Annie Live!

Who knew ‘Cookie’ could sing? Taraji P. Henson, better known as ‘Cookie’ in the TV drama series Empire, was one of the brightest things about NBC’s ‘Live’ holiday offering, back again after a Covid absence last year.

Annie is such a feel-good musical that it’s a wonder NBC haven’t programmed it before in their long-running series of ‘Live’ musicals that started way back in 2013 with The Sound of Music Live! A stellar cast of Broadway and TV thespians brought Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin’s 1977 moppet charmer ‘broadly’ to life.

The fourth in a series of screen (both big and small) reiterations, this version pushed all the right buttons and was hugely enjoyable. The story about an orphan, Annie, who wants to find her family and ends up being adopted by the richest man in the world, doesn’t bear scrutiny, but as a Cinderella fable with an optimistic outlook, a lovable pooch, and a swag of memorable songs, it fits the bill for these post-lockdown times.

Henson, in the scenery-chewing role of orphanage-harridan Miss Hannigan, made a meal of the part, vocally devoured ‘Little Girls’, and with co-star Harry Connick Jnr (in a ridiculous looking bald-cap) dueted on ‘Sign’, a song written for the 1982 movie which starred Carol Burnett. Crooner Connick was a respectable Oliver Warbucks, and even found time to sit at the piano and warble his solo ‘Something Was Missing’.

Star of the performance was fifteen-year-old Celina Smith, whose pipes won us over with the opening ‘Maybe’ and consolidated her incipient star-blossoming in the musical’s hit, ‘Tomorrow’.

Keeping with the black and white casting was Tituss Burgess as Rooster Hannigan, opposite his white bimbo, Lily St Regis (Megan Hilty), as the fake parents Mr and Mrs Mudge, with former Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger as Warbucks’ secretary Grace Farrell. Burgess and Hilty were a presence, but it was Scherzinger who stole the limelight in the dance number ‘We Got Annie’, another song rescued from the 1982 movie.

Lots of irony present in ‘We’d Like to Thank You Herbert Hoover’, sung by the chorus of Hooverville-ites, whilst ‘N.Y.C.’ added a classy routine with McKenzie Kurtz as the Star To Be.

‘It’s a Hard Knock Life’ was a fabulous routine with theatre kid-energy, and the moppets doing somersaults and acrobatics. Coming up-front, it got the show off to a great start.

Staged on a big soundstage with obvious New York City skyline flats, and limited props, the show moved rapidly for a three-hour running-time, thanks to Sergio Trujillo’s choreography and smart direction by Lear deBessonet and Alex Rudinski.

Yes, sometimes the cameras were not in the right place at the right time and sometimes the actors were off-mike, problems I’m sure will be fixed on the video release.

No re-interpretation, no updating, just a good song-and-dance version of the beloved Broadway musical!

Peter Pinne