Annie jr. Comes to East Greenwich Stage! Friday & Saturday Night!! 11/22 & 23

"Annie Jr!" this weekend on stage at East Greenwich High School!

Over 85 Archie Cole Middle School students are involved in staging a junior version of the beloved Broadway hit Annie!  Annie debuted on Broadway in 1977; it garnered 9 Tony nominations and won 7. Much of Annie’s music will be readily recognized and enjoyed again by audiences today. 

Set in the severely depressed 1933, when there were still orphanages, Annie (Abby White) and her fellow orphans are oppressed by their cruel circumstances.  When the tyrannical orphanage director, Miss Hannigan (Madelin Morin), catches Annie during an attempted escape, she makes all the orphans pay for Annie’s misbehavior with a 4:00am cleaning session. The orphans complain by singing and dancing to the famous “It’s the Hard Knock Life.”  Orphans are played by Shannon Lake, Jules Abella, Ally Carlsten, Charlotte Butterfield, Ariana Douglas, Anna Grenier, Hannah Slaiby, Teah Markstone, Laura Bernard-Sasges, Maxine Sidman and Rachel Rowey.

Annie hatches another escape plan, and this time successfully is smuggled out with laundryman, Bundles McCloskey (Ariel Finkle).  Annie finds refuge among the street people and is befriended by stray dog Sandy (Victoria Le Blanc).  They are eventually returned to the orphanage by Lt. Ward (Zoe Demetros) just in time for Annie to meet Oliver Warbucks’s personal secretary, Grace Farrell (Petranea Smith). Annie is selected as the orphan to spend Christmas at Warbucks’s Mansion. 

Annie is waited on hand and foot by the Warbucks’s staff, including butler Drake (Anita Millsom), Mrs. Greer (Sarah Brusini), Mrs. Pugh (Savannah Sullivan), Cecille (Lindsay Euston), Annette (Maggie Callan), and servants Courtney Wegrzyn, Brianna Rowey, Emma Reed and Eva Bianco as Annie sings “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here!” 

Annie, at long last, is able to see the wonders of New York City as Warbucks (Lev Simon) treats her to a night out on the town.  Annie encounters many New Yorkers from Santa Clause (Lindsey Vican) to a firefighter (Amanda Cusick), an opera-going couple (Sophia Tighe and Kathleen Casey), shoppers, tourists and vendors (Anabel Stavrand, Julia Hallworth, Katie Healy, Molly Miranda, Leah Josloff, Emma Bascombe, and Sophia Aigner) in the song ”N.Y.C!” 

When Warbucks realizes he loves Annie and offers to adopt her, Annie reveals to him that she believes her real parents are alive but unable to care for her. Warbucks vows to find her parents and offers a $50,000 reward to anyone who can prove they are Annie’s parents via radio.  A plan to pose as Annie’s real parents and collect the reward is set into motion by Miss Hannigan, her jail bird brother, Rooster Hannigan (Patrick Shenefield), and Lily St. Regis (Noelle Salisbury) in ”Easy Street.” 

After the fraudulent claim by Rooster and Lily is discovered, Annie jr. happily concludes with Warbucks, Annie, Grace, President FDR, Sandy and chorus singing the hit “Tomorrow.” 

Over 45 Cole Students work as crew members helping to create sets, props, artwork and PR for the production, in addition to acting as technical support. Set construction and guidance is provided by Norris Culf and Janet Patrick, while Sheri White oversees costuming. Cole Drama Club is advised by Meggan Shenefield; music is directed by Dan George; directing and choreography is by Kathi Curtis; and casting assistance was provided by Maureen Maggiacomo and Liz Redin. 

Annie jr. will be presented at East Greenwich High School, November 22 & 23 at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $10.00 and may be purchased at the door. “Don’t miss your opportunity to see this very special production of Annie jr.  It is sure to entertain everyone in your family,” says Shenefield and Curtis.   

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