Almost fifty years after she first sang her way into Broadway history, the sun is still shining bright in Oakbrook Terrace as Drury Lane Theatre brings the beloved holiday classic Annie back to its stage for the first time in over a decade. Directed by Scott Weinstein and starring young powerhouse Emerson Mae Chan in the title role on opening night (with Catharina Araujo playing the part at select performances and Kate in others), this lavish seasonal revival captures all the Depression-era charm and infectious optimism of the original 1977 hit. From the opening notes of the overture, Drury Lane delivers a polished, crowd-pleasing take on a familiar favorite.
The story never gets old and remains a warm tale of resilience and hope. Set in New York City during December 1933, Annie follows an irrepressibly optimistic 11-year-old streetwise orphan determined to find the birth parents who left her on the steps of the New York City Municipal Orphanage a decade earlier. Armed with only half of a silver locket and a handwritten note promising they would return for her, Annie endures the daily misery of the orphanage’s bitter, scheming matron, Miss Hannigan. But her luck takes a dramatic turn when Grace Farrell, the warmhearted personal secretary to billionaire industrialist Oliver Warbucks, selects Annie to spend the Christmas holidays at Warbucks' Fifth Avenue mansion. Though initially awkward around children, the gruff tycoon is quickly charmed by Annie's pluck and determination, growing so fond of her that he asks to adopt her himself. When Annie gently declines - still holding out hope of finding her real parents - Warbucks vows to help her search, eventually offering a massive cash reward, and enlisting some help from none other than President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Predictably, the promise of a payout attracts the greed of Miss Hannigan, her swindler brother Rooster, and his accomplice Lily St. Regis, sparking a frantic race for Warbucks to expose their con and give Annie a true home just in time for Christmas.
Kelly Felthous as Miss Hannigan in Annie at Drury Lane Theatre. Photos by Justin Barbin.
Weinstein’s direction keeps that familiar plot moving at a brisk, buoyant pace, anchored by standout performances across the board. After two years of touring full-time, Emerson Mae Chan returns home in her Drury Lane debut, capturing Annie’s spunky spirit with effortless charm, hitting her funniest lines with great timing and delivering a nice vocal highlight on “Tomorrow” - the signature number that defines Annie’s sunny outlook. Anand Nagraj delivers one of my favorite performances of the evening as Oliver “Daddy” Warbucks, impressing with both his strong baritone vocals and his nuanced acting. Rather than playing the billionaire as a one-note caricature, Nagraj brings genuine warmth and subtle humor to the role, making it a treat to watch his guarded exterior soften as his heart fills with love and he finds his childlike joy again. Meanwhile, nobody commands the stage quite like Kelly Felthous as Miss Hannigan, who delivers a gloriously unhinged, standout comedic performance from her very first entrance. She makes the iconic villainess unmistakably her own. Felthous is joined by Jackson Evans (Rooster) and Amanda Walker (Lily St. Regis), who each score solid laughs in their roles and help turn “Easy Street” into a high-energy highlight. Elsewhere, Allison Sill impresses vocally as Grace Farrell, lending a calming, assured presence whenever she steps onstage.
A large, energetic ensemble gives the entire production an undeniable lift. The young performers portraying the orphans often take center stage with sharp timing and genuine personality, holding their own alongside a hard-working adult ensemble that fills out the show's many worlds - stepping into everything from street vendors and radio performers to servants and politicians with ease.
Equally irresistible is Georgie, the real live dog playing Annie’s loyal companion, Sandy. Well-behaved and utterly endearing onstage, Georgie melts the theater on contact - every appearance triggers a chorus of affectionate "awwws" from the audience.
Georgie as Sandy and Emerson Mae Chan as Annie in Annie.
One of my favorite moments in the show arrives in Act II during a trip to the White House, where Annie interrupts a tense, pessimistic meeting between President Roosevelt (wonderfully played by Ron E. Rains) and his Cabinet as they struggle to pull the country out of the Great Depression. While his advisors bicker over grim economic forecasts, FDR turns to Annie for her perspective, sparking a playful back-and-forth that perfectly captures her ability to find a silver lining in everything. Sharing her simple philosophy that the sun will always come out tomorrow, Annie wins over the President - who nudges his gloomy Cabinet members to take her advice to heart before joining her in a spirited reprise of "Tomorrow" that turns a dreary policy session into a lively sing-along.
Another standout sequence was the live radio broadcast scene, which offers a fun glimpse back in time at how an old-school radio show operated - complete with a scene-stealing foley operator whose deadpan, almost-bored demeanor suggested every sound effect was pure second nature.
Visually, the production strikes a rich, theatrical balance. Under the crisp musical direction of Julia Schade, the live orchestra brings Charles Strouse’s definitive score vibrantly to life. Tijana Bjelajac’s scenic design effortlessly transitions between the bleak, shadowy grays of 1930s Hoovervilles and the warm, gilded grandeur of the Warbucks estate. Paired with Mara Blumenfeld’s period-authentic costumes and Jose Santiago’s atmospheric lighting, the staging highlights the stark economic contrasts of the era while keeping the holiday magic front and center. Mara Newberry Greer’s crisp, athletic choreography gives the young performers plenty of room to shine, particularly during high-energy numbers like "It’s the Hard-Knock Life" and "You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile."
Ultimately, Drury Lane’s Annie succeeds because it treats its classic material with genuine affection rather than mere nostalgia. By pairing strong performances and polished stagecraft with an honest, heartfelt approach to the story, the production reminds audiences why this scrappy orphan has endured for nearly half a century without ever feeling dated or overly saccharine. Running at Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace through January 10, this joyous revival makes for the perfect holiday treat for the entire family.
Recommended.
For tickets and/or more show information, click here.
