Blue Light Players fill the stage with little girls

Act I:

It’s the ultimate optimistic classic. In some of the worst of political and economic times, a little girl who had known only poverty and ill-treatment has a contagious case of hope which she shares with everyone around her.

The Broadway musical, based on the Harold Gray comic strip, Little Orphan Annie, is next in the schedule of the Blue Light Players, the local theater group that puts on plays and musicals to raise money for the families of fallen and critically injured police officers.

Now at the Hannah Center in East Lansing, Blue Light Players has a cast of 51, ranging in age from 7 to 70+, representing most of the Greater Lansing area. They’ve been rehearsing for months every Sunday—with additional rehearsals throughout the week to teach tap dancing. Their show opens Feb. 16 and runs through Feb. 18, with shows at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $15.

The original production opened in 1977 and has music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charmin and a book by Thomas Meehan. Since then it’s had numerous revivals, movies and has played across the country in regional theaters. The 1977 Broadway production won seven of the 10 Tonys it was nominated for, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score.

It’s a popular show that many little girls want to be a part of—as seen in the huge cast at Blue Light Players. When casting for the 1982 film, auditions for the role of Annie took two years, spanning 22 cities, 8,000 interviews and 70 actresses. Nine young actresses made it to the second round. Some of the actresses who got turned down included Kristen Chenoweth and Drew Barrymore.

Eventually cast was Aileen Quinn. The curly red wig she had to wear was so itchy that producers gave her a special comb to scratch her head. She also had to dye her hair red because her own hair color was brown and it could be seen through the wig.

The music has become well-known with classics such as “Tomorrow,” “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile,” “Easy Street,” “NYC” and “It’s a Hard-Knock Life.”

The musical centers around the title character, Annie, who is an orphan during the Depression era of the 1930s. Annie, played by 11-year-old Katie Schupbach of Delta Township in the Blue Light Players production, is in an orphanage run by the abusive Miss Hannigan (Jean Burk) in New York.

But she gets to spend the holiday with billionaire tycoon Oliver Warbucks (Mike Stewart). Despite having spent all her life in an orphanage, Annie still believes her parents are good people and are alive somewhere. Certain that they will someday claim her, she asks for help finding her real parents when Mr. Warbucks offers to adopt her. Mr. Warbucks, with the help of his secretary, Grace (Kathryn Mulcahy), and President Franklin D. Roosevelt (James Geer) sets about finding them.

They offer a huge reward for anyone who can prove they are Annie’s parents. This catches the attention of Miss Hannigan’s brother Rooster (Dale Williams) and his girlfriend Lily (Caitlyn Christenson), who hatch a plot to kidnap Annie and take the $50,000 reward.

The cast is filled with children and a dog—Sandy (Poppy). The orphanage includes 24 orphans who sing along with Annie. These include Annie and the six named orphans, Pepper (Leah Martin), Duffy (Samantha Stanton), Kate (Taylor Stallings), July (Nyah Davis), Tessie (Quinn Thelen), and Molly (Reann Thelen).

As the snow falls and the days stay cold, the Blue Light Players invites you to this warmest of family musicals, fit for everyone.

To purchase tickets, please visit www.bluelightplayers.com.

Encore!

• Kevin Noe conducts the Michigan State University Symphony Orchestra at the Wharton Center’s Cobb Great Hall at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11. They’ll be performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 6. Tickets are $10, $8 for seniors, free for students with ID and anyone under age 18.

• Maxim Rubtsov will be performing a flute recital at MSU College of Music’s Cook Recital Hall in the Music Building at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 9. Sergei Kvitko will join him on piano as they perform works by American composer John Corigliano, in celebration of his 80th birthday. They’ll also perform works by the founder of Russian flute music Vladimir Tsybin. Rubtsov and Kvitko will be performing this same concert at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 14. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, free for students and those under 18 with a valid ID.

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•Several faculty artist performances and master classes will be offered at MSU College of Music this next week including: Gwendolyn Dease, percussion and Jon Weber, percussion at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13 at Cook Recital Hall; Lance Da Luke, tuba/euphonium master class at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14, at Music Practice Building 103; Michael Kroth, bassoon and Deborah Moriarty, piano, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 15, at Cook Recital Hall; Shanghai Conservatory Piano Student Showcase, 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 16, Cook Recital Hall; Walter Verdehr Alumni Concerts I and II at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17 at Cook Recital Hall; and Walter Verdehr Alumni Concert III at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18 at Cook Recital Hall.