It’s been nearly 50 years since Broadway first saw the red-haired orphan Annie sing “Tomorrow,” that optimistic ode to the promise of a new day, but the plucky youngster hasn’t lost her appeal in this musical by Charles Strouse, Martin Charnin and Thomas Meehan. If Annie’s leap from rags to riches at the stroke of a billionaire’s pen seems the stuff of modern fairy tales, the theme of chosen family still rings true in Music Theater Works’ warmhearted new production, directed by Kyle Dougan-LeBlanc.
Based on Harold Gray’s Tribune-syndicated comic strip, which debuted in 1924 and ran through 2010, the musical “Annie” follows the 11-year-old New Yorker (played here by Elin Joy Seiler) from an orphanage run by the abusive Miss Hannigan (Sarah Smith) to the Fifth Avenue mansion of manufacturing magnate Oliver Warbucks (Michael Metcalf). This journey takes her through key scenes of the Great Depression, from the desperate conditions of a local Hooverville to the birth of the New Deal in the Oval Office.
The production design draws inspiration from both the historical setting and the cartoon source material. As the 16-piece orchestra performs the overture (conducted by Linda Madonia with music direction by Michael McBride), media designer Anthony Churchill’s projections reel through archival footage depicting the Roaring ’20s, the 1929 stock market crash and the widespread unemployment and poverty that followed.
When the curtain comes up on Annie and her fellow orphans in 1933, it reveals a grayscale set (co-designed by Jacqueline Penrod and Richard Penrod) that evokes Gray’s drawings. With Annie’s escape from the drudgery of the orphanage, the color palette of her world gradually expands through the designs of the costumes (Rachel M. Sypniewski), lighting (Chelsea Lynn) and props (Nga Sze Chan).
Seiler gives a winsome performance in the title role, with a sunny smile and vocals that soften some of the sharper edges that plague many Annies. Standing a few inches taller than Smith’s Miss Hannigan, she looks slightly older than her character’s intended age, but Seiler turns this to her advantage with a stage presence that’s more poised than scrappy. It’s easy to believe that she would not only serve as a sisterly figure to the younger orphans, but also win over Warbucks and his secretary, Grace Farrell (Desiree Gonzalez), along with the rest of the household staff.
Smith anchors the show’s comedic elements, belting out her boozy solo number, “Little Girls,” and hamming it up in “Easy Street” with Miss Hannigan’s sleazy brother, Rooster (David Geinosky), and his girlfriend, Lily St. Regis (Emily Holland). Mollyanne Nunn’s choreography, though sometimes too sparse in the major ensemble numbers, works well for the antics of this vaudevillian trio.
As you might guess from the title of the final number, “A New Deal for Christmas,” this musical takes a rather rosy look at a historical period when the federal government enacted bold policies meant to materially benefit struggling Americans. When Warbucks introduces Annie to President Franklin D. Roosevelt (Bob Sanders), her enthusiastic reprisal of “Tomorrow” helps to plant the seeds of the New Deal. While the scene is played as overtly cheesy — with an explosion of stars and stripes as stodgy cabinet members pick up the spirited tune — it’s surprisingly affecting.
But what about “Daddy” Warbucks? It seems far-fetched that this fictional billionaire (in 1933’s dollars, no less) would be so chummy with this particular president, who would go on to sign the Revenue Act of 1935, derided at the time as the “Soak the Rich” tax hike. Gray, the cartoonist who created the character, was actually a critic of Roosevelt and the New Deal, so it makes sense that Warbucks feels shoehorned into the musical’s more progressive politics. What would Gray have thought if he’d lived to see Warbucks singing the New Deal’s praises?
Political themes aside, though, “Annie” is primarily about one girl’s search for a family and home to call her own, a storyline that wraps up with a bow as tidy as those on the shiny presents she shares with her orphan friends on Christmas day. Warbucks grows into his new paternal role, not only wielding his money and influence on Annie’s behalf but also taking the time to form a genuine relationship with her — a sweet connection celebrated in “I Don’t Need Anything But You.” With or without the glamour of Fifth Avenue, it’s clear the real prize for both is their newfound family, and that’s a happy ending that never gets old.
Emily McClanathan is a freelance critic.
Review: “Annie” (3.5 stars)
When: Through Jan. 4, 2026
Where: Music Theater Works at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie
Running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes
Tickets: $19.50-$106 at 847-673-6300 or MusicTheaterWorks.com
