Opened: November 8, 2012

Book by: Thomas Meehan

Music by: Charles Strouse

Lyrics by: Martin Charnin

Broadway Revival Cast: Katie Finneran, Anthony Warlow, Lilla Crawford, Brynn O’Malley, Clarke Thorell, J. Elaine Marcos, Madi Rae DiPietro, Georgi James, Junah Jang, Tyrah Skye Odoms, Taylor Richardson, Emily Rosenfeld, Ashley Blanchet, Jane Blass, Jeremy Davis, Merwin Foard, Joel Hatch, Amanda Lea LaVergne, Gavin Lodge, Liz McCartney, Keven Quillon, Sarah Solie, Dennis Stowe & Ryan VanDenBoom

The story of little orphan Annie is one well known and the musical is a favorite among children, but does not seem to hold up for adults.

Annie (Lilla Crawford) dreams of a better life while living in an orphanage run by the evil Miss Hannigan (Katie Finneran). When Annie gets chosen to stay in the house of billionaire Oliver Warbucks (Anthony Warlow) for the Christmas holidays, he ends up deciding to adopt her.

The songs from the musical – including “Tomorrow” and “It’s the Hard Knock Life” – have become standard theater songs.

However, I find the show hard to sit through. The story is great, but the show itself feels – for lack of a better word – annoying. I end up cheering more for the villains than the title character.

Final say: A lasting if not entertaining show. ★★☆☆☆