By Corianne Egan

cegan@paducahsun.com

There aren’t many times that children fantasize about being orphans adopted by millionaires. However, leaving the theater after seeing “Annie” for the first time, it’s hard not to.

“The movie came out when I was younger, in third or fourth grade,” said Amy Purdue, who plays Daddy Warbuck’s secretary. “I had an ‘Annie’ lunchbox. It was really popular.”

The Market House Theatre’s production of Annie is the spitting image of the classic Broadway play, with orphans played by school-aged children and the same singing and dancing audiences have come to love since the 1970s.

“Everyone knows the songs from the play,” said Tom Dolan, who plays Daddy Warbucks. “And everyone loves the thought of a happy ending.”

Deep inside the story of an orphan thrown into a billionaire’s world are very powerful lessons. Purdue, a social studies instructor, teaches about that time period in her classes, and says it’s very helpful for students to be able to see what it was like firsthand.

“There is so much going on in the play,” Purdue said. “My character, Grace, was really coming into her own as a woman.”

Through the entire play, through the favorite songs, one thing remains true: Everyone loves “Annie.” The story that a down and out orphan who was stuck in a tough life could get adopted, and loved, by a billionaire who previously had no soul, could live forever.

“Everyone loves a happy ending,” Dolan said. “Everyone loves to see a happier ever after story. That’s what makes it timeless.”

Contact Corianne Egan, a Paducah Sun staff writer, at 270-575-8652.