Upper School Musical Showcases the “Hard-Knock Life”
The Lindberg-Serries Theater teemed with energy last week as Upper School students featured the renowned musical Annie by Thomas Meehan. Continuing the stream of quality productions at the Upper School, director Ross MacDonald and company dazzled under the lights of 1930s New York City.
Set during the Great Depression, the young red-headed orphan Annie (Elizabeth Velander ’26) yearns for a home away from the cruel Miss Hannigan (Eva Helie ’24). When billionaire Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks (Asher Esty ’25) decides to let an orphan live in his mansion for Christmas, lucky Annie moves in. While living high in New York City, she still yearns for her real parents, leading to Warbucks issuing a reward that creates an onslaught of frauds parading to the house.
At times humorous, often spearheaded by the antagonist everyone loves to hate Miss Hannigan, while at other times the genuine moments between Annie and Warbucks bring tears to the eyes. The students displayed a timeless heartwarming tale of finding family in unlikely places with the usual style, drama, and quality that the stage at BB&N knows and loves.
Thanks to director Ross MacDonald, choreographers Cayes Jarda and Aparajita Srivastava ’25, music directors Joel Sindelar and Elliot Cless, production designer Adam Howarth, and costume designer Louise Brown for making this show a reality. Click here for the program and cast list.
