Annie was ok at best
by bschicago on 1/25/10Auditorium Theatre - ChicagoRating: 2 out of 5I was very disappointed in this production.
First of all the acting was overall, barely acceptable for a national tour. Annie and the orphans were quite good, and Warbucks was good overall, but the rest of the acting left a lot to be desired. The dog pretty much stole the show. Hannigan was horribly overacted and Grace and several other supporting actors' performances ranged from mediocre to horrific. Rooster was terrible. The actors in the Roosevelt scene chewed on the scenery so much I thought one might gag on stage. Playing for laughs is amateur, annoying, and made especially the second act drag on and on. Most of the singing was ok, but the choreography was pretty boring and uninspired.
The production value was about as good as your average high school show. Corny backdrops, un-creative costumes and insufficient lighting at times. I saw a community theater children's show this weekend, and that had better sets and props. The sound was awful. I understand the Auditorium has difficult acoustics, but In the balcony, we could barely hear any of the dialogue.
Even the ushers didn't do their jobs here. I was surrounded by parents who let their children bring food into the theater and was constantly subjected to their candy wrappers and crunching on skittles. But during intermission TWO ushers swarmed over to yell at a patron for taking a picture. During intermission. Terrible.
All in all, I was disappointed with the venue but the show itself was mostly to blame. Boring and at times downright embarrassing. I expect much more for $40 a ticket. I do not recommend spending your money on this production. Rent the movie and enjoy.