Century's Upcoming Production of Annie

Annie is an age-old classic seen by millions in its many different forms- between its original Broadway production, countless remakes, and film adaptations- has developed a “cult classic” status amongst fans. It is estimated to have be remade from 700-900 times per year in the United States alone. Many believe the best way to view the allegory is in a professional theater, but Century believes they can rival multi-million dollar productions with a ragtag team of teenagers, becoming the actors, production assistants, dancers, set builders, and costume department. Although it may seem like a daunting task to take on the much-loved musical, sophomore techie Tyanna Hoang is excited. “I think this year’s production is gonna be really fun because there are new faces in the cast.”. She plans on running costumes this year- an important but often undervalued job. It requires a devotion to timeliness, cleanliness, and organization. Despite all of this, sophomore Yuuka Sato also enjoys her place in the production of Annie. “I’m very excited for the upcoming play I get to meet more people and also work with people who are all very friendly.“ This year, lead and namesake of the show is going to be played by freshman Becca Felzien, who is very excited about being able to participate and make new friends. “She enjoys playing Annie this year as she represents a form of happiness and glee in a cynical, manipulative world. “My character is Annie and she is kind of a light in the darkness of the play. It takes place during the Great Depression and Annie is this optimist who is always happy and hopeful.” Despite the challenges many actors face, Felzien is looking forward to the play. “I’m most excited about meeting new people and becoming friends with them… I’ve learned that acting isn’t so much about yourself as it is about others.” She has had experience in the past, performing in last year’s Sound of Music as well as the production of Seussical, as well as musicals outside of Century High School. Sophomore Johnny Ngo is playing Bert Healy, the radio host that helps Annie find her biological parents. “I am most excited about making it a fun experience to watch and play.” Bert is a pivotal character in the show, as he gave Annie the mouthpiece to spread her wish of finding her parents, and Johnny will be faced with his first performance. “This is my first time doing a musical, so I’m kind of scared but overall, I’m excited.” Annie the musical is based off of a comic strip called “Little Orphan Annie” by Harold Gray. It was the first of Gray’s many strips to be published, eventually gaining a permanent spot in a Chicago-Tribune-owned tabloid called the New York Daily News, as a Sunday comic in 1924. From there, the story only gained traction and a wide readership across the country. It had such a big influence that as the US entered WWII, the “Junior Commandos”, a child army in the comic. This influence spread and real-life Junior Commando squads started popping up all over the country, and kids began collected scrap metal for the war effort all over the country. It’s influence was large and remains to be even after its cancellation in 2010- by then it had already inspired the musical, and cinematic remakes. The Broadway adaptation’s original release ran from 1977-1983, debuting at the Neil Simon Theater in Manhattan, formerly known as the Alvin Theater. It was performed a total of 2,377 times at the Alvin Theater, setting a record to be broken by Hairspray in 2009. Since then, many revival tours have been taken, including international tours in the UK, Australia, and even Argentina. The ionic story has reached countless people and countries, and is now coming to Century High School. Acting in a musical can be challenging for some especially if you are new to acting, such as Ngo. “I expect the most challenging part is performing in front of an audience.” Despite whatever fears these actors are having, they are a strong cohesive group of intelligent, skilled actors who are thrilled to be taking the Century stage with the help of the costume and set designers, as well as the audio and lightning managers.