revival.

Lapine is hardly a bad director. Rather, the co-creative force behind such musicals as "Sunday in the Park with George" and "Falsettos" is simply the wrong choice for "Annie."

The problems start when the show's classic overture is cut in half to make room for a dorky newsreel clip. The scenic design, intended to represent the turning pages of a fairy tale book, is ugly. Andy Blankenbuehler's forceful choreography is completely inappropriate.

Lapine hasn't necessarily darkened the show's tone, as one might have feared. His production is simply devoid of purpose or charm. At a time when New Yorkers could really use a feel-good musical, this "Annie" can barely even entertain.

In the title role, Lilla Crawford, 11, has a strong presence, but lacks vulnerability and is strangely encouraged to use a thick Brooklyn accent and far too much vibrato.

Two-time Tony winner Katie Finneran, who recently made a splash in "Promises, Promises," delivers a surprisingly hollow performance as Miss Hannigan, consisting entirely of shtick.

Anthony Warlow, an unknown Australian actor, is especially convincing as industrialist turned father "Daddy" Warbucks.

If there's anything to learn from this production, it's to keep Lapine far, far away from "The Sound of Music."

Updated On: 11/8/12 at 07:14 PM

Anthony Warlow, an unknown Australian actor, is especially convincing as industrialist turned father "Daddy" Warbucks.

Unknown? Well maybe he's unknown to many (if not most) in the U.S. but he's quite the star in Australia.

...overall, this is a winning presentation of an unapologetically sentimental show that tips its hat to an earlier era in musical theater, before the age of cynicism and industrial spectacle redefined the Broadway model.
The Hollywood Reporter

Chicago Tribune (Jones)
Negative




http://touch.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-73228027

Washington Post: Positive

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/theater_dance/for-annie-actress-on-broadway-the-sun-has-come-out/2012/11/08/69514322-29e1-11e2-aaa5-ac786110c486_story.html

Times is up: mixed. But Brantley is a weird guy in writing THIS:

"As Warbucks, the tycoon who takes Annie in for Christmas as part of a public relations campaign but soon falls for the irresistible tyke, Anthony Warlow also ventures into naturalism, inflecting his songs with unexpected emotional variety. But once you start to think of Warbucks as a real person, his blossoming love for little Annie can register as a bit creepy in the age of “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.”"

COME ON! It's friggin' ANNIE!

Anyway...

TImes Review

Creepy? It was moving to watch Warlow's Warbucks warm up to the little orphan. I was in tears not just in "Something Was Missing", but "I Don't Need Anything But You" as well.

I can think of a lot of things creepier than Daddy Warbucks. Like Ben Brantley, for one.

Updated On: 11/8/12 at 10:17 PM

Entertainment Weekly gave the show an A- and praised the performances from Finneran and Crawford.


http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20364394_20646050,00.html

Updated On: 11/8/12 at 11:00 PM

Villagevoice.com fairly upbeat if mixed.

Finneran is a "gifted comic actress" and "interesting casting" but her performance "is as hit and miss as Hannigan's wobbly descent down a stairway."

Liked her "Little Girls," though.

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/dailymusto/2012/11/annie.php