Upon hearing the word "sequel," the typical reaction is a loud groan and a roll of the eyes. Many film sequels never equal up to the glory of the first and original version, and in theater, not too many sequels ever reach the stage boards of the Great White Way. Two that come to mind are Bring Back Birdie and The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public. The first was a sequel to Bye Bye Birdie and opened in 1981, playing for only 31 performances. The second was a 1994 sequel to The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. This multi-million dollar fiasco, co-directed and co-choreographed by Texan and nine-time Tony winner Tommy Tune, shuttered after only 28 performances and was slaughtered by the critics.

Apparently the creators of Annie did not pay heed to the previous failures of sequels. After the roaring success of the original tale of a little redheaded girl and a bald Daddy, the original creators came up with the idea of repeating their success through a sequel called Annie Warbucks.

Annie Warbucks starts off right where the original left us, with the company singing "A New Deal for Christmas." From there we have villains, love, kids, FDR, the depression, and a dog. But in 1993 the show was met with misfires and problems. The producers and creators tried several times to get a production on its feet, only to have major book and score problems prevent it from reaching Broadway. The troubled musical opened Off Broadway at the Variety Arts Theater on October 9th, 1993, but was met with mediocre reviews and low box office activity, closing after only 200 performances.

Flower Mound Performing Arts Theatre has taken up the challenge of mounting this show. While the cast is entertaining for the most part, the material itself is dreadfully weak. It's easy to see the same patterns from the original used in its counterpart: a female villain who is part of a trio of villains, the same unspoken love interest between Grace and Warbucks, and so on, right down to another big company number for President FDR's policy and his staff.

Basically, the score and book arrive DOA. There isn't a solid, knock out, bring-down-the-house number in the show. The tempos and flow of the orchestrations seem to go one way, while the vocals are on a completely different path, causing distortion and unbalance. For example, take the duet "Leave It to the Girls." It is supposed to be a delectable villain number that pokes fun at the victims. But the music has an awful orchestration. To add salt to the wound, you have a small verse and then dead air. Nothing. Both actresses are dancing and laughing as much as possible to overcome the dead air of no lyrics or good music, but the song never really gives them anything to really play off of.

Overall, there is barely a hint of character development or subtext within the lyrics. Too many of the lyrics try to rhyme over and over again, such as using the words dimple and simple for comedic effect. And the book is not much better. A lot of it depends on the audience to suspend belief. Are we really to believe that a little girl in the depression era can get on a railroad boxcar and go from New York to Tennessee without any problems whatsoever? I'm all for fantasy and the magic of theater, but I have to wonder what was in the coffee these creators were drinking when writing this material.

The connection among the three villains is also not totally fleshed out. We know the connection between two of them, but one is not revealed until the end of act two in a very haphazard way. The sequel fails miserably in re-creating the three villains Ms. Hannigan, Lilly St. Regis, and Rooster.

The book takes us all over the place and never really explains the conflicts or character arcs completely. A glaring problem is the character Grace. She is supposed to be a major character involved in the love triangle. Everyone in the Warbucks mansion tries their best to get her and Warbucks together, even Annie. And yet the actress is left with practically no book to really sink her teeth into. She can only react to the actions on stage or comment with a line here and there. She gets her chance to express how she feels, but not until near the end of act two. This makes no sense whatsoever.

I have to hand it to Director Jim Lindsay, his production staff, and the talented cast who give their all to make the wearisome material sparkle and shine. The space is quite small, with no fly rail above or a true proscenium, but Lindsay has not let the confines of the space hinder his creativity. The blocking and staging for the intimate space is quite visually appealing and has purpose, with nice "picture windows" sprinkled here and there. And he brings out really good performances in most of the cast, though the pace is somewhat uneven. Oddly, dialogue is tripped over, some scene changes are a little long, and at times there is odd dead air during dialogue.

Within the design elements, Michael Robinson's costumes stand out. The Warbucks staff is dressed in bright colors and coal black tuxes. One leading lady gets to wear period suits and festive hats. The best though are Grace's gowns, including a cranberry, satin gown that hugs the actress, making her resemble Jean Harlow, and a frothy, light gown for the second act.

A round of applause for musicians Gary Okeson and Adam Wright for supplying the music for the evening. Both play beautifully and add much enjoyment to the production. Kudos as well to Emily Lockhart's pleasing choreography.

