Show Review - "Annie"

I got to see the musical "Annie" last night at the Baltimore Hippodrome Theater. The show is based on the depression era comic strip Orphan Annie. It tells of the 7 or 8 days leading up to Christmas in 1933 and shows how she meets her future step-father billionaire Oliver Warbucks.

I found the show to be absolutely delightful. The young girls in the show who play Annie's fellow orphans were outstanding. At times, they were very funny. At other times, they were very touching. All did a great job with the songs they sang. Marissa O'Donnell who plays Annie did a fantastic job as she sang and acted into people's hearts. The interaction between her and Conrad John Schuck who plays Oliver Warbucks was particularly touching and amusing. Warbucks doesn't know what to do with this precocious youngster and it makes for some great laughs. Elizabeth Broadhurst who plays Warbuck's kind hearted personal secretary Miss Farrell was equally outstanding. She exuded great amounts of warmth in the show that were very touching.

Overall, the show was fantastic from beginning to end. It had great song numbers and superb acting. I was surprised by a number of great comic lines they had in the show. You'll get plenty of laughs during the show. Kids will particularly like this show as they'll be greatly amused by the antics of Annie and her fellow orphans. The show was superbly supported by an excellent orchestra conducted by Kelly Ann Lambert. This is one show those with kids or who are kids at heart won't want to miss. I believe it plays for another 13 days at the Hippodrome. If you live in the area, this is one show you'll want to see.

On a slightly separate note, the Hippodrome offers reserved Grand parking. They have an 11-story parking lot which is attached to the theater. I found using this parking lot to be an invaluable convenience. I was able to park my car and and take one of the parking lot elevators right to the theater. The cost is $10 if you reserve in advance and $7 of the show though you risk them selling out if you try to use it the day off the show. I would definitely recommend using this lot as it makes things enormously easier in seeing any show you decide to see at the Hippodrome. For further information on up coming productions at the Hippodrome, check out their website at: http://www.france-merrickpac.com/home.html.