The King’s School West Rand pupils gave a sterling rendition of the American musical Annie on 18 September.
The musical is based on the life of an orphan named Annie, who is introduced to the audience under the undesired care of a not-so-friendly Miss Hannigan, but eventually lives to experience her happily ever after.
Megan Noble delivered an impressive portrayal of the orphan, with an angelic singing voice that brought silence to the school hall and begged an applause.
Equally, her co-stars wowed the audience – made up of proud parents, relatives, the school’s staff and board members.
From the cruel nature of Miss Hannigan (portrayed by Tabo Kalima), to the welcoming arms of the wealthy Mr Warbucks (played by Jordan Harvey), the musical delivered a message with every scene.
Ultimately, it pointed out that even with tragic losses, negative connotations and a sense of not belonging, orphans are also destined for happy endings.
The cast comprised of Grade 1 to 9 pupils, with Grade 11 pupils lending a helping hand in the proceedings.
The crew kept the audience entertained while moving props around between scenes, with subtle gestures of comical mimes.
At the end, the cast received a much-deserved standing ovation from the audience.
“We are delighted with our production. The main cast, supporting cast and backstage team were made up of over 500 Grade 1 to 9 pupils and they had fun on stage and in their items. How good it is to see the growth in our children’s confidence and skills,” said an impressed The King’s School West Rand principal, Ken Langley.
Kalima gave a vote of thanks on behalf of the cast to the staff involved in the production – Nicolene Liebenerg, Liza Smith, Amy Botha and Claire Baker.
