Winston-Salem Journal Article - "Annie"

'Little Girls' have big shoes to fill in beloved 'Annie'

By: LYNN FELDER | Special correspondent
Published: October 30, 2011

Twin City Stage

     "Little cheeks. Little teeth. Everything around me is little," sings Miss Hannigan, the orphanage supervisor who is hilariously unsuited to care for the "Little Girls" whom she's singing about in "Annie." The musical opens Friday night at the Arts Council Theatre
     Eighty-five girls from in and around Winston-Salem auditioned for "Annie" in September. That's a lot of little cheeks and little teeth; a lot of little voices for singing and feet for dancing, too.
     "It was a tough decision to pare it down," said director Steven LaCosse. "We had a first round (of auditions) and a second round, and just sort of pulled it in little by little.
     "There were several girls who stood out … and we had them reading together and singing together."
     Beatrice Howell, 11, won the coveted title role. She is slender with a piping voice and a sunny personality. But there was so much talent on display that LaCosse ultimately selected 11 girls to play the orphans instead of the usual seven in the script.
      Rehearsals for the all-volunteer cast are nightly from 7 to 11 p.m.
     "We try to only call the orphans for rehearsal on a couple of school nights," LaCosse said. "But Annie's in every scene, and she has to be there every night."
     Despite the grumpy Miss Hannigan, played by newcomer Peggie Kaan, and a few other n'er-do-wells, love and optimism are at the heart of "Annie's" appeal.
     The time is 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression. The setting is New York.
     Annie was left at the orphanage in 1922 with a note from her parents saying that they would return for her one day. She's hopeful, but decides to take things into her own hands.
     After comforting the littlest orphan, Molly, played by a lively and bespectacled Isabella Ellis, Annie escapes from the orphanage to search for her parents.
     Annie is taken in temporarily by Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks, a millionaire, who offers a $50,000 reward to anyone finding her parents.
     "Annie is able to bring light and change back into Daddy Warbucks' all-business world," LaCosse said.
     This is LaCosse's fifth show in 13 years for Twin City Stage. He is the opera director and the assistant dean for enrollment in the music school at UNC School of the Arts. He has sung and directed with Piedmont Opera.
     A quiet man in interviews and conversations, LaCosse is animated in rehearsals. He bounces from room to room for the first run-through of the Act II opener, "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile." The number is done in two scenes: One, a radio show, includes Annie and some of the adults. The second, a room in the orphanage, includes all the other Little Girls.
     In the rehearsal hall, Daphne Nichols plays accompaniment on piano, and Margaret B. Gallagher directs the singing. LaCosse gives a few instructions to the girls and to choreographer Benji Starcher, who then teaches the dance steps and staging to the Little Girls.
     The girls fidget and chat a little among themselves. But they mostly pay rapt attention to LaCosse, Gallagher and Starcher, and concentrate on the words and movements.
     After he has them do the dance for what seems like the 2,000th time, Starcher smiles with infinite patience and says, "Don't worry. You've got it. It will happen."
      Down the hall in the theater lobby, LaCosse works with Annie and the adults on the radio-show version of the song.
     "I enjoy directing, and it's always fun working with people. This show has a lot of heart," LaCosse said. "It rings very true to what's happening in the country today. The real heart of the story is in the relationship between Daddy Warbucks and Annie. He came to realize that all he ever wanted was money and power. What was missing was someone to care for — who could count on him and he could count on."
     LaCosse said that planning and preparation are essential to working with a 32-member cast. "Musicals are the ultimate collaborative project," he said. In addition to the music director and choreographer, the scene designer Bland Wade, costume designer Justin Hall and stage manager Edwin Martinat are also key team members.
     LaCosse said that he has directed more than 600 productions in his career, and he has learned how to work with the volunteers and the professionals.
     "You've got people volunteering their time, so you really want to treat them with respect," he said. "If you have patience and people are doing their job, it will get done."
     So he plans, prepares and then remains open to suggestions. "If they make a suggestion, we try it. That's how we rehearse," he said.
     "We need a show that has optimism and says that things are going to get better, and they will get better," LaCosse said. "Sometimes, it's hard to remember that."