REVIEW: Annie – Edinburgh Playhouse

★★★☆☆

Edinburgh Playhouse | 15 September 2026

The sun may come out tomorrow, but on opening night at the Edinburgh Playhouse, Annie didn't quite shine as brightly as I had hoped.

The much-loved musical returned to Edinburgh this week, bringing with it all the familiar ingredients: the red-haired orphan, the formidable Miss Hannigan, billionaire Daddy Warbucks, an adorable dog and, of course, those songs that most of us could probably sing whether we've ever actually seen Annie or not.

Set during the Great Depression in 1930s New York, Annie follows an optimistic young orphan who remains convinced that the parents who left her at an orphanage as a baby will one day return. Her fortunes change when she is chosen to spend Christmas at the home of billionaire Oliver Warbucks — although escaping the clutches of the wonderfully unpleasant Miss Hannigan isn't quite the end of her troubles.

On press night, June Young took on the title role of Annie alongside the young performers of the Empire Team.

There's no questioning the talent or confidence of the young cast. Young throws herself into the role with bags of energy and possesses an impressive voice, while the orphans attack numbers such as It's the Hard Knock Life with infectious enthusiasm.

For me, though, something was missing.

Annie is a character whose relentless optimism works best when you can also see the vulnerable little girl underneath it. Young certainly has the confidence and energy required for the role, but I would have liked to have seen more of that vulnerability come through. At times, the performance felt a little too one-note to give some of the more emotional moments the impact they deserved.

Claire Sweeney takes top billing as the gin-loving orphanage matron Miss Hannigan and provides plenty of laughs throughout the evening. She's energetic, funny and clearly having fun with the character, although I found myself wishing this Hannigan had been allowed to become even more outrageous.

This is a woman who despises children, drinks far too much and has reached the end of her tether — there is so much scope for chaos. Sweeney's interpretation felt surprisingly polished at times when I wanted Miss Hannigan to be completely dishevelled, unpredictable and gloriously unhinged.

One unplanned moment did provide exactly that sort of chaos when Sweeney suffered a shoe malfunction during the performance and simply carried on. That's live theatre for you!

Alex Bourne brings warmth and authority to Oliver Warbucks and his gradual softening towards Annie provides some of the production's sweeter moments. Tanisha-Mae Brown is also excellent as Grace Farrell, with beautiful vocals and a lovely stage presence, while Christian Cooper brings a welcome touch of menace and comedy as Rooster alongside Amber Kennedy's Lily.

And then there's Sandy.

Played on press night by Dizzy the Cockapoo, Sandy requires approximately three seconds on stage to remind everyone of one of theatre's most important rules:

Never work with animals if you don't want to be upstaged.

Every appearance was greeted with delighted noises from the audience, and frankly, I get it.

Visually, the production has plenty going for it. Colin Richmond's distinctive jigsaw-style set cleverly frames the action and transforms from the bleak orphanage to Warbucks' considerably grander surroundings, while Nick Winston's choreography gives the bigger ensemble numbers some much-needed energy.

Unfortunately, there were also occasions when the sound didn't help proceedings. Lyrics became difficult to distinguish during some of the larger numbers — particularly frustrating in a musical packed with songs people know and love.

Perhaps the bigger issue for me, however, is that Annie itself is beginning to show its age.

There is still plenty of charm in the story and its central message of hope remains difficult to dislike, but some elements now feel dated. The production occasionally feels as though it's working extremely hard to breathe fresh energy into material that doesn't always give it much room to do so.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy the evening.

There's a hugely talented company on that Playhouse stage, the young performers deserve enormous credit, there are some fantastic musical numbers and it's difficult not to leave with Tomorrow lodged firmly in your head.

But with such an iconic musical, I wanted to be swept up in it.

Instead, I admired much of what was happening without ever completely falling in love with it.

A solid, energetic production with plenty of talent — but for me, this particular Annie was missing a little of the heart and magic that could have made it truly special.

★★★☆☆ – 3/5

Jenna attended the opening night of Annie at the Edinburgh Playhouse on 15 September 2026.