A big-hearted ‘Annie Jr.’
By Susan Frick Carlman scarlman@stemedianetwork.com December 28, 2012 12:02PM
Updated: January 31, 2013 6:23AM
As the theatrical orphan named Annie famously points out every time her story is told onstage, the sun’ll come up tomorrow.
The theatric real-life kids affiliated with Kidz Kabaret, the Naperville company spotlighting young talent, know the sun will indeed rise on each new day — even in the darkest of places.
To encourage that assurance, they pulled together one more performance of this month’s feature, “Annie Jr.” in the hope of providing extra comfort for the kids and families of Newtown, Conn., and Sandy Hook Elementary School who were affected by the mass shootings there Dec. 14.
Madison Junior High sixth-grader Lauren Sall, a cast member in “Annie,” came up with the idea of staging one more benefit performance of the popular production, which wrapped up its most recent run last weekend.
Lauren’s mom, Colleen Sall, estimated the turnout Thursday was about 90 customers.
“The kids did a terrific job, and I think the people who attended really felt connected, that they had done something good,” she said.
The United Way of Western Connecticut was chosen to receive $2 from the sale of each ticket.
The agency, which took in almost $3 million the week after the shootings, is coordinating the distribution of donated goods in addition to facilitating communication among local nonprofits to connect mental health professionals, grief counselors and other social service providers.
In a big finish for the Thursday performance, some of the older members of the Kidz Kabaret company joined the cast to sing “Seasons of Love,” an emotional number from the play “Rent.”
