WAKEFIELD — Wakefield Memorial High School Theater Arts will be performing the last two shows for the musical, Annie this weekend, Friday, May 12 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, May 13 at 2 p.m. at the Galvin Middle School, 525 Main St.
Tickets are $15 for students and seniors and $20 for adults. Tickets are available at www.wakefieldtheater.org. Tickets will also be available to purchase at the door one hour before the show. Annie is sponsored by Market Street Lynnfield.
Based on the popular comic strip by Harold Gray, Annie has become a worldwide phenomenon and was the winner of seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The beloved book and score by Tony Award winners, Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, features some of the greatest musical theater hits ever written, including “Tomorrow.”
Little orphan Annie charms everyone’s hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. She is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of a New York City Orphanage that is run by the cruel, embittered Miss Hannigan. With the help of the other girls in the Orphanage, Annie escapes to the wondrous world of NYC. In adventure after fun-filled adventure, Annie foils Miss Hannigan’s evil machinations and even befriends President Franklin Delano Roosevelt! She finds a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary, Grace Farrell and a lovable mutt named Sandy. Annie is written by Thomas Meehan, with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. Annie is based on Little Orphan Annie by permission of The Media Tribune Services, Inc.
Annie stars Mario Longo as Oliver Warbucks, Paige MacGibbon as Grace Farrell, Charlotte Hill as Miss Hannigan, Ava Gagnon as Lily St. Regis and Blai Earley as Rooster. The title role is played by Galvin seventh grader, Sadie Spry.
The ensemble features Hailey Allocco, Bridget Breda, Erin Caldo, Naya Chankhour, Maggie Fournier, McKayla Herzog, Owen Kelley, Brendan Leane, Serena Loh, Juliana Meziane, Alex Morton, Jhalak Patel, Elizabeth Police, Ellie Pritchard, Dante Russo, Teagan Sparhawk, Abby Stratton, Liv Wall and Ian Wieneke.
This production also features elementary and middle school students Nini Balodimas, Alex Baumhardt, Maggie Boudreau, Stella Centore, Katie DeCourcy, Grace Eriksen, Aine Hagan, Evana Loh, Miriam Malfroy-Camine, Margaret Morel, Ava O’Connell, Norah Pritchard, Giana Rizzuto, Callie Spry and Jacob Williams.
The production is managed by Sabrina Rogers. Assistant stage managers include Audrey Dick, Ariel Shaw and Addison Ursitti. Costumes are coordinated by Jen Borges, Sinead Keane and Ellie Leon. Props are managed by Amber Smith. Sound is managed by Meghan DeCourcy, Natalie Kretas and Lucy Wagner. Lighting is managed by Declan Blair and Samantha Brudnick. Additional technical crew members include Madison Harlan, Kevin Lewis, Sam McGhee, Andy Melkonian and Yongyi Zhao. The orchestra pit includes WHS student Max MacDonald.
The production is directed by Will Karvouniaris with music direction by Ana Morel. Additional creative team members include Choreographer, Becky Jo Roland; Technical Direction, Vincent Laino and Matthew Williams; Costume Coordination, Janet Mayne and Virginia Pierce; and Sound and Lighting Design, J&A Audio and Lighting, LLC.
This production is produced with permission from Music Theater International.