REVIEW: “Annie” at the Draper Historic Theatre

Bridgette Biggers as Annie projected tremendous emotion in her singing as a lonely orphan girl.

Fans of the movie and/or musical Annie will love the Draper Historic Theatre’s production, playing now through June 22, 2013.

This was our first time attending a production at the Draper Historic Theatre, and we were impressed by their friendly staff and historical feel of the theatre. We look forward to attending many more productions there, and can’t wait to see what else they have in store! You can purchase tickets ahead of time online, or you can purchase them at the counter when you arrive. Seating is general admission, so get there early for best seating.

We have always been a fan of the movie and songs of Annie, so when we were invited to check out Annie on stage, we were more than excited! The hardest thing about attending this production was not getting up and singing at the top of your lungs with the actors and actresses!

There’s something about seeing a production on stage and in person, compared to watching the movie at home. Bridgette Biggers played the role of Annie, and projected tremendous emotion in her singing as a lonely orphan girl. You can’t feel that kind of emotion through the television or movie screen; It’s something that can only be experienced in person. Listening to and watching Biggers sing “Maybe” brought a tear to my eye that I have never experienced in any other production of Annie. This was not Biggers’ first time playing in Annie. She played the role of orphan Kate in the Taylorsville Art Council’s production of Annie. She has also played in other roles such as Gracie Smythe and Young Fan in Centerpoint Legacy Theatre’s A Christmas Carol, and Lehi City Arts Council’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Molly the orphan was played by Claire Burnham, and was the cutest Molly we’ve seen yet! She brought attitude and spunk to the role, and made it hard to look away from her when she was on stage. She even kept character during the final bow at the end of the show, and has us smiling whenever she made an appearance. As we were leaving, we had to make a special effort to find her and tell her how much we enjoyed watching her.

Another actress we were impressed with and loved every moment she was on stage was Emily Anderson, who played the role of Miss Hannigan. She really dove into her role as the head of the orphanage, and was very passionate with her hatred towards the orphans.

I would love to be able to go through and name what I loved about everybody else, because the rest of the cast also did a fabulous job!

Annie at the Draper Historic Theatre was directed by Jamie Victor, with choreography by Chalese Craig, and Stacy Snider as the Music Director. This dynamic trio worked together to create an emotional masterpiece worthy of seeing multiple times. Once you’ve seen it, you’ll want to return again and again with other family and friends.

Annie is playing at the Draper Historic Theatre now until June 22, 2013. Tickets can be purchased online or at the door. The Draper Historic Theatre is located at 12366 South 900 East in Draper, UT.

I was provided with a pair of tickets to attend and review the production. I was not compensated for my review, nor was I required or persuaded to write any specific type of review. The opinions and views expressed in this review are all my own.