The Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, is getting ready for the arrival, next week, of “the world’s favourite family musical”, Annie. Set in 1930s New York during The Great Depression, brave young Annie is forced to live a life of misery and torment at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. Determined to find her real parents, her luck changes when she is chosen to spend Christmas at the residence of famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks but spiteful Miss Hannigan has other ideas and hatches a plan to spoil Annie’s search.
With its award-winning book and score, this stunning musical includes the unforgettable songs Hard Knock Life, Easy Street, I Don’t Need Anything But You and Tomorrow and stars TV favourite Lesley Joseph as Miss Hannigan.
During a break in her hectic schedule I got to ask Lesley about this tour, that TV show and the fun she has starring in them both..
So, Lesley, how much fun are you having in Annie?
Oh do you know what, it’s wonderful. I did the show many years ago and it’s one that I have really wanted to return to, mainly because I love Easy Street, the number that Miss Hannigan gets to sing with her brother Rooster and his girlfriend Lily.
It’s such great fun, particularly because this is such a lovely, fresh, new production. A lot of people think that Annie can be quite sentimental, and rather sickly sweet, but this one is really very different. It is set firmly in the Great Depression of 1933 and it’s given a whole new twist which just makes it such a wonderful show and such great fun.
What’s it like playing the “baddie” of the piece?
Oh well, the thing is, I’ve never really played any “goodies”! Goodies are often quite boring characters and, if you look at me, I never really was the juvenile lead I was always the character actress and so there was no way I would ever play one of the good people. So I’m quite used to playing the “baddie” and it’s a great part.
I must admit, I do try and give Miss Hannigan a heart, somewhere. Well, maybe not so much a heart but at least a vulnerability, because she’s stuck living in the orphanage and looking after all these children, but with no children of her own. She’s desperate to get out but like most people, she had no money during the depression and then, when Annie runs away, she thinks that she might lose her job – so there’s a lot of pressures on her which is probably why she’s so bad.
That’s probably why she “hits the bottle”.
Oh yes. I try and justify what she does because otherwise you could end up playing a sort of pantomime dame type character which would be very easy but, to give her some sort of reality, there are all these reasons why she behaves as she does really. After all, she’s stuck in a life that she doesn’t want to be in.
What is it like working with all the children in the show?
It’s just phenomenal! They are really such talented children and so very well behaved. They are all so lovely and are looked after by some amazing chaperones and they are very much a part of our very “together” company. When you see the show on stage it’s very obvious that it’s an ensemble piece and, luckily for us, everyone in the ensemble is just phenomenal.
They have a awful lot of dancing to do and they are what makes the show. They add all the colour and substance to the whole thing and, with a lot more dancing in this production than there normally is in Annie, it’s just fantastic to see. There is usually a lot of movement in the show but in this production we have some real walloping dance numbers and the kids are just lovely.
You do have some great numbers in the show.
Oh yes. People often ask how Annie has managed to stay at the very top but it’s such a classic musical with some fantastic songs and a great storyline. Easy Street, as I’ve said, is my favourite number but Tomorrow is such a great number as well. It starts by saying that “Tomorrow is ALWAYS a day away” but by the end she sings “I’ll love you tomorrow, it’s ONLY a day away” – it’s a very subtle change that only happens at the end, but it makes the song a great anthem of hope.
With 8 shows a week and with the 13th series of Birds of a Feather all over the TV, will you ever slow down?
Well, what you have to remember is that, with “Birds”, we rehearse in a sort of three month block and there’s only really one full day a week when we’re actually filming in the studio so, a lot of that time during rehearsals you have off and most of the performances of Annie are in the evenings so that means you get the daytime off.
It’s what I’ve done all my life, it’s not something that is unusual for me. There are times when you have weeks off while your waiting to go from one job to another so no, not while it’s like this. Acting is my vocation. At some point when either it doesn’t want me anymore, or I can’t do it anymore, then I will slow down – but I don’t think that time is anywhere near yet.
Does the fact that you get such great fun parts make it feel less like hard work?
Well it never feels like hard work to me because it’s what I do and what I’ve always done. It doesn’t feel like work because I love it so very much. I love doing “Birds” and I’m loving appearing in Annie. I never accept things that I don’t want to do so it never feels like “oh no, I’ve got to go on” or that I’m having “a hard day at the office” or however you want to think of it. To me it’s a labour of love.
Annie appears at the Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, from Tuesday 1st March to Saturday 5th March with evening performances on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 7.30pm, Friday at 8pm and matinees on Wednesday and Saturday at 2.30pm and Friday at 4.30pm. Tickets can be booked at www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk or through the box office on 01892 530613.
