Winston-Salem Journal Review - "Annie"

'Annie' brings 'magic time' to the stage'
By: LYNN FELDER | Special correspondent
Published: November 06, 2011

Annie and Sandy

It may be a "Hard-Knock Life" out there in the world, but the audience at the opening night of Twin City Stage's production of "Annie" was on "Easy Street" Friday night.

Annie and the 11 other orphan girls set a high standard of performance in the first scene with "Maybe" (Annie's solo) and "Hard-Knock Life" (a great production number). They proceed from there to fairly run away with the show, and there's plenty to run away with: Benji Starcher's choreography is exuberant; Bland Wade's gold-and-sepia-toned sets are elegant; Justin Hall's 1930s-style costumes are pitch-perfect.

The orchestra, under the talented leadership of Margaret B. Gallagher, often sounds much fuller than its 10 pieces, and the singing is fine throughout.

Anytime the girls are on stage, it's magic time, and the same goes for the orphanage supervisor Miss Hannigan, played with wicked relish by Peggie Kaan. Miss Hannigan, one of the juiciest roles in the repertoire, loves booze as much as she hates "Little Girls." Kaan rips into her role, stomping and reeling about with one sock up and one sock down as she hectors her charges and bemoans her fate.

Hooverville

But the orphans are far too plucky to seem like victims. Annie, well-played by Beatrice Howell, 11, and the littlest orphan, Molly, played by the effervescent Isabella Ellis, lead the others in numerous assaults on poor Miss Hannigan's dubious dignity.

The villains and the heroes are pretty clear-cut in "Annie," but director Steven LaCosse stays away from comic-book characterizations and lets his actors develop real personalities.

LaCosse's opera-director hand can be seen in some wonderful ensemble staging and in his collaboration with choreographer Starcher: "I Think I'm Going To Like It Here," the number when the servants welcome Annie to her new (maybe) home; and "NYC," when Daddy Warbucks (Ken Kennedy) and his secretary Grace (the graceful Miriam Davie) take Annie out on the town.

Many of the 32 cast members play multiple roles and perform amazing feats of quick-costume change. Mark Pirolo does a fine turn as Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Joshua Gerry as Rooster Hannigan (Miss Hannigan's ne'er-do-well brother) and Mary Lea Williams as his girlfriend, Lily, are deliciously sleazy and fun to watch. Drake, Warbucks' butler, played by Miles Stanley, has a grand sonorous voice.

And there's something just irresistible about a little red-haired girl standing on a desk in the Oval Office advising FDR and his Cabinet to believe in "Tomorrow."

Act I is a little long, and the energy dropped a tad before intermission, but things picked up fast in Act II. In fact, there are too many wonderful moments in this show to note them all here. Suffice it to say, it's a show that's so full of love and optimism that you will likely leave the theater feeling a whole lot of both.

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."

Vegetarian Lasagna

10 Lasagna noodles

2 packages (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach

1/2 Cup chopped onion

1 Cup grated raw carrots

2 Cups sliced fresh mushrooms (2 small packages)

1 Cup (15 oz.) tomato sauce

1 Cup (6 oz) tomato paste

1/2 Cup chopped pitted rip black olives (1 can)

1 1/2 tsp. Dried oregano

1 cups cream-style cottage cheese

1 lb. Sliced Monterey Jack Cheese

1/4 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese

1.     Prepare noodles, drain.

2.     Prepare spinach according to package.

3.     Sauté onion in oil, till soft. Add carrots and mushrooms; cook until crisp-tender. Stir in tomato sauce, paste, olives, and oregano.

4.     Grease 12x9x2” casserole pan.

5.     Layer 1/2 each noodles, cottage cheese, spinach,  sauce mixture, and 1/3 cheese. Repeat placing remaing 1/3 Monterey Jack cheese on top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

6.     Bake 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 8.

Weathervane Winery Stratosphere

Twin City Stage "Annie" Cast List

November 4-6; 10-13 & 17-20, 2011

Shows are Thursday-Saturday at 8pm and Sundays at 

2pm

By Strouse, Charnin and Meehan  The Tony Award-winning musical, featuring the popular song “Tomorrow” has been a favorite with audiences since 1977. Annie foils Miss Hannigan's evil plans, befriends the President and finds a new family and home with billionaire Oliver Warbucks, and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Women

Mary Lea Williams - Lily 


Miriam Davie - Grace 


Peggie Kaan - Hannigan 


Angela Hodges - Mrs. Greer 


Heather Osterer - Ronnie Boylan 


Kathy Ledbetter - Star To Be 


Katie Lyall - Annette & Usherette

Marge Clark - Mrs. Pugh & Perkins 


Sally Meehan - Dog Catcher 


Susan Rapier - Sophie the Kettle 


Suzanne Vaughan - Bonnie Boylan 


Taylor Kearney - Cecile & Connie Boylan


Men

Joshua Gerry - Rooster 


Ken Kennedy - Warbucks 


Mark Pirolo - FDR 


Cameron Williams - Bert Healy & Harold Ickes 


Donovan Fansler - Bundles, Eddie, Fred & Louis Howe


Joshua Fansler - Jimmy Johnson 


Miles Stanley - Drake, Radio Producer & Cordell Hull 


Ryan Ball - Assistant Dog Catcher & Marine Honor Guard 


Tony Courville - Sound Effects Man

Orphans

Isabella Ellis - Molly 


Ellie Burdette - Pepper 


Fara Marin - Duffy 


Logan Wellborn - July

Meredith Brown - Tessie 


Mary Cathryn Wolfert - Kate 


Beatrice Howell - Annie 


Jessie Burdette - Laurie 


Martha Dean - Judy

Annalisa Ebbink - Dana 


Ava Foster - Jessie 


Tori Seals - Jennie

1965 Ford Mustang Fastback

During 1965 the new sporty 2+2 fastback body style was introduced to the Mustang line. The car came with a V6 Engine, automatic transmission with center console and bucket seats. These are a few pictures of my white mustang fastback that had red leather bucket seats. These three pictures were taken around 1969 or 1970 and were not taken with color film. This was first car that I purchased (used) and also was the first car I wrecked. Who knew that a Mustang would be such a collectible car!