Why shouldn't they be?"
I've never actually seen Annie on stage. I would have gone to the recent UK touring version but I was too annoyed by the cast of Craig Revel Horwood as Miss Hannigan to even contemplate booking. For me, taking away any of the few opportunities for older actresses without substantially making up for it elsewhere is unforgivable. Yes, you could point to his alternate being Lesley Joseph, or Jodie Prenger, which simply reinforces the pointlessness of the exercise, pushing it too close to stunt casting.
So I was interested to actually listen to Charles Strouse's score for the first time since becoming a blogger and I opted for this 1995 studio cast recording as it had names like Ruthie Henshall, Kim Criswell and Clare Burt attached to it. I really wish hadn't though as it is a dated, lethargic run through the music that lacks any kind of real energy at all. It is sung perfectly proficiently - Sarah French's Annie, Criswell's Miss Hannigan, Henshall's Grace, Ron Raines as Daddy Warbucks - but this recording is as dusty as a relic and should be left on a shelf to collect more dust.
