Gateway Theatre's Annie brings back classic songs and a sense of optimism, to January 3

And did we mention the live dogs playing Sandy?

Azaleah Korn and Poco as Sandy in Gateway Theatre’s *Annie*. Photo by David Cooper

Gateway Theatre presents Annie from December 11 to January 3, 2026

CHANCES ARE THAT even if you’ve never seen the musical Annie—onstage or onscreen in director John Huston’s budget-blowing $40-million 1982 film—you know its iconic songs “Tomorrow” and “It’s the Hard Knock Life” (or at least Jay-Z’s “Hard Knock Life (The Ghetto Anthem)”, which liberally samples it).

But those are only two of the nonstop memorable tunes in the Tony Award–winning family favourite, being mounted by director Josh Epstein at Gateway Theatre for the holiday season and kept moving along by choreographer Nicol Spinola. The warmhearted original debuted on Broadway in 1977, care of Charles Strouse (music), Martin Charnin (lyrics), and Thomas Meehan (book).

The strong cast here includes Azaleah Korn as the titular character (and not necessarily a redheaded one, as in the original), alongside local stars Jennifer Copping as Miss Hannigan, who runs the cruel orphanage, and Charlie Gallant as Oliver Warbucks, the bald billionaire who takes in Annie. But who is guaranteed to steal the show? Annie’s beloved stray dog Sandy, played on the Richmond stage by three separate, adorable mutts (all based on the comic strip Little Orphan Annie, which began in 1924).

Word has it this production will up the musical’s intrinsic optimism and exuberance—and a reminder that “the sun’ll come out tomorrow” seems timely, not just amid December atmospheric rivers, but the world at large right now.

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Janet Smith

Janet Smith is founding partner and editorial director of Stir. She is a Webster Award–winning arts journalist who has spent more than three decades immersed in Vancouver’s performing arts, film, and gallery scenes. She sits on the Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle.

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