I’ve never reviewed a Broadway play, but this play was awesome – there is great young talent in North Carolina, and this show proved it! English Bernhardt was cast as Annie, and not only did she do a superb job in her role, but her voice is stunning and her smile is wide. She made a perfect Annie. You can read the playbill here, it has photos and a link to the Playbill Story. Youtube has a link here where you can see English and the Orphans act and sing, you must watch it to see the talent that is here is central North Carolina.
Why was I excited to see this play? When I was a teen, I lived in Upstate New York and Annie came to Broadway, yes the real Broadway in N.Y.C. My parents took me to see it and Andrea McArdle was Annie at the time. In this Broadway South version of Annie, Andrea McArdle is Miss Hannigan! So I was really looking forward to seeing this show with Andrea as Miss Hannigan.
What impressed me the most about Annie was the performance of English Bernhardt and the orphans. English and twelve of the orphans come from the North Carolina Theatre Conservatory, and you could see their training!
If you live in North Carolina, check out the NC Theatre Shows and the Broadway Series South, there are so many good shows through them as well as many others at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium. Thank you to English for helping me relive my childhood!
[Thanks to Mitch Danforth for the photo of English]