Scarborough Music Theatre's Annie on easy street.

Scarborough Music Theatre's Annie, presented at Scarborough Village Theatre from November 4-20, 2010 is already completely sold out so they need no boost from me -- but I'll give them one anyway.  Having seen the show, I would say it's a winner.  Though the show was inspired by Harold Gray's popular Little Orphan Annie comic strip (first published in 1924 and only just recently canceled in June of this year!), this presentation of Annie brings what could be a 'cartoony' piece to life with fully fleshed out and believable characters who charm and entertain their audiences.

Amanda Sinclair, first time Director, has pulled together a fantastic cast including James Robert Woods as Warbucks, Zandee Toovey as Hannigan, Patty Sullivan as Lily St. Regis, John Palmieri as Rooster Hannigan, and, of course, the charming and talented newcomer, Devin Cecchetto as Annie.  Amanda has presented a solid, minimalized staging of this show.  Unfortunately, some of the scene changes were cumbersome - a common problem on that stage.  And there was, unfortunately, some unevenness in the overall production but this was outshone by the obvious warmth and investment of this very talented cast and Director.

Len McCarthy, Musical Director, steered his cast to some beautiful vocal work.  However, the orchestra was, sadly, not clean and tempos were a bit strange, suggesting that Len was struggling.  Also, the orchestra, at times, overpowered the singers and could have used a bit of ramping back.  However, vocally, the show was very strong and enjoyable.  Cheers, to Len and his cast.

Choreographer Amy Helsby did an excellent job of capitalizing on the talents of her cast, inserting choreography seamless with the blocked action and with absolutely appropriate physical styles -- from the gymnastics of the orphans to the prim and proper movement of Warbuck's household staff.  Occasionally, the focus of the moment was a bit unclear; however, very solid work from both the cast and the choreographer.

The orphan ensemble was excellent and full of energy, and it was obvious that each had worked hard on developing an individual character.  I did have some trouble understanding them at times, though, both because of miking and vocal placement.  However, their dancing and acrobatics were stunning, making them a joy to watch.  Congrats to these very talented young people.  The adult chorus was called on to play numerous roles during the show from the down and out, to servants, to performers in a radio show and rose to each occasion with distinct character work and a solid focus throughout. Kudos to them and their Director.

There were so many highlights in this show. Zandee Toovey (Hannigan), John Palmieri (Rooster), and Patty Sullivan (Lily) burned up the stage with "Easy Street" easily making the presentation of this song one of my most memorable moments in community theatre.

James Robert Woods (Warbucks) and Devin Cecchetto (Annie) had a lovely chemistry and warmth which charmed the whole audience.  Both performers sang beautifully and were a joy to watch.

All in all, SMT has a winner with Annie, an enjoyable show for all ages.  There will still be rush tickets available (despite the sold out show - there were empty seats in the theatre last night).  Just get yourself down to the box office early on a show night.  If last night was any indication, you have a good chance of seeing a great show.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee gets it right.

I took my family to see Encore Entertainment's production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee on Sunday afternoon and we enjoyed the show immensely.  Director, Mario DAlimonte, Music Director, Ellen Kestenberg, and Choreographer, Larry Westlake have put together a strong ensemble cast to present a tight, enjoyable show.

Spelling Bee tells the story of a group of quirky kids trying to win a regional spelling bee.  It's a cleverly written, funny show and, as part of the action, audience members (who volunteer) are called up on stage and participate in the bee.  Much of the action is adlibbed and this talented cast pulls off both the impromptu and scripted work beautifully.

This is truly community theatre as it should be and I highly recommend you go see it.