Annie is one of the most famous orphans to hit the stage in a musical. Her bright red hair and matching dress have become the iconic picture that is familiar to the character. This is the second version of Annie that I have seen and is by far my favourite of the two.

Sienna Salter in the role of Annie gives an outstanding performance and has an incredible voice, some of the solo numbers could be challenging, yet Salter made them appear easy and faultlessly delivered.

The story begins in the New York orphanage ran by the drunk and unfulfilled Miss Hannigan (Andee Jordan) pretending to the outside world that she is running a happy orphanage, we see an uncaring slave driver who shouldn’t be allowed near children.

Annie is chosen to join the well-respected and connected billionaire Oliver Warbucks ( Steve Reading) for the Christmas holidays and get a taste of a family life. No spoilers as the story is well known, he ends up adopting her and Annie’s sun certainly did shine upon her fate.

The treat-driven Tiffin in the role of Sandy the stray dog that Annie befriends never leaves Salter’s side and appears to be enjoying every minute she is on stage. There appears to be a genuine rapport between the two, which was a pleasure to watch.


The roles of the conniving and underhanded brother of Miss Hannigan, Rooster played by Curtis Mclennan and his partner in crime Lily St Regis (Fenn Todd) try to convince everyone that they are Annie’s real parents with some inside knowledge. However, with the FBI on the case looking for her real parents the scheme is quickly foiled and it’s back to prison for Rooster.

Musical Director Adam Blosse deserves a special mention. Bringing the familiar tunes to life and never missing a beat throughout. The twelve-piece orchestra opened the evening’s show in style and closed it with the grand finale with the same amount of energy.

Nobody can predict whether or not the “Sun will come out tomorrow” but I do predict that if you go to see this version of Annie you are in for a real theatre treat.

For more information about Annie and future productions at The King’s Theatre in Portsmouth please check out the link below.

Four Stars

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Annie – The Kings Theatre, Southsea
15th April 2025.

Director – Timothy Quinlan
Musical Director – Adam Blosse
Choreographer – Ellie Thomas