Annie
Newcastle Theatre Royal – 4th August 2026
Review by Jon Isbell
‘Annie’ is a show as synonymous with musicals as it gets. Most people who are not musical theatre fans would likely be able to name it if asked to name musicals they’ve heard of. And yet for me this was a first-time watch, having actively avoided it for many years. It seems this is regrettable as the show itself has more to offer than the best-known songs might suggest.
For anyone else who may be less familiar with this show, it tells the story of the titular ‘Little Orphan’ Annie and her journey from the New York Municipal Orphanage – run by the less than suitable Miss Hannigan – to adopted daughter of billionaire Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks. Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression we follow the hunt for Annie’s birth parents, bankrolled by Warbucks, and assisted by none other than US President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
As is common with shows that feature child casting there are a selection of teams on rotation. We had the pleasure of Rockefeller Team, led by June Young in the title role and in her first national tour. Young’s performance will be everything any Annie fan would want – confident, sassy, with a heck of a belt for such a young talent. The same can be said of the team of orphan girls who equalled her energy and stage presence and felt like more than their six throughout the show. For people who don’t know the songs well there were moments where the lyrics got a bit lost – Annie is a show well known for the orphans being a bit shouty, though this is more to do with the way the child parts are written than any reflection on the young actors.
The part of Miss Hannigan has long been the star vehicle of this show and the secondary selling point beyond the title itself. For this tour it is being shared between Ru Paul’s Drag Race UK alum La Voix and TV soap veteran Claire Sweeney, with the latter performing the Newcastle run. Sweeney is certainly an accomplished actor who is no stranger to the stage or indeed to a musical and, while her vocal talent and dance ability shine through here, the character often comes close to edging into pantomime – ‘Little Girls’ in particular felt a bit too ‘showy’ to feel the exasperation which informs the choices the character makes later in the show. That said, if you accept the over-the-top, dare I say hammy nature from the get-go you can settle into it, and it works nicely alongside the set and costume design by Colin Richmond which itself leans into an exaggerated, almost comic-like style. Which makes sense as this is one of a very small number of musicals based on a comic strip.
Alex Bourne is a fine Daddy Warbucks, ably delivering the gravitas of the self-made billionaire with contacts at the highest level in company with the playful glee the character has brought out of him by Annie. He is wonderfully supported by Tanisha-Mae Brown as his assistant Grace Farrell. Brown performs the role beautifully and her voice – which is not unlike that of Broadway legend Audra McDonald – carries her songs effortlessly.
Rooster and Lily – Miss Hannigan’s criminally minded brother and his girl – are played by Christian Cooper and Amber Kennedy. In the show these parts represent the criminal underworld of 1930’s New York and both actors do so with flair and just enough caricature to make them believable and not fall into full Dick Tracy. The trio of Sweeney, Cooper, and Kennedy all dazzle in their big number ‘Easy Street’ and its reprise.
Which brings us to the stand-out of the show – the choreography by Nick Winston. Every big dance number was electric and performed flawlessly by a fantastic adult ensemble. ‘We’d Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover’ was superb, as was ‘N.Y.C.’ which had some lovely nods to Broadway. It was a real joy to see a traditional musical theatre style alive and well on stage and still feeling fresh and I think that is where the charm of Annie as a show really lies. Ben Cracknell’s lighting design seems to agree as it is used to great effect throughout but particularly with the choreography.
If you like Annie, you will love this production. If, like myself, you’re sceptical, I would say don’t keep putting it off until Tomorrow (sorry…) get yourself along as it’s a classic for a reason and should be seen at least once – you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised even if it doesn’t go to the top of your list of favourites.