Has anybody seen the new Annie tour?

[Littleshopofcarrie]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 5:45pm

It started on Saturday in Detroit...

[AKarp2013]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 6:14pm

From what I saw of the pictures posted to Playbill, it looks really cheap.

[morosco]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 6:33pm

Martin Charnin is directing so hopefully this will be better than that dreck James Lapine dreamed up.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 6:43pm

hopefully this will be better than that dreck James Lapine dreamed up.

I am in the minority on this, but I absolutely loved the last revival.

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 6:46pm

I don't think it looks cheap at all. I think it looks like a Charnin-directed "Annie", for better or worse. Several of the costumes stand out to me as looking quite nice. I would like to see more of the scenery, as I do enjoy the work of Beowulf Boritt.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 6:47pm

"I am in the minority on this, but I absolutely loved the last revival."

Same here, I thought it was the most refreshing & realistic approach to the show I've ever seen! I just wish Martin Charnin would feel more willing to leave the directing reigns off to someone else rather than staying with it ala Arthur Laurents (Gypsy) or Robert Jess Roth (Beauty & the Beast), etc.



Updated On: 9/29/14 at 06:47 PM

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 6:48pm

Again, I was kind of in the middle. I didn't hate it as much as some did - but there were definitely things that were WRONG about the production, including the horrid choreography.

But I did enjoy it enough to see it more than once (OK, I tend to see most things more than once)..and Anthony Warlock was the best Daddy Warbucks ever. Lilla (and Sadie who I also saw) were excellent in different ways..and there were some genuinely touching moments. SO not a total loss to me either.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 7:31pm

Just judging from the photos it doesn't look cheap at all. Looks pretty nice!

http://www.playbill.com/multimedia/gallery/maybe-far-away...-an-exclusive-first-look-at-the-new-national-tour-of-annie-331726/12

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 7:36pm

The mansion set looks a lot cheaper than the last tour. I remember the last one being a bit more detailed with the falling snow visible through the overhead skylight during the reprise of "Maybe" in act two which was beautiful. Most of that tour was just backdrops but they were very detailed and pretty. This does look cheaper by comparison.

[Littleshopofcarrie]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 7:37pm

"I am in the minority on this, but I absolutely loved the last revival."

I absolutely ADORED the last revival. I was extremely disappointed to find that this was going to be the original production.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 7:50pm

It's not the original production...

[Phillypinto]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 8:17pm

I miss Annie's curly hair!! I wonder why they went with a straight hair wig.

Updated On: 9/29/14 at 08:17 PM

[Littleshopofcarrie]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 8:50pm

"It's not the original production..."

I thought it was Martin Charnin's original staging...

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 8:53pm

Yes, Martin Charnin is directing, but as directors often do whenever they direct the same show over and over again, they do something different.

[lambchop2]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 9:03pm

It looks like she doesn't get the curly hair until she's with Warbucks

http://www.playbill.com/multimedia/gallery/maybe-far-away...-an-exclusive-first-look-at-the-new-national-tour-of-annie-331726/5

A perm as part of a makeover, I guess?

[Jon]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 9:22pm

It should also be noted that is a NON-EQUITY production.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 9:26pm

At least it has a real Christmas tree again, instead of that horrid aluminum chandelier tree from the recent show.

Issie S - Annie - had long black straight hair before they dyed it red. I guess they are using her natural hair for the main part of the show (less wigs to deal with) and then giving her the red wig for the makeover. I do hate that curly wig..it looks so fake.

The rest looks pretty good..and thankfully they went back to the pails and brushes for hard knocks life.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 11:06pm

I'm not an Annie expert, but the 30th anniversary tour also directed by Charnin made the switch to curly hair only after Annie's make over. Up until that point she had straight hair just like you see in the pictures for this tour. If the Tony Award performance is accurate it was also done that way in the original Broadway production. The revival ditched this tradition and gave her curly hair for the entire show and just shortened it for the make over. I'm not understanding the criticism.

This tour is also clearly not a restaging of the original Broadway production. I can understand the confusion because Charnin is directing, Liza Gennaro is probably recreating Peter's choreography and it's being marketed as "The Tony Award winning production" which is misleading, but the scenery, costume and lighting designs are all new so visually one should not be under the assumption that they are seeing the same show that audiences saw in 1977.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 9/29/14 at 11:12pm

I personally like the straight hair until the curly hair - like they did with Andrea M.

I just don't like this curly wig...it looks totally fake and unattractive.

[Littleshopofcarrie]

Posted: 10/14/14 at 4:52pm

New video! Don't really know how I feel about it. I still definitely prefer James Lapine's version.
Video Montage

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 10/14/14 at 5:13pm

In the original production, Annie had straight hair until the party scene in Act 2. All the Annie's had their hair dyed.

Updated On: 10/14/14 at 05:13 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 10/14/14 at 5:19pm

It's being billed as The Tony Award Winning Production. Are they allowed to write that?

It's misleading and unethical, but they're certainly allowed to bill it however they please. There's no ethics committee. Annie is a Tony Award winning musical but this production has never played Broadway so it's clearly not a Tony Award winning production.

[someone.else's.story2]

Posted: 10/15/14 at 12:30pm

I actually think the sets look pretty good. And I'm thrilled that they didn't cut the Hooverville number. I've seen a few recent productions cut it and I don't agree with that.

[THEATRICAL100]

Posted: 10/15/14 at 2:56pm

The Orphanage unit was really, really nice. The last tour set was pushing it.
Rooster is a delight; Warbucks is still as mis-written as usual. The choreography is really quite odd. Anything that happens within the mansion is hand-ography. I Think I'm Gonna Like It... they hardly moved the entire song. NYC is a little lackluster. They had two side drops that flew in which I REALLY didn't like. And seconded -- Hooverville is pretty good. Issie is good. She's still settling into her role, although she is singing it more softly than any other Annie. I noticed this in the Broadway production too -- the dog was literally pulling to leave the stage and wouldn't interact with Annie (save the one trick). I love Berloni's work though, the dogs were great... just a little note. But hey, they're dogs. lol. Grace is exceptional. The production is funny. Some good stuff. I really did dislike the drops, though.

[THEATRICAL100]

Posted: 10/15/14 at 2:58pm

Aggie is truly trying... she was on the 30th tour and has done it regionally. Great voice but comedic timing was a little off. Faith Prince owned Aggie.