Why does everyone in the Annie Revival sound like Rosie O' Donnell?

[goldenboy]

Posted: 11/17/12 at 12:42pm

I caught the Annie Revival Friday Nov 16.
Why do Annie and Katie Finneran and much of the cast sound like Rosie O' Donnell? If they wanted that, they should have cast Rosie O' Donnell. It's as if Lapine decided that every New Yorker sounds like Rosie O' Donnell. Was that his concept? At least Rosie would have been believably mean and believable in the role. When men rejected her, you would believe it.

This is an awful revival. In the original production (sorry I have to compare) at the end of the show a xmas tree was revealed, Sandy came out of a xmas box under the tree and snow came down. Then the curtain came down. It was magical. It was musical comedy perfection. Why would you mess with perfection and the heart and soul of the show that the world is a good place?

This show just ended with a thud. No xmas tree, no snow, no box for Sandy to come out of under the tree . This is substandard Annie all the way.

The casting of the normally wonderful Finneran. There is a matronly woman in the chorus who plays a maid. I kept thinking that is Miss Hannigan. When men turn her down in this production, you say what is wrong with the men? Finneran is too young and too pretty. Give me a Jane Houdyshell, a Ruth Kobart, a Judy Kaye, (insert funny 50 plus not so pretty character woman here) .... heck even Rosie O; Donnell. Katie was not funny or believable in this role. There goes the balls of Annie.

For Annie, I got the understudy Taylor Richardson. She sang well but she had two
emotions. Happy and Sad. Nothing in the middle. She seemed like a smart prep school girl and was unbelievable as the orphan. There goes the heart of Annie.

Anthony Warlow was fine but couldn't save this mess.

The chorus looked like chorus people playing different parts. They were always chorus people and not real people. This is directing 101. Lapine.. please buy the book and READ the book.

The good? Rooster played by Clark Thorell was right on the money. And I loved Bert Healy (saw understudy David Rosetti.) And the dog was great. These three were the best things in the show.

The choreography tried so hard to not be like the original that it was undistinguished in every aspect.

The sets seemed quite shoddy and I especially disliked the orphanage which took up a little more than 1/4 of the stage. The orphanage is the heat and soul of the production. Why is it only covering 1/4 of the stage.

All of the magic from the original is gone. Heck, even the Carol Burnett movie which was mediocre was better. Even the Kathy Bates Movie was better.

I blame the good reviews on the timing of Hurricane Sandy. Those producers really lucked out in the timing department. Please don't saddle us with anymore heartless and souless revivals. For a lesson in how to do a revival see Mystery of Edwin Drood. I don't like the actual show but the revival is almost perfection.



Updated On: 11/17/12 at 12:42 PM

[Starship]

Posted: 11/17/12 at 1:44pm

why do u post
mean re-view
bout
lyttle girls in
bway play about
poor people
and
puppiesss

and
rosie donald can't do play about annie
cause she had has
heart attack
because of fat lady
she helped
good rosie

[PattyO'Furniture]

Posted: 11/17/12 at 2:10pm

Starship - already been done. Let it go.

[beaemma]

Posted: 11/17/12 at 7:03pm

They're all trying to sound like New Yorkers, although some of them forget sometimes.