Annie, the musical, coming to Durban’s Playhouse

The delightful musical, Annie, the story of the plucky youngster and her quest for a bright new life outside of the walls of Miss Hannigan’s dreary orphanage, is coming to The Playhouse for a short season from 4 – 13 July 2025.  

Presented by the KZN Young Performers Project (YPP), a musical theatre youth initiative started in 2001, typically stages one major production during the July school holidays. This year,  the YPP team is staging three different productions. Annie is the second production, coming hot on the heels of the Shrek which had a season in the new Milkwood Theatre, and in the last quarter of the year, there will be a still-to-be announced festive season production. 

Annie’s production team sees Daisy Spencer in the director’s chair; with musical direction by Des Govender; choreography by Evashnee Pillay; costume design and props by Kathy and Dominic Singery; sound design by Anthony Govender, and lighting by Dylan Heaton.  

Annie, a classic musical

Annie, the much-loved Depression-era musical tells the story of a little girl with big dreams (Kaitlyn Rex) and her faithful companion, Sandy, a show-stealing golden retriever, Lucy.  

Annie is chosen to stay for one week with the famous billionaire Oliver ‘Daddy’ Warbucks (Daniel Mayiza) and his charming secretary, Grace Farrell (Chloe Marot). One week turns into many, and the only person standing in the way of Annie’s bright future is the greedy Miss Hannigan, the gin-soaked ruler of the orphanage (Grace McIlroy); her wicked no good brother Daniel ‘Rooster’ Hannigan, (Nathan Kruger) and his girlfriend, Lily St. Regis (Jenna Van Eyssen).

Valuable experience for the next generation

The whole cast comprises 120 performers, including a double cast of senior primary youngsters performing as orphans. YPP’s annual musical theatre productions pairs a youthful cast with a professional production team to provide the next generation of theatre practitioners with valuable experience of performing in a professional context. In recent years, the cast includes senior primary as well as high school learners, and members of Durban-based International School of Performing Arts (ISPA) to provide maximum experience opportunities for as many aspirant young performers as possible.

Des Govender who heads up YPP recently returned from London where she met with Musical Theatre International; rights holders; performing arts schools; West End producers and theatre managers on behalf of the ISPA team. “We want to forge meaningful local and international relationships for our young performers. We are working towards providing opportunities for children with interest and skill in performance – from senior primary, through high school, to tertiary education and towards a national and international career,” she said. 

“We believe that the best approach is a holistic one – identifying talented primary school learners and nurturing them until they are ready and equipped to manage their own professional careers, monitoring and mentoring them every step of the way. Essentially, we want to connect Durban performers with the world and the world with Durban” 

Tickets through Webtickets and Pick n Pay stores nationwide. School and Block bookings please contact yppdurban@gmail.com