Annie - Theatre Royal Plymouth - UK Tour Review

Little orphan Annie famously sings her heart out with 'The sun will come out tomorrow', and here we are in a heatwave where we can currently say with some certainty that the sun indeed will come out tomorrow. But the soaring temperatures have not put the stoppers on the UK Tour of the classic musical Annie, roaring into the Theatre Royal Plymouth and plunging us into Christmas time in New York City 1933.

The city continues to feel the effects of the Stock Market crash, with the poor living in makeshift villages and Mr Warbucks (Alex Bourne) continuing to grow his empire. And in the middle of this void between the haves and the have nots stands Annie (played at this performance by Sophia Saravanan), the ever optimistic young orphanage resident determined to prove that she is, in fact, not an orphan by finding her parents who left her in the care of Miss Hannigan (La Voix) back in 1922. When Annie is invited by Warbucks and his personal secretary Grace (Tanisha-Mae Brown) to spend Christmas in his Fifth Avenue mansion, she might just discover an entirely different kind of family.

The story of Annie, with its three movie adaptations since its Broadway debut in 1977, has been a part of many people's childhoods, and this production, directed by Simon Greiff, retains a sense of childlike glee, happiness and hope. The orphans play and laugh in the face of hardship, the President of the United States sings along with Annie and the staff of Warbucks' mansion delight in a dance number.

Sophia Saravanan takes to the demanding role of Annie with an apparent ease, commanding attention, earning many a laugh with her cheeky smile, and impressing greatly with her strong vocals, especially with her outstanding rendition of 'Tomorrow' alongside cockerpoo Dizzy as Sandy, who was utterly adorable. Saravanan's bond with Bourne's Warbucks is warm, sweet and heart-warming, with Bourne winning over the audience as the seemingly business only billionaire with his own back story and kind interior.

La Voix, described in the programme as 'a showbiz Tour de Force', well and truly lives up to the description as orphanage matron Miss Hannigan. A scene stealer, with spot on comedic timing, on point facials and wonderful vocals. In a trio with Christian Cooper as Rooster and Amber Kennedy as Lily, La Voix even made 'Easy Street' a stand out moment for me, despite it previously being my least favourite song in the show.

It was the girls of Team Rockefeller who played Annie's orphanage companions on press night in Plymouth with Myla Park as Kate, Anna Deikalo as Pepper, Blossom Rolston-Williams as July, Rachelle Bonfield-Bell as Duffy, Khit Thakhin as Tessie and Mollie Moran as Molly. Little stars through and through, they delighted with their cheeky antics and sharp dance routines, earning great applause for both 'Its a Hard Knock Life' and 'Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile'. I have to highlight the performances of both Mollie Moran as Molly and Myla Park as Kate, who proved particular stand outs with their joyful giggles, fun and games.

The stage, with its light up puzzle piece backdrop and set pieces that rolled in and out, we see New York through the eyes of a child, everything larger and bolder. The orphanage is drab, in shades of grey and green, with only the mismatched outfits of the girls and Miss Hannigan's bright red hair giving bursts of colour, but New York is technicolour, with large gold doors enough to illustrate the grandness of Warbucks' mansion and a simple row of seating bringing a Broadway show to life.

The ensemble, with a constant spring in their step, bounce from playing the homeless of NYC, to the smiling staff of the mansion, from a Broadway stage to the White House, filling the stage with energy and the story with endless characters. And the point here is, I believe, to illustrate that Annie with her optimism and bright outlook on life no matter what, has this ability to brighten the day of anyone she meets. She injects a spark and helps them all to see a brighter tomorrow, and maybe we all need a bit more of that in our lives.

Annie continues at the Theatre Royal Plymouth until Saturday 27th June with the UK Tour booking through until March 2027 at various venues.

Images feature cast members from a previous production and I was gifted my tickets to this performance.