Chances are, if you’ve regularly been reading your newspaper lately, you have seen some advertisements for the Bainbridge Little Theatre’s upcoming production of Annie. What you may not know is that this newspaper will have a cast member in that performance (here’s a hint on who that is: look at the little photo that is running with this column).
For those of you who are familiar with the story of Annie, I will be playing Rooster, who is the brother of orphanage owner Mrs. Hannigan. I don’t want to give a lot of the plot away, but let’s just say that he’s not a very nice guy.
I have only been in one other dramatic production in my life, when I performed in the Andalusia, Ala., community theater’s production of Two by Two — a musical based on the story of Noah’s Ark. That was almost two years ago. After taking another newspaper job in Thomson, Ga., I was disappointed to discover that there was no local community theater there.
When the opportunity came to come to Bainbridge, I was very excited to learn that not only is there a community theater, but it is very well maintained and supported. I have been extremely impressed by the hard work of our director, Martha Mobley, and the rest of her staff, who have given so much of their free time and effort to make sure that we put on the best show we can do.
Of course, the main focus of Annie is the orphans, and I can tell you that the children in this musical are unbelievably talented. After watching their rehearsals, I have been impressed by their ability to learn lines and choreography, as well as their cheerful and wonderful singing voices. I have no doubt that those who are in the audience will be very entertained by these young cast members.
However, I don’t want to sell the adults short, either. Every character has a unique role and personality, and there is some wonderful chemistry on stage. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that this chemistry doesn’t happen naturally. It takes a lot of rehearsal time and time on stage, working on scenes over and over and over again until lines and movements are ingrained in the actors’ heads. I hope that if you come to see the show, you won’t see the performers as their real-life selves, but as their unique characters.
The performances start next Friday, April 27. The showtimes are Friday, April 27, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 28, at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, April 29, at 2:30 p.m.; Friday, May 4, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 5, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, May 6, at 2:30 p.m. Reservations are suggested for tickets: call (229) 246-8345 or email bainbridgelittletheatre@gmail.com. Tickets at the door — $15 for adults and $10 for students — will be available 30 minutes prior to curtain.
I hope to see you at the show.
Justin Schuver is the managing editor of The Post-Searchlight. Email him at justin.schuver@thepostsearchlight.com.