Review: Annie the Musical at the Wales Millennium Centre

Last night we were invited to see Annie at the Wales Millennium Centre in return for a review. All views and opinions are 100% my own.

*Warning! May contain spoilers!*

Following a hugely successful run in London, the smash-hit production of Annie comes straight from the West End to the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff!

I remember watching the original 1982 movie of Annie when I was younger. In the movie Annie was played by Aileen Quinn, and she believes her parents left her at the orphanage by mistake. When a rich man named Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks takes Annie into his home in a bid to improve his image he soon launches a search for her parents in return for a reward. As you can imagine, a reward like this brought out many frauds.

My twin girls are seven and they haven’t actually seen Annie, but after giving them a brief summary of the storyline, they were intrigued!

I was also curious to see how well Annie would be transferred from the big screen to the stage and I wasn’t disappointed!

Strictly Come Dancing Judge, Craig Revel Horwood, plays the tyrannical Miss Hannigan and I have to say aside from looking fabulous, he played the part very well!

Craig was not only funny and a very believable Miss Hannigan, he also sang and danced brilliantly! He really brought Miss Hannigan to life. Watching him swigging from a bottle of booze, staggering about the stage and ordering the orphans around was mesmerising, as was watching his attempts as Miss Hannigan to try seduce a police officer and later on Daddy Warbucks himself!

I also have to mention the set. The giant jigsaw puzzle pieces that hung from above and lit up were really eye catching, but they were also a metaphor for Annie’s life as she journeys through New York and tries to put together the pieces of her life.

The giant ‘W’ door at the home of Mr Warbucks helped to give it a grand feel and the streets of New York were perfect and full of colour. I felt as though I’d been transported back in time to 1930s New York! Each scene really felt like it came straight out of the film!

Every single actor and actress was outstanding. The dancing, the singing, and even the dog, Sandy! You could certainly tell how hard they’d all rehearsed in order to deliver a spectacular performance.

Our twins loved watched Sandy the dog appear from one side of the stage and wander over to the other side throughout the performance! It certainly gave us a giggle!

Alex Bourne who played Daddy Warbucks is just perfect casting. I especially enjoyed the scene where he and Annie danced together. I wish they’d danced together for longer! I could have watched them for hours!

The girl who played Annie, Mia Lakha, made her professional theatre debut in Annie, and she was absolutely outstanding. She sang beautifully and really played the part well, as did all of the other children who were from The Chrysler Company. Mia brought a sense of humour to the role of Annie and her timing was impeccable!

Richard Meek played the role of Rooster, Miss Hannigans brother, along with Jenny Gaynor playing his other half, Lily. Together they planned to pretend they were Annie’s real parents so that they could get their hands on the reward money.

Annie brought to life the film perfectly and included many of the familiar songs that we all love including Hard Knock Life, Tomorrow, and Easy Street! I found myself wanting to sing along to all the songs and as I glanced over at my twin girls I could see that they were so taken in with it that they didn’t once look away from the stage! They absolutely loved it!

Overall we had a fantastic time watching Annie. Our girls have been to a few theatre shows and I think Annie ranks in their top three now!

Annie is playing in the Wales Millennium Centre from now until 31st August 2019. Ticket prices start from £19. The age guidance 5+ (no under 2s) and it runs for 2 hours 30 including one intermission.