★★★★ REVIEW: Annie (UK Tour 2023) | musical starring Craig Revel Horwood as Miss Hannigan 

I went to see this tour in Liverpool, where it should have been Paul O'Grady. It was respectful, delightful and endlessly entertaining. The show we caught also suffered a real loss as our Rooster (Paul French) was swapped out for the understudy for the second act and I'm sorry to say he could not even begin to try and compare. Overall it was a lovely experience, my 12 year old daughter absolutely loved it and seeing Craig Revel Horwood looking born to play Miss Hannigan was a real treat. Recommended for a great night out!

I bought tickets for my mum for mothers Day, it's a different date in the UK, she was lucky enough to see Paul O’Grady at the Newcastle performance I was meant to go but I bought the tickets too quickly, they were selling out fast, and didn't realise it clashed with my trip but my mum and her friend got to see it I was considering finding were the next performance was because I wanted to see Pual O’grady perform I was shocked and heartbroken when it was announced that he had past away. But I’m glad my mum got to see him perform

When I saw it as a kid, I was struck at how rooted Annie is in the Depression and I didn't get a lot of the in-jokes or discussions. But the older people in the crowd were delighted. I often wonder how it is when a high school goes to stage it because it does have a lot material that is pretty specific to the time. Maybe that's why they made some of the choices they did in this production. But I can't imagine Tomorrow sung like a march. Yikes.

Annie is one of my favourite stage musicals, I saw the UK Tour with Anita Dobson as Miss Hannigan at the Hull New Theatre on Friday 5th April 2019 and I will be seeing it again with Craig in Sheffield in October

Annie was my gateway into musical theater, got to see it when I was nine at Dallas Music Hall the same year the movie was released. Thank you for mentioning the songs Thank You Herbert Hoover and Something was Missing, two of my absolute favorites. I personally like the more serious tone underneath all the optimism, because it gives a gravity to the story.

Loved it in the West End a few years back where Meera Syal was Miss Hannigan. Got tickets for this one at Wimbledon, almost purely to see Paul French as Rooster, who was so amazing in Grease last year.

My friend Plays July (one of the orphans) She will be so glad too hear about this review

Didja ever notice that the chorus of "The Worst Pies in London" is set to the tune of "Tomorrow" (with altered rhythms)? Because Mrs. Lovett is also an eternal optimist.

tomorrow was originally written as a swingy reflective but optimistic number then broadway got involved and replaced the swing with the slow straight ballad you hear in every production. If you look online you can find the composer and lyric writer singing it the way it should be

I've been waiting for this review! Friends who took their children have raved about the tour and thought CRH wonderful.

My first ever pro job was as an ASM on Annie. Whilst it is a very special show for me, I find that so many people put it down as it started life as a cartoon. As you so rightly say, it is such a beautifully written piece. Thanks for an awesome review!

We’re going to see it in Southend. Looking forward to it

Annie is one of my favorites!❤

Saw the uk tour of Annie when it came to Liverpool and really enjoyed it . Craig was fantastic as Mrs hannigon we never got the dog with Annie fact, the absence of Sandy the dog - due to illness - was hardly noticed such was Annie's stage presence. Top-notch choreography, super harmonies, a smashing orchestra and a strong storyline make this a dazzling feel-good family show to sit back and enjoy.

Another great review! I wish I was across the pond to see the performances! Annie was my entree into the world of musical theater. At 9 years old, I saw the film ten times at the local movie theater. I was Obsessed! Later, when my daughter starred in a community theater production as Annie, her little brother, sister and I were cast in smaller roles so we could support her in the production (I was the NYC girl, did that character have a name? Can’t recall…). Great show. Would love to see a production with a darker, adult spin. There’s lots there.

Can you do a video on the V&A's Theatre & Performance Archives and is it closed for now? I'll be visiting London for the first time, and want to check out some of the proshot videos. Thanks!

Maybe it's the hair but MJ looks really good in this episode.

Fun fact - Craig Revel Horwood was an original Cagelle in La Cage Aux Folles in Australia!

My lovely niece was an orphan in a dinner theater production long ago. Of course, the original Annie comic strip was always satirical -- "Warbucks" being a wink at war profiteering.

