Annie

Wednesday, May 15th (matinee).

Not a fan of this show. And it's not just how I felt about this production... I just don't like the show. The best song is the ballad Warbucks sings in Act II. There was just nothing special about this production. It was Annie done the same as Annie has been done for years. Nothing new. I found myself watching what was happening backstage in the wings more than what was happening onstage. And I was struggling to stay awake during Act I.

I saw Jane Lynch's second performance and was not impressed. She seemed uncomfortable with everything that was happening. Her eyes were darting all over the place, she didn't seem focused on what she was doing onstage, and it was just awkward. Yeah, I get that this was only her second performance but I wanted more professionalism. I can guarantee you that I was the only one in the audience that was thinking about that... but different strokes for different folks. My favorite number in the show is "Easy Street" but it was not good.

Lila Crawford as Annie was impressive. Her voice, mostly. There were some acting moments that were painfully presentational and just poorly done. But when she sang it was pretty darn magical. Daddy Warbucks stole the show in my opinion. He was just great. Very sympathetic. The best moment in the show was the meeting between Roosevelt, Warbucks, Annie, and the other staff when Annie gets them to sing "Tomorrow" -- the fact that I think this is the best moment proves that I like moments with adults rather than children in musicals.

I was sitting in row AA for the first act and that was pretty restricted because the stage was so high. I missed everything the dog did. I moved back a row for Act II and could see upstage a lot better.

Have I mentioned I'm not a fan of the classics?