Last curtain call

The cast of Annie Jr. took a final bow as their final performance came to an end on April 5, 2023.

“I was feeling sad. I was thinking about the entire cast and how it felt like a family,” sixth-grader Olivia Abbate said.

Abbate played Mrs. Greer, a housekeeper, in the play performed by fifth and sixth graders at Patrick M. Villano School. For the past three months, Abbate and the cast spent hours each week after school rehearsing their lines. New friendships were built during that time.

“I was trying not to cry, but everyone else was so sad that it made me cry,” Abbate said. 

Annie Jr. is about an 11-year-old orphan who befriends a shaggy dog and charms a millionaire into adoption. It’s based on the Broadway hit Annie except Annie Jr. is much shorter – about 60 minutes long. Also, the songs have been revised to better fit younger voices. One of those voices was sixth grader Owen Blanken who played the character of Rooster Hannigan.

“I was very sad,” Blanken said. “We worked for three months for these two nights. All the work we had done was worth it. I miss the show a lot.” 

“I was very upset that it was over I cried,” said another sixth grader Daniella Beahm who had the role of Annie.