Maybe...Maybe Not...

By Jonathan Jones
Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Leapin' lizards! This production of Annie is unfortunate. 

Maybe I'm too old. Or maybe it's just bad. But I can't think of a good word to say.

Well, I adore Katie Finnernan. I do not adore her in this show. But I adore Katie Finnernan. 

The dialect coach for this production should re-think career choices. The orphan girls sound British when they sing, and Lilla Crawford's shrill tone sits somewhere between Cyndi Lauper and Ellen Green's rendition of Audrey in the Orginal Off Broadway cast of Little Shop of Horrors (and the film as well). Why is this happening? Poor Miss Crawford means well, is appropriately precocious and eager, but what voodoo are they doing with her voice and why?

We get it - this desire to pretend that everyone in New York has a twisted vulger accent and have had them for the last two centuries - but we know better. In a city of immigrants, some do indeed have that harsh accent, but not everyone. We will accept it is New York because we see that it is New York (hell, they even sing the dreadful "N Y C" tune to be clear about it) - we don't need to pretend. Just let the kids sing!

And, for many in my generation who are too young to have seen the original outing on Broadway 30-some years ago but old enough to have grown up with the original film version, it is no wonder that some songs were shaved from the score for the film. "You Won't Be an Orphan for Long" "Something Was Missing" "New Deal for Christmas" - Cringeworthy!

But I'm sure the kids will like it, so by all means, bring them to the theatre. It is a holiday treat. But it's saccharine qualities will soon decay and this revival will hopefully decay along with them.

Annie is playing at The Palace Theatre. Tickets can be purchased here.