From the minute the curtain rises on the early hours of a December morning in a 1930s New York orphanage, you know you are in safe hands with Masquerade's production of the musical Annie. This show may be billed as non-professional, yet it is anything but amateur. A vast array of talent, a dazzling set (and slick set changes) and what seems to be an almost fanatical attention to detail with props and costumes, all combine to give this show a real feeling of quality, a sense of visual spectacle, and to make it a fantastic family night out. The hunt for a young star to take the title role (played on the night I saw the show by Anastasia Budziszewski) and others to play her orphan friends, was a long and thorough one, and the rigour of the auditioning process definitely paid off. Director and choreographer Beryl Cooper and musical director Tim Cumper, who between them had the surely unenviable task of bringing together the gaggle of orphans and their singing, dancing and acting, have done a fine job. The verve and professionalism among a team of such young performers are almost unnerving. Special mention, of course, must go to Anastasia in the incredibly demanding lead role. Her poise rarely falters, though at one point she did have to deal with an unruly Sandy the dog (played by a real live pooch) and that would be enough to make anyone's poise falter. When she sings the show's signature tune, Tomorrow, she fills the (sadly half-empty) auditorium with the sheer power of her voice. The plot is familiar - everyone's favourite orphan escapes from the cruel clutches of Miss Hannigan (played with considerable oomph and the requisite level of deranged evil by Penny Matthews) in a laundry basket, only to be returned there by a policeman. Her fortunes improve dramatically when she is taken to the mansion of Oliver Warbucks, who offers a huge reward to anyone who can prove they are Annie's real parents. Once a pair of imposters have been dealt with, and after Annie has single-handedly cheered up President's Roosevelt's cabinet, the orphan lives happily ever after with Daddy Warbucks, his assistant Grace and Sandy the dog. This production stays faithful to the original, and will not disappoint purists. The songs are belted out competently and on cue, Daddy Warbucks is bald as a coot, Annie is a cute curly-haired redhead and Miss Hannigan is a menacing harridan. Everything, in short, is just as it should be. | 
