From December 5th -22nd, 2024, The Firehouse Theatre staged the musical Annie, by Thomas Meehan (Book) Martin Charnin (Lyrics) and Charles Strouse (Music). A fine choice for the Christmas Season to be sure: tribulation without pathos, moxie without bravado, sweetness without sap. Inspired by the popular comic strip, Annie opens (as you might expect) in an orphanage, Lorded over by Mrs. Hannigan. A drunk but not a beast. A snot but not a bully.
She nevertheless rules with iron bloomers. The little girls sing their wistful disappointment, in “Maybe”, next their anger and despair in “Hard Knock Life.” Perhaps there’s a clue here in Meehan, Strouse and Charnin’s strategy. The actors wield their emotion forcefully without crossing the line. Their feelings are curiously, just this side of adult. No one is interested in playing us.
Next we see Daddy Warbucks in his palatial mansion. He has a very efficient, very pretty assistant (Grace Ferrell) skilled at following his constant stream of directions. Warbucks is a tycoon and (I think it’s safe to say) a Republican. Evidence of the poverty he’s caused is easy to find, all over town. Warbucks has decided he wants to adopt an orphan. Preferably a boy. Grace ignores this when she realizes that Annie is the perfect fit. To honor Annie’s wishes, he uses his great wealth to track down her parents.
You might say that Annie is a fable. A testimonial to the power of kindness and good will. Before we know it, Warbucks and Hoover are smoking the peace-pipe and he adopts the rest of the girls from the orphanage. Leapin Lizards. The script is quite clever and if we never go too deep, perhaps it’s the tone that makes it all work. When Annie’s introduced to the opulence of Daddy Warbucks’ lifestyle, she’s impressed, she’s pleased, and she’s poised. None of this is to suggest she’s not in earnest. The aforementioned three man team has read the room, and know just what to do. They have mixed (very, very carefully) the plausible with the fanciful. And once you find your way to the plausible, the rest is easy to sell.
I want to mention here that in recent years my experience with The Firehouse Theatre has been nothing short of phenomenal. Truly. Show after show: Little Shop of Horrors, Anything Goes, Sweeney Todd, Pippin, The Drowsy Chaperone, Gypsy….. has been meticulous and impeccable. Timing, gusto, intelligence, and a head of steam like the Queen Mary. And all of this in a space that’s small and unforgiving. Somehow they have managed to pull this off without revealing any scaffolding. (If you know what I mean.) Not once at The Firehouse have I been disappointed. If I’m gushing, it’s because Firehouse has earned it.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Miss Eliza Chabot, who played Annie in the company of this stunning cast. Her performance was flawless, her demeanor unbelievably authentic. She doesn’t act, she is. There’s something about her energy, her warmth, her lack of artifice, that makes us forget we’re in a theater.
Annie played The Firehouse Theatre December 5th-22nd, 2024. 2535 Valley View Ln, Farmers Branch, TX, United States, Texas. (972) 620-3747. thefirehousetheatre.com