Ad disclosure: We were provided with press tickets for the purpose of this post.
Yesterday evening Lydia and I hopped on a train into the city to attend the press night of Annie, which has just arrived in Birmingham on the second stop of its new UK tour.
Lydia has a keen interest in drama and loves musicals just as much as I do, so it’s lovely to have her come along to shows with me. It makes for a really nice mother-and-daughter outing, especially when it includes a meal and a potter around the Grand Central shops before the show. She weighs in on our star rating and adds her thoughts to all our musical reviews – you can find her reaction at the end of this post.
The stage is already alive as the audience make their way to their seats, with the orphan girls climbing into their beds, sweeping the floor and going about their evening routine to the sound of a radio playing. Even the pre-show announcement is cleverly woven into this gentle introduction, becoming part of the radio broadcast as the lights dim and little Molly begins the story.
Famous for songs including It’s The Hard-Knock Life, Easy Street, I Don’t Need Anything But You and Tomorrow, it’s not hard to see why the score of Annie won seven Tony Awards. The musical moves at a brisk pace, with fairly short scenes of dialogue interspersed among the many well-known and very well-sung numbers. Several of the songs reappear throughout the story in different forms, with Annie singing everywhere from the radio waves to the White House itself.
As an adult, it’s hard not to notice that the 1930s plot contains a few rather unbelievable moments that seemed perfectly reasonable when viewed through a child’s eyes. But if you can’t suspend disbelief a little at the theatre, when can you? The politics of the era are woven throughout the story as America attempts to recover from the Great Depression, with newly elected President Roosevelt, played very well by Carl Sanderson, appearing several times during the show.
La Voix, the famous drag queen whose career spans years of music, comedy and cabaret, and who is known to many from Strictly Come Dancing and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, is currently performing the role of the flamboyant orphanage mistress Miss Hannigan. She does so with absolute flair and a phenomenal voice, dominating the stage with her presence, marvellous expressions and impeccable comic timing. Her performance of Little Girls was particularly excellent.
Alex Bourne was also wonderful in the role of billionaire Daddy Warbucks, even if he seemed to go from cold and calculating businessman to soft-hearted father figure in a mystifyingly short amount of time. His on-stage chemistry with Annie certainly helped sell the transformation, and his devoted household staff softened the character too – they clearly enjoy working for him, suggesting he wasn’t entirely heartless before Annie entered his life. Tanisha-Mae Brown was effortlessly glamorous and poised as Grace Farrell, bringing both warmth and efficiency to the role alongside a marvellous voice and commanding stage presence.
With three girls rotating through the titular role of Annie, alongside three teams of young performers playing the orphan girls, this production is packed with talent – many of whom I am sure will be gracing stages across the country for years to come. Several already have experience in major productions, including Matilda, Les Misérables and previous productions of Annie itself.
On press night we were treated to the wonderful performance of the Rockefeller team, with Sophie Saravanan taking on the title role. Saravanan was excellent as Annie, capturing the character’s trademark optimism and determination while delivering the show’s best-known songs with confidence and charm. Her performance of Tomorrow was particularly lovely and earned a warm response from the audience, especially during the Washington D.C. scene where Annie’s optimism gradually inspires President Roosevelt and his staff.
The entire cast displayed excellent vocal talent, while the fantastic choreography showcased some impressive dancing skills throughout. The ensemble did a wonderful job supporting the principal cast with energetic and often intricate routines, with N.Y.C. being a particular highlight. Alongside the wonderful voices on display, the live orchestra was excellent, bringing the fantastic score to life and giving the musical much of its warmth, energy and emotional impact.
The fabulous array of costumes turned the stage into a riot of colour, including, of course, Annie’s iconic red outfits. The lighting and set design were equally effective, helping to establish each location with ease as a variety of doors and rolling set pieces transformed the stage. I particularly enjoyed the way the production transitioned between New York City and Washington – but no spoilers, you’ll have to see the show yourself to appreciate that lovely touch.
The adorable addition of a real dog is always a mixed blessing in a production. The audience inevitably falls in love with the furry performer, but it can easily go wrong. Thankfully, Sandy was very well behaved and performed the most challenging part of the role beautifully, even if at times you could see the poor pup longing to return to the handler waiting in the wings.
Unfortunately, the performance was peppered with a handful of small technical difficulties that did detract slightly from the overall experience, although the cast handled them with complete professionalism. Poor Sophie had her locket chain become tangled in the tape securing her microphone for the entirety of It’s The Hard-Knock Life, and her repeated attempts to free it were understandably a little distracting, despite her continuing to hit every cue throughout the song.
The sound mix also occasionally meant voices were lost behind the orchestra, while there seemed to be more than a few late microphone switch-ons that resulted in the first few words of some lines being missed, particularly during songs where multiple characters were singing in quick succession. As Birmingham is only the second stop on the tour, it felt as though the production was still finding its feet in a few technical areas.
Despite those minor issues, Annie remains a thoroughly entertaining family musical packed with memorable songs, impressive choreography and a cast full of talent. Beneath the colourful spectacle and familiar musical numbers, it is still a heartwarming story about hope, resilience and finding a place to belong, which helps explain why audiences continue to fall in love with it decades after its debut. La Voix is outstanding as Miss Hannigan, while the young performers bring plenty of energy, confidence and charm to the stage.
Judging by the enthusiastic applause that greeted many of the evening’s best-loved songs, the delighted reactions from the many children in the audience, and the standing ovation that welcomed the cast back to the stage at the curtain call, this classic musical continues to capture hearts nearly fifty years after it first appeared on stage. Lydia certainly came away smiling, and Annie earns a well-deserved ★★★★☆ from us.
Annie is playing at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, until Saturday 6 June 2026, with additional matinee performances on Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. The show has a running time of just over two hours, including an interval.
The tour will then continue on to Manchester and the rest of the UK through to March 2027, with La Voix and Claire Sweeney sharing the role of Miss Hannigan. You can check which performer is appearing at each venue via the tour website. The recommended age guidance is 5+, with parental guidance advised for younger audience members due to some of the emotional themes explored during the musical.
Lydia says: It was brilliant, despite a few technical difficulties with mics and props; the cast was very good at not breaking character. I loved the costume designs, and how you could tell who was poor and who wasn’t just by the variety of both colourful and also smart costumes. As well as incredible outfits, I adored the set designs. They really brought each setting to life, especially the different sets in the orphanage. On top of that, all the singing was outstanding, especially within the adult cast and of course Annie herself. The dog and the small group of little girls running about the stage were adorable, and very professional when experiencing difficulty with props and costumes. I think you could tell they were a bit nervous at the start, but it kept improving as the show went on. So overall, it was very fun and well performed, with catchy songs and good design, albeit with a few mildly distracting difficulties.