I saw/was in amateur productions of Annie a couple of times as a kid. It was definitely a popular choice for local kid’s theater camps when I was young. I was always really charmed by it. In the production I was in I played the star to be in the NYC scene. So fun! I’ll also never forget how in that same production, the teen playing Miss Hannigan was supposed to shake the kid playing Annie in one scene, and in the process her curly red wing accidentally got knocked off. I’ve never seen both an audience and cast lose it so hard. It’s one of my favorite theatrical gaffes I’ve witnessed lol

As an actor with disability, I felt sure I'd be cast as FDR in "ANNIE." Our director, however, was more smart-- casting me in the ensemble for both "Thank You, Herbert Hoover" and "NYC"-- perfectly underlining both the darker, political aspects of the show-- and the more escapist, fantasy aspects of the show--brilliantly. That was back in 2012, and "ANNIE" remains one of my favorite theatre experiences.

I just saw the new U.S. tour in May and like all the things you mention that the UK tour misses, this one definitely has it. I was going pretty much already knowing the story and honestly not expecting to really feel that much, I just wanted to finally see Annie in person. But, there were moments especially in "Something Was Missing" and Annie's "Maybe" Reprise that I felt like crying. All the characters felt real and my friends and I really got into the story. The acting was unbelievably good. And what you said about "Tomorrow", it started off slow and went through the scene with Sandy and the policeman and then kind of went into a kind of march but it was at the tempo you said it should be. It was really empowering and Elsie Pulsifer was amazing and great singer. Stefanie Londino played Ms. Hannigan and it was the perfect combination of something between a woman not wanting to be where she is but also the necessary villain to go after Annie. I enjoyed it so much and your review just reminded me about it 😅. Also thanks for giving an idea of how the UK production is! ❤

Last time I did Annie, Rooster stole our show too! He was charmingly devious on stage but an utter pro in rehearsals. I find I always want more scenes with the trio of villains since "Easy Street" is such a great number...

Annie always holds a special place in my heart because when I was younger I did a theater camp program where we learned the choreo to Hard Knock to be performed on the last day in front of all the families. Pieces of it has stuck with me & it's really a core memory so no matter what version of this show I watch I can't help but to love it.

At intermission at the Goodman in Chicago. The Who's Tommy...JAW DROPPING!

Thanks for doing this review! Annie is my favourite musical (diehard fan of it over here), and the spunk of this street-smart 11 year old has got me through thick and thin. Regardless of what you thought of this particular production, I'm really thrilled you got to see one of the most powerful musicals of humanity's existence. This show will always hold more than a special place in my heart, as it has done for millions of folks around the world. Keep up the great work as always Mickey! I will say (as someone who never got to see this staging by Nikolai Foster when it came here to Ontario, Canada) that I really don't like this production's orchestrations either, and I'm biased towards the bigger and fuller sound the majority of productions have held intact.

Saw it a couple of weeks ago and Sandy wasn’t in it the night I saw it. It didn’t change the production too much apart from Tomorrow because Annie just walked on stage sang Tomorrow and then walked off so the song didn’t really make any sense in the context of the show.

I love this show - I got to hang with the 2nd US National Tour company in the way-early 80s, and SO many great stories came out of that experience. That said, I hate just about every film/tv version of it with one exception: the 1999 Disney tv version with Victor Garber as Warbucks. They nailed the casting, the emotion, the plucky, the sinister. Kathy Bates is incredible - and the vocal arrangement in Easy Street (Bates, Chenoweth, Alan Cumming) is delicious. I've always thought this show had three finales - any one of them could have been used to wrap things up. Annie... I Don't Need Anything But You... and New Deal for Christmas. It's truly remarkable how good this show is.

We were very confused in Liverpool when Sandy was cut. We’re not sure why. Annie just started singing tomorrow out of nowhere and then left. I assume some scenes had to be cut because of the missing dogs. Wonder what happened

It was amazing

Annie for sure had mass appeal for all ages. Pretty sure it was the first show I saw as a child but all I remember from that show is 'hard knock life'. I saw it more recently probably six years ago and its sadly become my least favourite professional show I've ever seen. It wasnt all bad but it was hard to get through. The long and short of it was some acting and directing choices that didnt work for me or the group I was with. It must be hard to do a show this well known and beloved by a lot of people and keep it fresh and engaging.

