OnStage Blog: Walk into any community or youth theatre, and you won’t be surprised to find 20+ kids belting out “Hard Knock Life” in unison. Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and book by Thomas Meehan, is a staple of the musical theatre canon, and it is often a child’s first introduction into the world of acting through song.
5 comments:
While I understand that Annie has both depth and comic elements discussing the Great Depression I disagree with the writer of this article. I think Annie has had plenty of recognition. Maybe I am jaded with my past experiences working for children's theater but I personally think the depth of the show is lost when you have a chorus of off-key children singing high pitched song after song. While the sounds may have profound themes and references often times the audience cannot even comprehend the lyrics. Maybe, Broadway-level singing children would be a little better, but I still think the most professionally trained children are not really enjoyable to listen. I think that Annie is a good show for children to act in and their poor parents to watch, but beyond that, while this may be controversial I don't think it deserves any more recognition than it already has received.
I agree with Kaisa on this. The author says it’s performed frequently but in the same breathe says that it deserves more recognition. To me, the fact that it is performed so often is a testament to how good of a play it is. The fact that people are willing to sit through hours of children singing probably means that the themes of the play, historical significance, and sometimes profound lyrics makes the play worth watching. I person think that Annie has plenty of recognition and has been referenced many works since then. Also the fact that the author said one of the reasons this play is so profound is that it reminds us that “children are people”. Sounds like someone who has ever been around children. Also most works nowadays gears towards children and families depict the innocent struggles, fears, hopes and dreams of children.
Annie was a key point in so many people’s childhoods. I am like 99% sure that I had Annie on DVD at some point. I even remember the discourse online in 2014 when they made a new Annie movie and the racist remarks that coincided with her being black. The storyline is such a classic and the song Hard knock Life has been reused in memes and other songs even to this day. I love the quote in the article “this show reminds us: children are people”. In the modern era, we often have kids grow up too fast - their maturity starting at an early age. In America specifically, we have to pick our life career as a minor. Although 17 years of age is labelled “almost an adult” we still need to remember that they are still a child. Sometimes I think, as a society, we need to stop and realize that we pressure the youth of today and put so much weight on their shoulders yet still look down on them for not benign prepared enough for the ‘real world.’
Ugh. I must have Annie the Musical trauma because I couldn’t care less for this show. This article title gave me an eyeroll. What do you mean “Annie is underrated?” I would be able to argue that Annie is OVERRATED. You cannot name a community theatre or youth theatre or middle school that hasn’t once done a production of Annie. How can the author claim that the show doesn’t get enough “recognition?”
I see where the author is headed with the claims that as an audience, we don’t dig deep enough into what Annie means and really stands for, as its historical significance. To that I say, doesn’t every musical have “a meaning”? How else would it have a story compelling enough to be put on stage to music?
The author is really reaching here, acting like Annie is some sort of repressed brother of the musical theatre community, one that has breadth beyond comprehension to the layman of theatre. To that, I scoff and move on.
I have to say that I do not truly feel as though I am a musical nerd because of my lack of hatred for Annie. However that probably stems from other peoples hatred of Annie. Growing up in a house of theatre people anytime a clip of Annie would play on the TV or over YouTube, a mute button was not far behind it. Because of this I never saw it hundreds of times and only first saw it when the reboot came out in 2014 and I absolutely loved it. I thought that it was heart wrenching, hilarious, and yes even cute. But obviously most of the theatrical population does not share my sentiments. I have to agree with the author that, when one is not sick and tired of the musical, it is a very well done piece. The history that it portrays is very well done in some subtle and not so subtle ways. And I will even agree that while an off key end to the iconic song "tomorrow" is cringe worthy if endearing, a well sung rendition is breath taking.
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