"Annie" Brightens the NCT

Jamieson O'Brien as Annie. Photo: NCT

Being a female kid of the '70s, I was an "Annie" fiend in elementary school, as was every other girl I knew. Sticker collections and Annie, that's all that mattered, as well as Pink Floyd's "The Wall," which we didn't necessarily have to like, but it was there, and it seemed to be on our side. "Annie," with its defiance, paired with its belief that a little kid could potentially change not just her own life, but the world, was definitely on our side.

I took my 7-year-old niece, Sophie, to the opening night of Annie at the New Candlelight Theatre. I don't know if  the show has the same presence for young girls it had 30 years ago, but I do know that she is hooked, playing the same old record we listened to countless times. (Fun fact: three regulars of the much-missed  "Al Alberts' Showcase" were cast in the original Broadway cast of Annie, including the original Broadway Annie herself, Andrea McCardle. Chris Alberts, the son of the legendary Al and Stella Alberts, is the New Candlelight Theatre's Artistic Director.) So, for me, at least, this nostalgic show was a must-see.

Jamieson O'Brien as Annie, Patrick O'Hara as Mr. Warbucks

The NCT production lives up to the high standards the theater has set this season with shows like Cats and The Full Monty. As Annie, Jamieson O'Brien lights up the stage as any Annie should, and the rest of the orphans -- Rebecca Smith, Katie Loftus, Gueneviere Sherlaw, Jordan O'Brien, Kayla Brock and the scene-stealing Nicole Hemphill -- are a delight. Geri Weagraff's Ms. Hannigan is both sleazy and surprisingly sympathetic, though not to the point where you feel bad when she gets her comeuppance. Rooster and Lily, characters who have to own their scenes (as a point of reference for those not familiar with the play, they were played by Tim Curry and Bernadette Peters, respectively, in the movie version) are played solidly by Dewey Oriente and mega-talented NCT regular Lindsay Mauck. The role of Daddy Warbucks is played by another NCT regular, Patrick O'Hara, who brought both the required conservative staunchness and warmth to the role. You have to care about whether Annie and Warbucks become father and daughter for the play to work, and O'Hara does make you care. Rounding out the cast is the lovely Megan Pisors as Grace, Dave Snyder as FDR, Andre Dion Willis as the butler Drake, and an incredibly strong ensemble.

Whether you want to revisit your youth or introduce a great musical to the next generation, Annie fits the bill. The show runs through August 21, and, as always, the ticket price includes a buffet dinner; a cash bar featuring specialty Annie-themed drinks, specialty desserts and a nightly 50/50 raffle are extra.

Pick of the July Art Loop

The first stop was at the Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts where very few studios were open. The Annual Members’ Juried Exhibition was still worth the visit. My favorite of the Duets (partnered works by each artist) was a large object photographed into the sun by John Schlesinger of Philadelphia. I had not consciously looked for its partnered work and it took me a long time to realize that a lone Styrofoam cup with holes burned in microcrystalline wax was the ‘large object’. Perspective made the cup look gigantic in the photograph and created the intriguing pairing.


The charcoal drawings by Edgar Jerins (top) in the Beckler Family Members’ Gallery were captivating. Jerins’ drawings are rich, real and full of detail and perspective that make you feel you are in the picture with the people he portrays. You can almost hear some of them sigh.


The artists in residence, Jung-A Woo and Hoyun Son, who had each studied at the Chicago Art Institute, presented their plans for a five-week project in residence with the DCCA, the Latin American Cultural Center, and the Delaware Horticultural Center. Their Movable Feast – a study in food and culture – will explore how food affects culture and art. They will show the final product at the August Art Loop.


The Louis L Redding Gallery had lively and imaginative portrayals of African American life and music by Michael Angelo Wallace, a native of Philadelphia. With vivid colors, Wallace goes from almost cartoon-like images of church to Biblical exegeses and back to cubist and surreal images doubling as outlines musical instruments (Ornithology, lower image). Top that off with cool jazz in the background and delicious snacks by Copper Café and my hat goes off to Jeni Barton for planning a great evening.


See www.WilmingtonDE.gov/artloop
See www.mangeloart.com
See www.jerins.com

Jazz Fest Recap

By Chuck Holdeman, Guest Blogger

Chuck is a regional composer of lyrical, contemporary classical music, including opera, orchestral music, songs, chamber music, music for film, and music for educational purposes. www.chuckholdeman.com

I caught two notable events on the last day of this summer's Clifford Brown Jazz Festival in Wilmington.  Having a daughter and her son in tow, we all went for a delightfully free visit to Wilmington's impressive "new" Queen Theatre for the 1:00pm show by JazzReach performing Hangin' with the Giants, aimed at children from Kindergarten to 4th Grade.  I speculated with my grandson Carl about what kind of giants we might encounter, but indeed these were Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk. (What!! no John Coltrane?? ...Well, he was mentioned.) 

These giants were portrayed by cartoon characters, appearing on a movie screen over the heads of the six musicians, their well-mimicked speaking voices timed via PowerPoint, which only crashed once (later to resume).  Duke Ellington periodically consumed various flavored ice-cream cones.  It was explained: "He was so cool he was ice-cold; he could even keep ice cream in his pockets."  The MC was the vocalist of the sextet; he had a cue-book to keep him on script, although there were amusing incidents of improvisation---he really made hay when the PowerPoint projection accidentally froze.  In almost every tune---the order was the chronology of the composer/giants---there was audience participation.  Our MC strolled through the audience with his cordless mic, giving almost everyone, parent and child alike, a chance to respond with, for example, "salt peanuts, salt peanuts." It was an excellent band with two saxes, the vocally astute MC plus piano, bass and drums.  The JazzReach website describes a Brooklyn-based ensemble with a floating personnel list.

Saturday evening, we caught the Rufus Reid set.  We enjoyed it, but I could not help wondering if much of the material was better suited to an intimate club rather than an heavily amplified, crowded outdoor setting.  (Although, it was great to see Rodney Square absolutely full of enthusiasts on a lovely evening with plenty of tempting good [and also junk] food for sale!)  Rufus is a bass player from north Jersey, an accomplished and polished veteran, and we heard plenty of bass solos, mellow stuff.  The last tune in the set was quite memorable; an intense, up-tempo tune with a very long angular head, brilliantly manipulated by his sax, trumpet and rhythm section.