Credit: Joan Marcus for #AnnieOnTour
Truth: I loved watching the movie Annie when I was a little kid and still remember all the words to the songs.
Truth: I never wanted a red headed child of my own; my brother is a red head and I just didn’t want one of my own.
Truth: My daughter is “ginger,” and doesn’t like to be called “red-headed.”
Truth: I love my daughters “red” or “ginger” hair!! She is the most beautiful red-head I’ve ever seen and I may be slightly biased.
Truth: I made her watch the original Annie movie last summer before the new Annie was released. I couldn’t bear the thought of her seeing the new one first. We still haven’t seen it though.
Truth: I’ve never seen Annie on stage until this week!
Truth: The Straz Center invited my family to the opening night of Annie the Musical so that I could share my thoughts with you. This is in a partnership with Tampa Bay Bloggers, the largest community of bloggers in the Tampa Bay area.
I knew my husband wouldn’t be thrilled with going to a musical so I invited one my my daughters friends and her mom to come along with us to the Straz Center on Tuesday night. It was a wet and yucky night, but we made the trip from Palm Harbor in to Tampa to see the show. The girls were both dolled up in adorable dresses and I even put on my pearls. (Don’t ask my why, but I always consider pearls dressy.) They could hardly contain their excitement and I even caught my daughter singing some of the Annie songs in the car on the way over.
We arrived just in time to grab a quick bite to eat at the cafe outside of the Straz Center. Note to self: Next time come earlier and go get something real to eat at a restaurant nearby.
Walking in to the theater the girls grabbed their booster seats (they are both six) and we found our way to our seats. They both had their hands full of candy and drinks, but their excitement quickly shifted to the show when they saw the huge stage in front of them. They patiently waited for the show to begin and I was secretly hoping that the candy would keep my little one awake through the end of the show.
The lights dimmed. The orchestra began to play. Their eyes widened as they began to look for the actors to take the stage.
Source: Joan Marcus for #AnnieOnTour
The opening scene in the orphanage was amazing and showed just how talented these little girls are. I kept thinking to myself that some of them have to be the same age as my 11 yr old and how proud their parents must feel about their accomplishments. I can’t imagine.
Bailey sang along with “It’s a Hard Knock Life” making up some of the lyrics as she went along. Both girls kept their eyes on the stage with big, wide eyed attention. I was so glad that she was enjoying the performance.
The characters were spot on! Miss. Hannigan was hilarious and had wonderful stage presence. Annie and Molly were my favorite girls. Daddy Warbucks and the rest of the cast were amazing. They were all very entertaining and talented. It really made me remember my days in the high school theater program and how much I loved being on stage. I’m not so sure how I would have performed in such a big setting.
About an hour into the performance I had a child on my lap and she was struggling to keep her eyes open. You could tell that she was trying to stay awake and watch the show, but the long camping weekend followed by a long day at school won. Just a few moments before intermission, she was asleep on my lap. The good news was that she couldn’t object to me taking a photo (she was dodging the camera all night).
Credit: Carter Gaddis from DadScribe http://dadscribe.com/
I will admit that I was struggling a bit to keep my eyes open last night as well. Like I said, we didn’t sleep very well on our camping trip this past weekend. I did much better than she did to stay awake thanks to the latte I had at the cafe. I tried not to sing along too loudly with the performers but my friend caught me singing a few times.
The funniest part of the entire show was the scene in the White House when all of the politicians as singing and dancing. The entire auditorium filled with laughter and applauds for the cast.
I’m so glad that Straz Center invited us to join them for the night. I don’t think we would have made the trip to see Annie otherwise, and now I’m hooked on the theater! I’m already scoping the upcoming performances to see what else I want to see. I’m scoping to see what shows my kids would enjoy and I’m pretty sure that my 11 yr old would love to see Potted Potter (coming just in time for his birthday, March 13-15th). Don’t miss your chance to see Annie on Tour right here in Tampa. You won’t regret it.
Tickets are still available through Sunday, February 22nd at the Straz Center. Annie the Musical tickets in Tampa. If you’re planning on taking the younger kiddos with you, wait for the weekend and go to one of the matinees. Show time is 2 hours and 34 minutes including the intermission. Before you go, pack a bag of children’s school uniforms and other clothing for the Metropolitan Ministries Primary School Uniform Drive. This uniform drive will cloth children in Tampa and surrounding areas.
Disclosure: Tickets for this show were provided to us by the Straz Center and Tampa Bay Bloggers. My opinions are my own.
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At least she caught the first act! Great seeing you, Calley & Co.
Great review! Your daughter is too precious. Maybe seeing Annie will help her own her red hair. 🙂
Crystal H recently posted..5 Reasons You Should Go See Annie The Musical #AnnieOnTour #BroadwayInTampa