Review: Annie The Musical At Wales Millennium Centre

I have to first admit that I have never seen a live musical show so this was going to be a whole new experience for me.

We were very kindly invited to the Wales Millennium Centre to see the musical, Annie. It’s currently touring the UK and yes, there was no doubt about it, I was a little bit excited and of course my seven year old twin girls were also super excited because this was also a first for them to see a big show at a big venue.

Following a hugely successful run in the West End Annie came straight to the Wales Millennium Centre. I had a feeling we were in for a family fun filled night of entertainment.

I had seen the film of Annie many years ago and it was of course the sort of film that makes you feel good. Annie is the sort of story that you can’t help but fall in love with as Annie goes in search of her parents after being left at the orphanage. You instantly feel sympathetic of the infectious, lovable character that Annie is.

The musical Annie starts out in the orphanage with all the orphans in their bedroom. When Annie enters the bedroom the stage is instantly lit up. Annie is played by the delightful Mia Lakha and she starts to sing “Maybe” which is instantly followed by “Hard Knock life”. The scene is set for lots of fun and songs that you instantly know and can’t help to sing along with.

By the time we get to the fourth song which is Little Girls we are already mesmerised by the whole cast and then enters Miss Hannigan played by Craig Revell Horwood. You are instantly drawn to Miss Hannigan as she staggers around the stage drinking from a bottle and telling the orphans to do this that or the other, whole almost falling over.

As Annie starts her journey to look for her parents she adopts a dog called Sandy. Annie comes across many people in her journey until finally she is offered the chance to spend Christmas with the billionaire, Daddy Warbucks played by the fantastic, Alex Bourne and his assistant, Grace Farrell, played by Carolyn Maitland. When it comes to finding Annie’s parents, Daddy Warbucks pulls out all the stops and even enlists the help of the FBI and President Franklin Roosevelt.

Of course this is where Miss Hannigan hatches a plan to get the $50,000 reward with her brother, Rooster and his partner, Lily played by Richard Meek and Jenny Gayner, only to be found out just in time, so that Annie can be properly adopted by Daddy Warbucks and everybody lives happily ever after and of course Miss Hannigan, Rooster and Lily get their comeuppance.

Annie played by Mia Lakha

This is Mia’s professional theatre debut and she is brilliant. She lights up the stage with a brilliant and very demanding performance and her voice is truly beautiful. She brings the character of Annie to life with her wonderful acting. A star is definitely born.

Miss Hannigan played by Craig Revel Horwood

I have only ever really known Craig as a judge on BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing, so to see him come staggering onto the stage as Miss Hannigan was quite frankly a revelation. He played the part to perfection whether it was flirting with the New York policeman or trying to seduce Daddy Warbucks. He was brilliant and the cheer he received at the end was out of this world and I just loved the pirouettes at the very end, he was truly amazing. I simply couldn’t keep my eyes off him when he was the stage. A hypnotic and enthralling performance from a master of his craft, with a fabulous singing voice and of course superb dancing.

Daddy Warbucks played by Alex Bourne

Alex brought the character of Daddy Warbucks completely to life and played the role with such style that I felt at times I was in New York during the depression.

When you have seen a film that is so iconic such as Annie on numerous occasions I was wondering if there was a chance I would be disappointed. Not a chance!

Annie the musical was brilliant, entertaining and totally lived up to its billing and was more than a match for the film. I didn’t take my eyes off the stage for a moment. I loved the jigsaw pieces that lit up as Annie tried to piece her life together. The cast were awesome, enthusiastic and brought to life the story of Annie with style and brilliance and the children playing the orphans were amazing. They were are all from the Chrysler Company. Their timing and singing was right on the money. One final cast member was Sandy the dog played by Amber. I loved the way he would go from one side of the stage to the other at regular intervals and girls were quick to point out Sandy when he appeared, follow by a giggle.

I always know if something is very good, which Annie most certainly is, because I have two of the harshest critics known to mankind! My seven year old twin girls and they never once took their eyes off the stage, and on so many occasions I could hear them giggling away as I was too.

If you would like to see Annie the musical it is playing at the Wales Millennium Centre until August 31st. 2019 Tickets Prices start at £19. The age guidance is 5+ (no under 2’s). Runtime is 2hrs 30 minutes with a 30 minute interval. You won’t be disappointed, it’s a fantastic show. Book Now!

I was gifted tickets in return for this review. All opinions and thoughts are 100% mine.

Now I’m off to plan the next musical we are going to see!

Do you like musicals have you seen Annie The Musical, I would love to hear in the comments below.