Review: Sun shines on Tuacahn's spirited 'Annie'

The sun will come out tomorrow and through Oct. 17 in southern Utah -- and that's not a weather forecast in this unusually rainy Northern Utah summer but the spunky theme song of the well-loved musical "Annie."

And that word "spunky" -- which could practically be trademarked to describe the young orphan girls performances -- says just about everything you need to know about this production in Tuacahn's impressive red-rock amphitheater.

The highlight of the show are the zest, energy and magic of the orphanage scenes, thanks to the interplay between the young charges who are shepherded by the bitter, loveless, and fed-up-with-her-life Miss Hannigan (SuEllen Estey). These young actors are funny, cute and talented, both as

a group and individually, and their ratted, messy hair, dirty faces and attitude hit the mark in both looks and credibility.

Molly (Caroline Labrum, double-cast with Drew Freeman) steals the scene whenever she speaks. She is tiny in stature, but every inch of her seems packed with talent. She has the cute factor going for her, adorned in long blond pigtails and tattered red pajamas, but she can also sing, and it's a delight when she delivers her lines. It's as if the spotlight turn her into a giant-sized performer who demands full attention and you have to obey. She conveys the innocence of a child, crying for parents in the middle of the night, but adds the maturity of someone who understands unfairness in the way her expression

toughens when she's angry.

The "Hard Knock Life" number at the top of the first act is particularly solid, as the girls' voices soar, while the choreography by Broadway veteran Deanna Dys is both disciplined and sassy. Four weeks of rehearsals paid off for the ensemble, as they move across the stage fluidly with their buckets, mops, rags and sheets, and establish their individual characters.

As Annie, Grace Etzkorn (who understudied the role and then was promoted to the lead in a national touring production), displays a great voice and effectively shows off the different sides of the character's personality. Director Scott Anderson successfully balances Annie's solo moments with scenes featuring the rest of the orphan girls, and paces the show smoothly with quick, clean set changes.

It's only when Etzkorn's Annie shares the stage with Oliver Warbucks (Ronald L. Brown) that something goes awry, as the actors chemistry is inconsistent. Other than in their solos on the "Why should I change a thing?" number, you don't get a real sense that either one wants the adoption to go through. The young actor is also a little too tall, which makes moments when Daddy Warbucks lifts her to carry or hug her appear awkward, and the director hasn't successfully mitigated the visual problem through blocking. But on her own or with the other characters, Etzkorn effectively conveys the character's perky optimism.

One of the production's most consistent characters is Estey's Miss Hannigan, whose physicality and mannerisms are a hit. From her over-dramatized moments of despair in "Little Girls" to scheming her way out of poverty on "Easy Street" to her star-struck meeting with Pres. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, she remains the same unhappy, desperate woman you love to dislike because she makes you laugh.

Costume designer Wilma Mickler-Sears transports audiences to the 1930s Depression-era America with a wardrobe of furs, simple A-line-knee length dresses, tailored suits and hats, while the orphans are appropriately clad in tattered, layered drab color dresses and bloomers.

Overall, the strength of this production rests on the slender shoulders of Annie and the orphans, who play marvelously against Miss Hannigan, as their oppressor. There's enough energy generated on stage to inspire the young girls in the audience -- and even this reviewer -- to want to sing "Tomorrow, Tomorrow" all the way home.