Annie, the musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, will take the Algonquin Theatre stage for eight shows in April.

With a cast of more than 30, including 14 children aged six to 14, and produced and directed by Jim and Michele Collins, who brought The Sound of Music to life six years ago, Annie promises to be a wonderful night of entertainment for the whole family.

Rehearsals have been underway since January at All Saints’ Sutherland Hall. The cast features many familiar community theatre members, such as Gregg Evans, who plays President Roosevelt, Jeanine Spring (Miss Hannigan), Kenneth Donald (Daddy Warbucks) and Don McCormick (radio show host Bert Healy), as well as several new faces.

Karen Jeffries plays Daddy Warbucks’ secretary and possible love interest Grace Farrell, Bob Stone is Rooster, Miss Hannigan’s brother, JoAnn Bennett portrays Lily St. Regis, Rooster’s girlfriend, Mark Hayward is Warbucks’ butler, Drake, and Cindy Johnson is Mrs. Greer, the housekeeper.

“A number of people in the cast take multiple roles which takes concentration and careful planning. It helps to be schizophrenic,” said Jim Collins.

The principal role of Annie is being played by two young actors, Ally Bradley and Sydney Armsrong, with Jennifer Bell (orphan July) on standby as understudy. Annie’s friend Molly is also being played by two youngsters, Hailey Scott and Victoria Bennett (daughter of JoAnn).

To ensure that everyone in the audience will hear the actors, the main characters will be miked. “We will also have a lot of extra hanging mikes,” said Collins.

The cast has strong support from a talented backstage crew. Suzanne Baxter (formerly with the Deerhurst Resort Sing Show) is the choreographer, music coach is Sherisse Stevens and music director and conductor of the eight-piece orchestra is Neil Barlow.

As artistic director Michele Collins has an eye for detail. “Annie is set in 1933 and I’m a stickler for things being done properly according to the era,” she said.  

The stage sets have been constructed by Jeff Henderson and his team, while Helena Renwick heads up the scene- painting crew.

“The sets are magnificent. Huntsville has never seen sets like these,” said Collins, adding that the backdrop is an 18 foot- high rendering of the New York City skyline, complete with the Chrysler and Empire State buildings.

Sylvia Leeder is the costumier. Irene Turner is in charge  of props.

“(The props crew) have made a wheelchair, frankfurter cart and laundry cart look like they are from 1933. We are also using Bob Hutcheson’s pram, the one he was wheeled around in in 1926. It’s very important to have that 1933 era-look,” said Michele Collins.

Also on the production crew are Graham Sinclair, lighting and sound, Carol Rhodes, make-up, and hair is the responsibility of M&M Hair Place.

“All told we have about 100 people involved in getting the show to the stage. It’s a big project,” said Collins.

 The original Broadway production of Annie opened at the Alvin Theatre on April 21, 1977 and ran for nearly six years. The film was released in 1982, with Albert Finney starring as Daddy Warbucks, Carol Burnett as Miss Hannigan and Aileen Quinn as Annie.

The well-known rags to riches story tells of 11-year-old Annie, who lives in a New York City orphanage. The matron is a tippling dragon called Miss Hannigan who keeps the orphans in line through bullying. Then, billionaire Oliver Warbucks arrives on the scene having decided to invite an orphan to his home for the Christmas holidays. Annie is the lucky one.

Warbucks (so named  because he made his money selling munitions in the war) wants to adopt Annie, but she insists that her parents will eventually come for her. With the help of President Roosevelt, Warbucks offers a reward to find the parents. Meanwhile, Miss Hannigan, her brother Rooster and his  ditzy girlfriend Lily St. Regis scheme to pretend to be the parents and collect the reward.

Annie is being presented by Two For the Show and St. John the Baptist Anglican Church in Ravenscliffe. “We are doing this to raise money for the church’s building fund,” said Collins.

“The church is 125 years old and does not have indoor plumbing, so any hopes of growth or survival depend on upgrades to the building. This is a two-phase project. Phase 1 is for two wheelchair accessible washrooms, a meeting space and a utility room. Phase 2 is for a parish hall to hold about 100 and a small kitchen. The money from this production goes to Phase 1, which we hope to start this spring if we get the approvals from the town and diocese.”

The cost to stage a musical of this magnitude is considerable, Collins added.

“For a small church to tackle financially and human resource-wise a project as large as this is one of the most courageous things I’ve seen in my life. Hopefully we will make enough profit to make it worthwhile.”

Performances for Annie are April 9 to 12 and 16 to 19 with an 8 p.m. curtain. Tickets are $25, plus GST, and available at the Algonquin Theatre box office on Main Street, by calling 789-4975, or online at www.algonquintheatre.ca.