The popular Broadway musical ‘Annie’ presented by Asian International School in honour of its founder, the late Mr. W. P. Perera went on boards on the 12th and 13th of March at the Lionel Wendt Theatre where it was presented through special arrangements in collaboration with Music Theatre International (MTI). The show was directed by Jerome L. de Silva along with music direction by Ishan de Lanerolle and choreography by Shanuki de Alwis.

It was a massive hit from the beginning, starting off with Annie singing ‘Maybe’ to the little girls at the Municipal Girls Orphanage. The audience was deeply moved by the classic rags-to-rich storyline and the immensely popular songs – ‘Tomorrow’ and ‘Hard Knock Life’. The inclusion of the dog, Annie befriends after her escape from the orphanage, as part of the cast/set was thought to be a splendid idea!

Day 2 Performance:

Two characters stood out for Day 2;

Annie played by Shyalina Muthumudalige, who conveyed her character well, so much so that the audiences’ hearts went out to the little girl’s childish innocence and unconditional love for her parents yet to be found, her friends at the orphanage and eventually for Mr. Warbucks.

Miss Hannigan played by Udaara Hapangama was an instant favourite even with those of the audience. Her zero-tolerance when it came to children and her uncontrollable drinking problem was very well acted. 

Credits to the character of Grace Farrell played by Chamathka Ratnayake, who maintained such poise throughout her act.

Mr. Warbucks - Jameel Ariff
Looked the part. Character was very well portrayed in most instances, especially when it came to adopting Annie.

Rooster – Bilal Ghouse
Humorous and perfect for the role!

Lily – Harindi Jayakody
Good coordinated acting with her partner, Rooster.

Comments from the audience:

“It was lovely. Well coordinated! I loved Grace – Amazing job” – Emalka

“Pretty good for a school performance!” – Ramesh

“Friendship and camaraderie comes through the performance” – Odile Melder

“It was very entertaining.” – Javed Bongso

“I liked the dog! The show was very well coordinated” – Jason

“Exceeded my expectations by a lot! Didn’t expect the show to be this interesting or funny, yet, Miss Hannigan, Annie and the rest of the cast did an amazing job at keeping everyone entertained throughout. My friends and I haven’t had this much fun at a school production in quite a while” – Shadiyah

By Hasna Saleem

Pics of Annie by Nisal Baduge