October 2010

The sun will come out tomorrow, tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there’ll be sun.

I took Helen to a sneak preview of the StoryBook Theatre production of “Annie” Thursday night and we had a fun girls night out and now the song is stuck in my head!

The music from Annie, at least Hard Knock Life and Tomorrow, are songs you couldn’t escape while growing up. The movie came out when I was 6 and I couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that I was ‘rapping’ Jay Z’s Hard Knock Life in my head while they were singing it onstage…

 Caveat; I am an Annie neophyte. I know the general story, but have never been to see the musical onstage nor did I ever see the movie as a child. A fact that Melissa is totally incredulous about since she even saw it and they didn’t have a television when she was growing up!

The play itself was fun. The cast of orphanage girls were really quite charming and Miss Hannigan was delightfully awful. Helen jumped about a foot in the air when she first shrieked out onto the stage. “I don’t like her” she whispered to me confidentially.

One thing that always interests me when I go to theatre is the way they use the floor space and set design. The sets were minimal, clever and didn’t detract from the actors.

 It was a very cool experience for my daughter! When the performance ended I asked her what her favourite part of the play was. She replied, “when Annie went to live with the man in his house.” A feel good ending is always a hit with kids.

Storybook Theatre runs two programs. The first, Cookie Cabaret is shorter plays aimed for younger audiences; aged 3 to 6. Show times are Friday at 7:30 and Saturday and Sunday at Noon and 3:30pm.

The other program is Adventure Theatre which is recommend for slightly older audiences; school aged children and families. These shows, like Annie, are longer and a bit more sophisticated and the show times are Wednesday through Fri at 7:30 pm, Saturday at 12:00 pm & 3:30 pm, and Sunday at 3:30 pm.

Storybook Theatre’s production of Annie runs until October 30 at the Pumphouse Theatre.

Performance Info:

The lovable red-head heroine from comic strip, stage and screen takes centre stage in one of the world’s best-loved musicals. “Annie” tells the timeless tale of a spunky orphan determined to find her parents, who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City Orphanage run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan’s evil machinations, befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and finds a new family and home in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary Grace Farrell and a lovable mutt named Sandy.

When: October 15 – 30th, 2010
Where: Pumphouse Theatre
Address: 2140 Pumphouse Ave SW, Calgary AB
Telephone: (403) 216-0808
Website: www.storybooktheatre.org