Evelyn C. McDonald
Arts & Culture
April 9, 2019 10:00 a.m.
“Never work with children or animals,” W.C. Fields is reputed to have said. The adult cast in the Amelia Community Theatre’s production of “Annie” found out just how tough that can be. They had to match talents with seven gifted youngsters and a stage savvy dog in last Saturday’s performance.
The orphanage girls were elementary and middle school age with good voices, solid dancing skills, and good stage presence. Stella as Sandy the dog also had great stage presence, even giving the audience a wag of her tail during the applause. The result was a performance filled with talent and fun, songs and dances in abundance.
As Annie, Bianca Pontello was perfect. As Daddy Warbucks, Tom Cornwell had both the voice and the performance skills. Despite the height difference between the two, both performed their duets and dances seamlessly. Lindsey Nickel de la O as Grace Farrell had a beautiful voice and a ready smile. Sebastian Alexander was once again memorable as Bert Healey, the radio personality on the NBC Radio Show. Having Denise Chance Oravec as Miss Hannigan was an inspired piece of casting. She has a good voice and a great sense of the outrageous.
Most people thinking of the musical would single out “Tomorrow” as its most memorable song. I would have at one time, until I saw a TV adaptation of the show. Kathy Bates as Miss Hannigan and Alan Cumming as her crooked brother, Rooster, made “Easy Street” the standout number. It gives the actors a great chance to be over the top in song and dance. That was going to be my gauge of how much I liked this show. When Jimmy Kalista and Elisha Cauthen joined Oravec in the number, their song and dance interpretation stole the show for me.
The ensemble cast, and it was a large one, filled the stage with singing and dancing when they appeared. They radiated enthusiasm and there didn’t appear to be a single misplaced footstep. They performed well as an ensemble with no one looking to stand out apart from the others. Space doesn’t permit naming all of them but their talent and dedication were evident.
Director Marylee Long and her team – Gloria Strand (producer), Lisa Howard-Welch (Stage Manager), Lynn Arizzi and Diane Demeranville (Co-Music Directors and Pianists), and Jennifer McCarthy (Choreographer), have put together a great show for your enjoyment.
“Annie” continues April 11-14 and 18-20. Go, have a good time. For ticket information, call the Box Office (904) 261-6749 or go on-line to ameliacommunitytheatre.org.
Evelyn McDonald moved to Fernandina Beach from the Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C. in 2006. Evelyn is vice-chair on the Amelia Center for Lifelong Learning and is on the Dean’s Council for the Carpenter Library at the UNF. Ms. McDonald has MS in Technology Management from the University of Maryland’s University College and a BA in Spanish from the University of Michigan.
I too saw Annie on the grand opening night last Thursday. Wow, I was so impressed with the talent. The entire cast was so impressive. The play itsreally long (2.5 hours) but the kids kept up the pace and never stumbled their parts. I was also impressed with the music talents we have here in Amelia. The orchestra kept our toes tapping as well. Highly recommend everyone get out and support our local theatre who brings such great plays to us.