[ot-caption title=”Annie is currently playing at the Broward Center now until October 19. (via Jordanna Brody, Senior)” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Annie-Broward.jpg”]

Everyone’s favorite singing orphans are back on tour across America. Annie is currently playing at the Broward Center, and will end here on October 19. Set against the Great Depression of the 1920s, this classic musical tells the story of an orphan’s unlikely road to finding a family, teaching the audience that optimism pays off in the end.

Issie Swickle played the titular role of Annie, truly capturing the youthful spirit of the well-known character. This nine-year-old local from Davie, Florida belts her heart out in famous songs such as “Tomorrow” and “Maybe.” The rest of the orphans in the cast gave it their all on that stage and made for a very entertaining performance. Of course, the crowd pleaser of the show is always Sunny, the stage dog who took on the iconic role of Annie’s sidekick Sandy.

By far the standout of the night was Lynn Andrews who played Miss Hannigan. She had the audience cracking up in their seats through the entire performance. Her voice was absolutely amazing, with some of the best vocals to ever grace the stage of the Broward Center. Along with her criminal brother Rooster and his dim-witted girlfriend Lily, played by Garrett Deagon and Lucy Werner respectively, their rendition of “Easy Street” was an audience favorite and would rival any other production of this show.

Another dynamic duo, Oliver Warbucks and Grace Farrell, played by Gilgamesh Taggett and Ashley Edler, brought a tear and smile to audience members when they created a family with Annie. Both sounded incredible and had great subtle chemistry that ran throughout the entire production. Taggett showed great emotional range while maintaining his character of a billionaire tycoon, and Edler remained calm and graceful while adding a hint of excitement to an otherwise simple character.

All of the technical aspects of this production were of supreme quality. The set consisted of beautiful backdrops, ranging from a gritty orphanage to the streets of New York to the White House. Lighting and sound also complemented the show tastefully. A round of applause is due to Keith Levenson, the conductor who takes on the monumental score with ease.

All in all, the touring production of Annie was done very well with high technical aspects and talent that rivals that of any Broadway show. The cast had the audience in stitches at times and brought them to tears at others, and made the night truly memorable for all, even if they had seen the show a hundred times before. Student tickets are still available at a discount.

For more information about tickets, go to www.browardcenter.org.