‘Annie’ gets an A+ at the Milford Theater

July 18 and 19 was opening weekend for the heartfelt musical “Annie,” and the show got an A+ all around. The entire cast was superlative. Audience members were remarking “Awesome, “Amazing, “Adorable!” The show is still getting rave reviews all over social media.

“It was so heartwarming to see the theater packed for our opening weekend! I don’t think we’ve ever seen so many families! The standing ovations both nights were a real treat for the cast and crew who have worked tirelessly on the show,” Artistic Director Beth O’Neil proudly said.

There were many children in the audience. This is the type of show where parents and grandparents get special joy in bringing their children to see this classic and make memories lasting a lifetime. For some, it may even spark a dream. Everyone in the cast was superb. One could see the fruits of labor from Director Kathy Fitzgerald, Chiara Marone (stage and sets), Choreographer Joseph Ambrosia, and Music Director Sandy Stalter and others in the background. The result was a show done to perfection.

Maelyn (Mae) McCormick plays the role of Annie. She has a number of shows under her belt, having played the Shawnee playhouse. But this is the first big role for her, and she played it like a pro. Fitzgerald pointed out Mae’s infectious energy and how it brought the entire cast together. She owned the part. When interacting with characters like Miss Hannigan (Jessica Woolnough), she was the perfect foil. Her interactions with Anthony Gaglione and Johanna Gelbs who played Rooster Hannigan and Lily St. Regis, the villains posing as her long lost parents, Mae nailed it.

Perhaps Mae’s most exciting role was her working with Sandy, the dog. It’s difficult to work with a live animal on stage in front of a large audience, but she made it seem like the most natural thing in the world, as she sang to Sandy. Mae’s voice was powerful, and she brought magic to the scenes with Daddy Warbucks (Roger Michelson).

Mae is a very determined young woman who is diligently pursuing her dream of being on Broadway. She works very hard and was totally prepared for every scene. She said she was so grateful to Fitzgerald and all her other directors.

Mae is cool and poised and expresses just enough emotion. But at the end of the matinee on Sunday, when four adoring little girls wearing Annie T-shirts and holding necklaces (mirroring Annie’s necklace from her parents) came up to her asking for her autograph and saying, “We love you Annie,” a tear may have come to her eye. For her, this was a new level of connecting with her audience. Her mother, Cara was crying softly.

The show will go on for eight more performances. The first weekend was a full house so the theater suggests purchasing tickets soon.

The performance dates are:

July 25, Aug. 1, Aug. 8 at 7:30 p.m.

July 26, Aug. 2 , Aug. 9 at 2 p.m.