Providing standout performances are Mark Mullino as Daddy Warbucks, Ashton Smalling as Annie, and Carrie Slaughter as Grace Ferrell.

Usually Mullino can be found backstage as music director, so it is a treat to see him on the stage. He does a splendid job as the man with all the moolah and follicle issues. With a belting, solid baritone voice he provides one of the three musical highlights of the evening in a soothing rendition of the ballad, "A Younger Man." His comedic and dramatic chops are also up to par while his chemistry with all on stage is strong and assured.

Carrie Slaughter is sweet, warm, engaging, and just lovely as the heartbroken Grace. With her blonde hair all in curls and dressed in elegant gowns, she resembles a blonde film goddess from the vaults of MGM studios. Slaughter's performance is so endearing, it begs for more book and music for the character. Nonetheless, Slaughter gives a multi-layered performance as the real Mrs. Warbucks to be. Her flawless, crystal clear soprano voice works magic with the second musical highlight of the evening, the ballad "It Would Have Been Wonderful," going from a resounding crescendo right back down to a soft, lilting note. It is magical.

Mullino and Slaughter have enticing chemistry on stage as well. What makes the relationship much more romantic is that Warbucks isn't played by a much older actor. This really gives their romance much more oomph and believability.

I had the pleasure of watching the pixie sized Ashton Smalling give it her all as Baby June in Gypsy at Texas Star Theater this past summer. As Annie, she again delivers the goods. The girl can sing! She has a belt and the beginnings of a very strong vibrato. Most of the music is assigned to her and she delivers in each number. While I wish her acting remained more truthful, organic, and rooted in realism (instead of the sugar coated, wide eye layers that creep into children's performances), she is still outstanding. It was an excellent choice to have her red hair look normal, not one of those god awful red curly wigs that make Annie look like the love child of Harpo Marx and a chia pet.

Providing the majority of the laughs for the evening are Paul Andre Doucet and R. Bradford Smith. Doucet portrays Alvin, a Tennessee farmer who helps bring Annie back to New York. With a big, booming, baritone voice he sells with smashing success his solo in "Somebody's Gotta Do Somethin." The actor also has good comedic timing, pace, and a delivery that is backed up by humorous facial expressions.

As the head butler Drake, Smith speaks in a haughty, snooty British dialect that sounds a little like Dame Edna, which actually works here. The funniest number of the evening is "That's The Kind of Woman" which is performed by Warbucks servants and led by Smith. Drake tries to hint to his employer who his betrothed should be. Smith is greatly aided in making the number a hit by Juli Erickson, Stacy L. Schriever, Susan Doke, William Kelley, and Billy Lawley.

Also delivering audience-pleasing performances are Josh Hepola as Simon, Juli Erickson as Mrs. Pugh, Octavia Y. Thomas as Ella, and Steve M. Powell as FDR.

Even with the failures of the book, lyrics, and score, the cast and production staff give it their all, offering their audience a pleasant and enjoyable evening at the theater.

Annie Warbucks performs through November 20th at FMPA Theatre, 830 Parker Square in Flower Mound. To purchase tickets, which go on sale Oct 12th, contact the box office at 972-724-2147 or online at www.fmpat.org, click ˜Tickets".

Annie Warbucks. Book By Thomas Meehan, Music By Charles Strouse, Lyrics by Martin Charnin.

Flower Mound Performing Arts Theatre

Directed By Jim Lindsay
Musical Direction by Gary Okeson
Choreography by Emily Lockhart
Costume Design by Michael Robinson
Scenic & Lighting Design by Scott Kirkham

CAST:

Annie.....................Ashton Smalling
Daddy Warbucks............Mark Mullino
Grace Farrell.............Carrie Slaughter
Mrs. Kelly................Stephanie Riggs
Drake.....................R.Bradford Smith
Mrs.Pugh..................Juli Erickson
Simon.....................Josh Hepola
Commissioner Doyle........Jane Willingham
Ella......................Octavia Y. Thomas
Alvin.....................Paul Andre Doucet
President Roosevelt.......Steve M. Powell
C.G.......................Britani Bulloch
Orphans...................Emily Emmett, Morgan Haney, Dani Altshuler, Alex Altshuler, Taylor Scorse
Servants, Ensemble........Jerome Stein, Jack Hurst, Stacy L. Schriever, Susan Doke, William Kelley, Billy Lawley.

--John Garcia