Annie

Musical (1977)
Book by Thomas Meehan
Music by Charles Strouse
Lyrics by Martin Charnin
Wheelock Family Theatre
Directed by Nick Vargas
Choreographed by Joy Clark
Music Direction by Jon Goldberg
180 Riverway, Boston
November 21 – December 21, 2025

With Sky Vaux Fuller (Annie), De’Lon Grant (Oliver Warbucks), Shannon Lee Jones (Miss Hannigan), Cleveland “Mac” Nicoll (Rooster Hannigan), Chip Philips (Mr. Bundles, FDR), Kara Chu Nelson (Lily St. Regis), Pearl Scott (Grace Farrell), Allie Knupp (Cecile), Max Connor (Bert Healy), Grace Etzkorn (Mrs. Greer, Boylan Sister), Britt Ambruson (Annette/Boylan Sister), Melissa Paz (Mrs. Pugh, Boylan Sister), Bert Healy (Ensemble), Brian Pereira Colelho (Drake, Dance Captain), Maxwell Tate (Apple Seller), Reese Krebs (Star-to-Be), Asa Dupras (Ensemble), Stella Centore (Duffy), Audrey Chan (Molly), Kasia Greaney (Pepper), Livia Quist (July), Lola Rhoads (Tessie), Josie Mishelle Dixon (Ensemble), Maya Feldman (Ensemble), AK (Anna Kendall) Kovaz (Ensemble), Bella Nevin (Ensemble), Elliana Karris (Ensemble), , Gray Oliveira (Ensemble), Firo Oliva Ridge (Ensemble)

It is the early 1930s and Annie (Sky Vaux Fuller) lives in an orphanage in New York City where a bunch of kids are under the sway of the miserable Miss Hannigan (Shannon Lee Jones), a drunkard who does not like kids. Annie holds out hope that her parents are somewhere and can be found, and she has half a locket to which her parents have the missing half.

Oliver Warbucks (De’Lon Grant), billionaire magnate, decides he wants to take in an orphan for a couple of weeks and sends his aide, Grace Farrell (Pearl Scott) to retrieve one. Annie is in the right place at the right time and winds up going to Chez Warbucks where she proceeds to charm the bejesus out of the old guy.

Taken with Annie and her plight, Oliver Warbucks has offered a $50,000 reward to the missing parents. Meanwhile, Hannigan’s brother, Rooster (Cleveland “Mac” Nicoll) and his worse half, Lily St. Regis (Kara Chu Nelson), come up with a scheme involving the missing locket and other inside information retrieved from Miss Hannigan to parade as Annie’s long-lost parents. When Annie meets this presumed parental pair, she is, totally contrary to her expectations, none too thrilled. As a result, she is pretty despondent about having to leave Warbucks and Warbucks is despondent about having to leave Annie. But, as a rich and powerful personage, Warbucks is friendly with J. Edgar Hoover who heads the FBI, which indeed helps solve the case, and determine the fate of Annie’s real parents.

In the middle of this, the new president, FDR (Chip Philips), a buddy of Warbucks, comes to the house and is so inspired by Annie’s non-destroyable optimism that he decides with his team to embark on the New Deal as a way to pull the country out of the Great Depression.

Since its inception over forty years ago, Wheelock Family Theater has pioneered multicultural programming and casting, far in advance of what eventually came to pass in American theater more generally. One might point to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2015 production of Hamilton as a modern assertion and confirmation of that innovation, and, since that time, multicultural casting has become much more commonplace.

Here, in the traditional roles of Annie and Daddy Warbucks, historically played by white actors, actors of color assume the roles, and that is the case throughout the production. The effect is wonderful and refreshing and those actors, and the cast generally, do a terrific job of bringing to life this musical which was first produced almost fifty years ago.

I recently heard another critic observe that having been exposed to so many productions of Annie over the years can be a bit overwhelming. Here, however, the production is so lively and full of energy that, even had one seen the show numerous times, it would still deliver significant rewards.

As a very strong and energetic Annie, Sky Vaux Fuller is simply full of life, and all of the positive vibes that one would hope for in her character. Fuller conveys droves of enthusiasm and positivity and her performance bristles with jubilation; it’s not at all saccharine, an omnipresent danger for this role. Fuller sings strongly and vividly, and most of the time it’s very good, though one wonders whether she had been coached to sing out loudly in the upper registers in a way that comes across as too blaring. But Fuller’s energy and pizzazz is omnipresent and compelling and that is what comes across centrally in her portrayal.

As Warbucks, De’Lon Grant is entirely charming and captivating, playing a handsome middle-aged billionaire rather than a doddering and creaky one. He gives wonderful energy to the role and manages, while trying to keep his cool wealthy aloofness intact, to reveal his growing inner warmth and sense of connection with Annie. That reserved but radiant quality comes through, as well, in his dealings with his assistant, Grace.

As FDR, Chip Philips does a terrific job of bringing the majesty and surprise of awakening to the idea of The New Deal, which, in this beautifully fictional narrative, is due to the sweetly optimistic orphan. He manages to do it with a candor and relative innocence that pairs well with the idea of naive discovery, while maintaining the demeanor of savoir-faire he shares with his buddy Warbucks.

In the not-so-nice adult supporting roles – Shannon Lee Jones as Miss Hannigan, Cleveland “Mac” Nicoll as her crooked brother Rooster Hannigan, and Kara Chu Nelson as Rooster’s equally unsavory girlfriend Lily St. Regis – everyone does a perfectly good job of conveying slimy despicability characters. And the vocal and acting talents of the small city of orphan kids is broad and notable, with many wonderful and charming performances all around.

Of truly special note is the excellent choreography by Joy Clark and the brilliance with which it is carried off in this lively production. Its creativity and ingenuity is demonstrated by the entire cast in many production numbers and the demonstrable verve and careful punctuation of movements is vividly evident throughout.

Overall: A lively production of the Broadway classic, with a compelling young star and wonderful choreography.

– BADMan (aka Charles Munitz)