REVIEW: Annie Jr, The Gantry Youth Theatre, Bitterne Park Sixth Form Theatre

A show with a big heart and an irrepressible sense of optimism, Gantry Youth Theatre delivered an amicable and lively production that brought a smile to the face of their audience.

Under the joint direction of Kate and Oliver Downer, former members of the group, this was a tightly paced show with nicely conceived musical numbers and some neat choreography.

The fairly simply but cleverly versatile set was used to good effect and there was an effective use of lighting.

The cast all worked together with great enthusiasm and enjoyment. There were few instances where it was quite hard to hear lines but overall the delivery and the musical numbers were done well.

Niamh Stokes made a suitably perky Annie, whilst Skylar Parkes was obviously having a ball as Miss Hannigan. Changing Daddy to Mrs Warbucks (Isabelle Li) was a clever twist and was actually a nice change.

Fun.

Karen Robson