"Annie" at Lakeshore Players Theatre

When I saw the Ordway's production of Annie in December of 2017, I wrote the following, and now, almost exactly eight years later, I feel a great sense of déjà vu. "'The future is female.' If the main stage at the [Lakeshore Players Theatre] is any judge of it, this statement is true, and gives one hope for the future. The story of one 11-year-old girl who changes hearts and minds with optimism and determination is an inspiring one, as is the boundless energy and talent of the young females on stage who bring this story to life. Watching Annie last night, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic for the Great Depression, when at least the president cared about the people and developed (with Annie's help of course) a New Deal that would help lift the country out of poverty. A stark contrast to today's reality, when the current resident of the White House seems to care only for the rich, and those in need get served newly crappy deals nearly every day. Maybe we need to send Annie to the Washington to get Democrats and Republicans singing together about the hopeful future of America!" This female future hasn't come to fruition in the last eight years, if anything it feels farther away, but there's always tomorrow! This show about hope, optimism, working together, and the improbable notion of billionaires and politicians giving back to help their fellow human beings is exactly what we need right now. And Lakeshore has assembled a great team to bring this hopeful story to vibrant life (continuing through December 14).

My one disappointment with this production is that they use a recorded track instead of a live orchestra. It's a good track, and the sound is great (with music direction by Jack Johnson and sound design by Hannah Steblay), but recorded music can never be as good, as rich, as full, as textured, as responsive as musicians playing live in the same room. That being said, here are some things I loved about the show.

• Little girls! Led by a charming and confident Emily Ann Cleary as Annie, this troupe of little girls performs with such energy, passion, and joy, it's inspiring. These girls can rule the world, and I look forward to the day that they do!
• The adult cast is pretty good too, including Grant Hooyer (who seemingly really shaved his head for the role) as a gruff but gradually warming Daddy Warbucks, Abby Covert as his kind and lovely assistant Grace, Caitlin Burns in a fantastic performance as the deliciously evil Miss Hannigan, and the hilarious Dominic Schiro and Maddy Morgan as Miss Hannigan's con man brother and his girlfriend.
• With direction by Hannah Steblay and choreography by Kyle Weiler, the show has great energy and momentum, smoothly moving from one scene to the next, the large ensemble numbers feeling busy but not crowded, with the final runtime coming in at under two and a half hours so those little ones (and me) can get to bed at a reasonable time.
• The impressive set (designed by Justin Hooper) includes a cityscape backdrop, out of which a precariously tilted balcony leads across the stage, with stairs down the floor. Brick walls with tall windows and banks of file cabinets descend for the orphanage scenes (and three-tiered bunk beds!), replaced by elegant period furniture and fireplaces for the Warbucks mansion. 
• The 1930s period costumes (designed by Lily Turner) range from the colorfully mismatched patchwork of the orphans, to the neat uniforms of Warbucks' large staff, to elegant party wear for all.

If you need a little hope this bleak holiday* season, that maybe the sun will come out tomorrow (or the day after that), you can find it at on stage the Hanifl Performing Arts Center in lovely festive downtown White Bear Lake, weekends through December 14.

*Click here for reviews of all of the holiday shows I've seen this year.