Pass by the Central cafe at 5:00 p.m. on a weekday, and there’s a pretty good chance you’ll see a dance scene in full swing, or the Central choir clustered around the piano, practicing scales. It’s spring musical season, and this year’s feature was the classic musical Annie. The show, staged on Thursday, March 30, was a change of pace from last year’s successful production of Shrek, and a welcome challenge for Central’s vibrant arts community. The titular role of Annie was played by senior Shayna Sprung, with senior Perri Sterman as Daddy Warbucks and senior Abby Harris as Miss Hannigan.
The first full dress rehearsal was this past Sunday, March 26, and gave the cast and crew a chance to work as a team to develop the show, helping one another to practice scenes and learn cues. Abby Harris said, “Everyone knows her lines and what she is doing – it’s going to come together, very soon.” Sunday also allowed the cast to immerse themselves in their roles – in Abby’s case, stepping into the shoes of beloved villain Miss Hannigan. “Everyone knows her character,” Abby said. “Any time I’m in a bad mood, I can just be Miss Hannigan. It’s very practical. I just walk in and say, “All right, orphans, let’s go!”
The cast and crew took creative license in a few ways. Initially, Central made the set truly its own, with students from all classes coming together to make big, splashy backgrounds depicting the story’s frenetic New York City setting. Another stroke of creative license: the play’s holiday affiliation. The showrunners made the ingenious decision to tweak the musical’s seasonal setting from Christmas to New Year’s. To all accounts, the show was better for it, and rousing renditions of “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” and “Tomorrow” brought the house down.
“Being a part of this year’s production has been one of my favorite experiences at Central,” said cast member Rachel Berkowitz (’24). “Becoming friends with people from other grades that I normally wouldn’t have met has been great.” The cast dedicated this year’s production in loving memory of Adira Koffsky, a”h (’22), who played a pivotal role in Central’s arts community and in last year’s musical production.
With over 200 people in attendance, the show was a smashing success! Thank you to play director, and Central alumna, Rachel Sterman Rosenbaum (’10)!