If
you believe the W.C. Fields theory of kids and animals, Daddy Warbucks must be a
terrible part. Plus, there’s the whole
baldness thing going on. Of course, a
working stage actor would be delighted to land the role just the same, but viewers
will never know who that might in the recent Broadway revival from watching the
behind-the-scenes special Annie: It’s the
Hard Knock Life, From Script to Stage (promo here), which airs on
PBS this Friday.
For
producer-director Josh Seftel, the book musical Annie means only one thing: “It’s the Hard Knock Life.” Those hoping the sun will come out tomorrow might
be a tad disappointed. Nevertheless,
Seftel’s narrower focus allows him to document in-depth how the anticipated
showstopper takes shape in the new production.
“Hard
Knock” will always be a challenge because it features Annie and all her fellow
orphans, who will necessarily be played by young, relatively inexperienced performers. Indeed, the revival’s charismatic nine to
eleven year old cast-members (Lilla Crawford, Junah Jang, Georgi James, Madi
Rae DiPietro, Taylor Richardson, Tyra Skye Odoms, and Emily Rosenfeld) come
across like good kids, but they often have choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler
pulling his hair out. Adding a further
challenge, he is inclined to ditch the iconic mops and buckets from the number,
but remains unsure whether the audience will accept such boldness.
Crisply
but sensitively lensed by Stephen T. Maing (the director-cinematographer of the
fascinating and alarming High Tech, Low Life), Script to Stage was
produced with fans of the musical in mind, but students of stagecraft should
also be fascinated by the inside look at the revival’s creative
development. In addition to Blankenbuehler
putting the young girls through their paces, Seftel also captures the work of costume
designer Susan Hilferty and set designer David Korins. It rather turns into a family affair when the
latter’s theater savvy young daughter becomes production’s key demographic
advisor.
Frankly,
it is always easy to get caught up in behind-the-scenes Broadway documentaries,
because the clock is always ticking down towards opening night while bedlam
reigns backstage. Yet, viewers looking
to really get caught up in an emotional story will probably find Step By Step (the Chorus Line doc) more rewarding because of the way the cast
personally relates to the show’s themes and characters. Step is
a great movie, whereas Script to Stage is
a very nice television special, which should still be a good fix for theater patrons. Nicely put together, Annie: It’s the Hard Knock Life, From Script to Stage is worth
catching when it premieres on New York’s Thirteen this coming Friday night
(6/28).
