Annie Comes Back to Bluefield University
Photo provided by Rampage photographer Rachel Hendrick.
Annie is coming back to Bluefield University. The beloved Broadway musical will return to the BU stage, December 11-14, inside Harman Chapel.
The main cast features new actress Landry Gwinn as Annie, Will Workman as Oliver Warbucks, Elise Jacobs as Grace Farrel, Elei Haynes as Miss Hannigan, Brian Fisher as Rooster Hannigan, and Sydney Belton as Lily St. Regis. Workman, a former graduate of Bluefield University, has been performing for BU Theatre since he was a child. His daughter is also in this year’s production of Annie.
Charles Reese and Rebecca McCoy Reese will be directing the 2025 version of Annie. They are celebrating their 25th year at Bluefield University and as co-directors of BU Theatre.
The play is based on an old comic strip that eventually became a Broadway musical and then a movie. The story is about a young orphan who gets taken in for a week by billionaire Daddy Warbucks. Annie believes her parents left her by mistake. Warbucks grows to like Annie and decides to adopt her, but Annie believes her parents did not mean to leave her, so he searches for her parents, offering a cash reward, which results in numerous people fraudulently claiming to be Annie’s parents.
“I relate to Annie because I have the same hope that one day I will find my parents,” said BU student Mia Peterson, who is part of the production. “I also love Annie’s relationship with Warbucks. They weren’t sure about each other at the beginning, but by the end of the story, they helped each other fill what they were missing in their lives. I love that Annie has such a big heart, always cares about everyone around her, and never lets anything bring her down.”
The play will involve a lot of the community, consisting of college students and local adults. Peterson said she’s enjoying meeting new people through the production. Fellow BU student Leah Harrison, also a part of Annie, agreed.
“I’ve really enjoyed making new friendships and getting to know everyone in the cast and crew,” Harrison said. “There’s something special about the whole process of putting a show together and watching everything slowly come to life as we get closer to opening night.”
Harrison also spoke about the encouraging messages and themes shared through Annie.
“I love how Annie shows the power of hope, kindness, and optimism even when life is tough,” Harrison said. “The story reminds us that joy can show up in unexpected places and that one person’s positivity can make a big difference in the lives of others.”
In addition to encouraging messages, Annie offers a number of exciting dance scenes.
“The dance scenes are lots of fun,” Reese said. “It’s a fun Christmas show with a good message, upbeat, hopeful, and full of optimism and family.”
Haynes said her favorite scene is Easy Street, “where Rooster and Lily, who is Ms. Hannigan’s brother and his girlfriend, come in, and they’re like, ‘We’re going to swindle this guy,’ and we sing this song called Easy Street, and it’s a lot of fun.”
The set pieces are made to be easily moved and rearranged to make other scenes and consist of the orphanage, Daddy Warbucks’ mansion, Hooverville, a radio station, and the streets of New York City.
Bluefield University Theater plays are planned around August and September with all plays being decided during the prior spring season and being announced at the final play of the academic year.
The Reeses chose Annie because it requires a lot of girls, and Charlie Brown (the previous production) had a largely male cast.
“When you’re looking at a musical that is heavy on little girls,” Reese said, “(Annie) is the show that comes to mind.”
”There’s even a song about little girls,” McCoy Reese added.
Reese also spoke about the qualities considered when deciding on a role.
“Can they sing, can they dance, do they get along with others, can they communicate with others?” Reese said. “And probably the most important thing to us is attitude. Do they seem like they want to do this? Are they having a good time?
Rehearsals take place Monday through Friday and amp up close to production day with added rehearsals on Saturday and Sunday. Rehearsals are normally 2-3 hours, and choreography rehearsals are around three hours.
During the week leading up to opening night, BU Theatre hosts matinees for students from local secondary schools during the day as field trips. Students are bused to the university, and several schools will be coming to Bluefield to see the production.
Opening day for Annie Thursday with shows continuing until Sunday.
“I am really looking forward to sharing joy with the audience,” Harrison said about the opening of the play. “Seeing people smile, hearing them laugh, and knowing they’re having a good time makes all the hard work totally worth it.”
Tickets are available for purchase for all shows online.