Feeling the Sun with Annie

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Disclaimer: I received complimentary tickets to see Annie from the Straz Center in partnership with the Tampa Bay Bloggers. All opinions are my own.

The sun will come out tomorrow
So you got to hang on ’til tomorrow, come what may!

I needed a girls night out, so I decided to invite my friend and her sweet girls to see Annie with me at the Straz center. The weather here in the Tampa Bay area was so yucky yesterday. It was cold and windy, and then it started to rain. We live about an hour from the Straz center, so we endured the rain and then had a sunshine-filled time watching the Tony Award Winning production of Annie.

In the very first scene Molly, played by Lilly Mae Stewart, wins you over. She is super adorable and a very good little actress. She has a strong voice and I think she is going to have a long career on Broadway. Annie, played by Issie Swickle, starts singing to her to calm her down and her voice is really good. My favorite actress of the play though was Lynn Andrews, who played Miss Hannigan. She was AWESOME! She was so animated and could really move. I laughed at almost everything she said. Another actor that kind of stole the show a couple of times was Sandy the dog. Such a cute, well trained dog!

Issie Swickle as Annie and Lilly Mae Stewart as Molly in “Maybe” © JOAN MARCUS

Lynn Andrews as Miss Hannigan in “Little Girls” © JOAN MARCUS

My favorite song of the night was the Hard-Knock life. This was also the middle-schooler’s favorite song. The kids did such a great job with the dancing and singing! Hard Knock Life and and the sun will come out tomorrow were the only songs I remember from watching Annie as a kid. So in a lot of ways it was like I was watching Annie for the first time. The music in Annie was excellent! Every song added so much depth to the story.

I think every child needs to see this musical. It teaches so much history and a lot about New York City. Annie also shows what being an orphan can be like. Though there are no more orphanages here in America, there are many foster homes where children are wishing and hoping their parents will get their act together and reclaim them. Believing that the sun will come out tomorrow is sometimes the only thing they have going for them.

My friend, her girls, and me all give Annie 2 thumbs up!

The only thing I was disappointed in was some of the language in the show. I saw a few times where it was warranted and a few times where it was not. Annie is promoted as a children’s production and I personally don’t think the word D%$# should have been used as much as it was.

Tonight (2/18) is Broadway Family Night! For the Wednesday, Feb. 18, performance, kids 12 and under can get 50% OFF their ticket with the purchase of a full-price adult ticket. Come before the show for fun activities and then stay after for a talk-back with company members! Broadway Family Nights are recommended for ages 5+.

Help the sun to come out tomorrow for children in need

At performances of Annie, Tuesday, Feb. 17 through Sunday, Feb. 22, donations of primary school uniforms and other children’s clothing will be accepted at the Straz Center. The drive benefits Metropolitan Ministries who serve families in need in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Polk counties.

To find out where Annie the Musical will be going next check out their website http://anniethemusical.com!

Thank you for sharing!