I saw it in London with Miranda hart which was great although she is kind of herself and not that mean of a miss Hannigan but she brought what she does best to the role, I don’t remember a lot of detail as to what I thought about it I think maybe you would have liked our production of it, the director wanted to bring a bit more grit and use what was going on at the time more in the production

Did this production include the song for Warbucks " why change a thing.:

I have seen Annie in Liverpool😗

Okay first of all I want to point out that everything you've described about the UK tour sounds absolutely horrible. In the United States and I had the honor and privilege of seeing the U.S. Tour and it doesn't have any of the problems that you describe. First of all the show is very grounded and the set design shows a very realistic depression-era New York City. I need they really nailed it unlike what you described seeing in the UK Tour it really feels like a sophisticated piece theater and they did not kittyfie the show and they really allowed to pace itself well and to allow it to be emotional. And it allowed itself to be gritty so when they sing We'd Like To Thank You Herbert Hoover you know it's not very energetic or upbeat because they depict the reality of the situation that these people are in which judge has a good time at juxtaposing the number in N.Y.C or I think I'm going to like it here where Annie gets to see how the rich elite live in New York City. It's such a solid production. Stefanie Londino nailed it as Miss Hannigan because she's really funny but she's also enough of a threat that you can take her as a villain who wants to go after Annie. Elsie Pulsifer is amazing as Annie who displays such a great range of emotion and she is an amazing singer. Annie is something I've always held close to my heart I've seen all four film two versions of it and Annie is something I've always held close to my heart I've seen all four filmed versions of it and I finally wanted to see it in person. I'm glad I got to see it and I'm glad they didn't do what you described where the people living in the shanty town or doing kick lines during the Herbert Hoover number with a Matilda like design aesthetic and Disney esque tone because it sounds like what you're describing is more of a Disney show in this is why Annie gets such a bad rap because so many productions make it so childish and people don't understand how sophisticated and well-written this musical is. What I recommend you track down is the live television production that aired on the American Network NBC in December of 2021 where they did the show on live television and it's pretty much what you would see on the u.s. tour the only minor differences being they added the songs Sign and We Got Annie as an homage to the 1982 film adaptation directed by John Huston. But other than that it pretty much follows the original book of the musical to an absolute and I know it was probably only broadcasted in the United States but if you can track it down you need to watch it because it really is well done. It's actually executive-produced by Neil meron who executive-produced the 1999 film adaptation that starred Kathy Bates. Harry Connick Jr. as Daddy Warbucks and Taraji P. Henson as Miss Hannigan and a newcomer name Celina Smith who is a black girl plays the role of Annie. Fun fact the first time said Annie was played by a black girl was in the 2014 version where Quvenzhane Wallis played Annie. The film however is a radical departure from the show as they moved it out of the Great Depression and into the present day and Annie lives in a foster home instead of in an orphanage run by her mean foster mom Miss Hannigan when this used to be a member of the C&C Music Factory and was fired before she got on stage and she's a washed-up popstar who decided to become a foster mom so she can live off state benefits. And she's taken in by mayoral candidates Will Stacks who is a cell phone mogul after he saves her from getting hit by a van. He decides that letting her stay with him for a few weeks will make him go up in the polls and have a better chance at being elected mayor. Then he finds that he truly cares about Annie and decides that he wants to adopt her but not before Miss Hannigan and Will Stacks campaign manager Guy who is a stand-in for Rooster decide that they want to live on Easy Street by hiring fake parents so the public will think that Will Stacks has successfully found Annie's parents and Guy thinks he'll get a raise for successfully helping will Stacks successfully get elected mayor. So the basic plot structure is definitely the same she has a locket around her neck and her parents kept the other half along with a note saying that they would come down for her one day and the message of hope is still strong but it's so different. And the classic songs by Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin are definitely still there but they were rearranged to have a thicker beat into sound more pop and R&B and the lyrics were changed as well to reflect the differences in the time and in the storyline. Maybe, It's The Hard-Knock Life and Tomorrow with the only three songs that sound exactly as they did on stage aside from having thicker pop beats. Where the other songs like I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here, You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile. Little Girls, Easy Street and I Don't Anything But You they took a lot more artistic licensing with by changing the lyrics to have more modern references due to the change in time period and to reflect the changes in the storyline and they added new melodies to some of these songs. So yeah that first time a black girl played Annie. Charles Strouse said they always wanted a black Annie. Anyways I recommend seeking out the live television production from NBC if you really want to know how the u.s. tour is.

Well, at least it's not Annie 2-it should never be seen.

Oh my god I can see the sunburn. The excellence of the performance aside, I am a little uncomfortable with the practice of casting men in the roles of female villains on the stage given the horrific state of transphobia in the UK right now. Just seems to (unintentionally, I'm sure) lean in to some of the worst talking points meant to stoke public fear.

As long as I have the feature film version, I don't need to see a Broadway version of this.

And you have just contradicted your firm belief that only a transgender actor should play bernadette in priscilla!

I would NOT have enjoyed that version!