Have you ever heard of the Children’s Theatre of Annapolis? If not and you love live shows, please check this wonderful place out! I had taken Stormy here twice years ago to see an Elephant and Piggie show, and then a year or two later to see a Knuffle Bunny show. We are big fans of Mo Willems! A few months ago, I was browsing their website to see what productions were upcoming, and I spotted “Annie.” The movie Annie with Aileen Quinn is a big favorite in our house, and I thought a theatre production with child actors would be a lot of fun to see. We snagged tickets for one of their shows on a Saturday afternoon. The cost was reasonable for five tickets, around $90. The location of the Theatre is 1661 Bay Head Rd., Annapolis, MD 21409. It is set back from the road, so if it seems like your directions have taken you to a park, look beyond the ball field, and you should see the Theatre. There is plenty of parking. Doors open to the lobby an hour before the show starts, and seating begins a half hour before showtime.
We arrived about 45 minutes before showtime, which gave the girls time to peruse the booklet, use the bathrooms, and get a treat from the concession stand. For a dollar apiece, I got a bag of peanut M&Ms, and several bags of sour patch kids. Even bottles of water were a dollar each. The one hitch is that no food or drink are allowed in the auditorium. After everyone had eaten their special treat and gotten a drink, my husband capped the bottle of water and tucked it away for the girls to have another drink at intermission. Our seats were in the middle of the auditorium, and all three girls were anxious for the production to begin. FYI, the Theatre does offer booster seats for kids to use, but they are not very comfortable and tend to move around a bit because of the folding seats. Both Pebble and Rainbow ended up on our laps at one point or another.
Rainbow and Stormy loved the show! It was very well done, great sets, and it is amazing how talented these children are! The young lady who played Ms. Hannigan, the woman who ran the orphanage, stole the entire show. She blew us away! The way she walked, the way she talked and sang. She captured the character completely, and was a highlight of the show. The only issues we had with the production were that the mikes weren’t loud enough for a few of the characters. We knew those actors were speaking, but couldn’t hear what they were saying. This only happened a handful of times, though. A few of the kids also seemed to have trouble hitting some of their notes, although my husband picked up on this more than me. I think I’m a bit tone deaf. Oh! As a heads up, bathrooms are available, but they aren’t large. If you have to go at intermission, try to get there fast! The line out the ladies room was insane!
This show was the first one Pebble had ever gone to. She hasn’t even been to the movies yet. By the end, she was very restless, and demanding more water, more food, etc. I think my husband and I were counting down the acts at the end. We wanted to see the play, but Pebble, understandably so, was tired of sitting. After the final curtain call, we followed everyone outside. The cast was already outside, still in costume, talking to their families who had just seen the show. Stormy and Pebble were thrilled that they could actually pet Kiwi, the dog who played Sandy in the play. Rainbow was just watching everyone. It was a packed area, but everyone, for the most part, was wearing masks. Masks had been required inside the theatre, and the entire case wore masks during the production. These masks were clear so we could see their faces, and sometime the masks cast weird reflections as a result of lighting during the show. Nice to see they are all trying to stay safe! We had a great evening, and we look forward to seeing more plays here. Stormy is interested in seeing Matilda when it premieres. Happy trails!
Children’s Theatre of Annapolis
